Atsushi Yamada

First Circle

A trailblazer in Financial Technology (FinTech), First Circle was founded by Patrick Lynch and Tony Ennis to empower Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in growth markets by financing their business-to-business (B2B) trade transactions. Thus helping them grow by providing convenient access to financial services. First Circle believes that strong businesses should have access to capital based on meritocracy; not hindered by insufficiencies of collateral or the mere relationships and connections one may have. Since our public launch in 2016, we have significantly grown our customer base. Led by a team of ex-Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, Amazon, and Web Summit management members with experience in technology, financial services, and e-commerce, we are currently providing SMEs from various industries with millions of dollars worth of financing. This is a clear confirmation of the trust we have earned from businesses nationwide. At First Circle, we are proud of our international culture with over 10 nationalities working together - each motivated by the company's purpose. Our investors have previously supported world-leading technology companies, like Uber and PayPal; and our Advisors sit on the Board of the biggest FinTech companies around the world. As we are looking forward to the future with financial optimism, we gear toward partnering and empowering more and more SMEs in the Philippines - and soon the rest of Southeast Asia. Trusted by the Philippine government, First Circle is the official Finance Partner of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). We are also a pioneer data provider to the Credit Information Corporation (CIC) and the very first FinTech company to ever be licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the Philippines.