Name

HonestFund

Website

https://honestfund.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Investment Product Transactions: Platform facilitates investment products where investors earn returns on loans. Revenue generated through transaction fees and spreads on loan interest rates between borrowers and investors.
2. Lending Operations: Online lending services connecting borrowers with investors. Platform earns interest spread and fees from loan transactions processed through the platform.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

HonestFund is a mobile-first fintech platform that connects individual investors with credit-based alternative investment opportunities — including personal credit, real estate, and mortgage loan products — through AI-driven credit evaluation and risk management. Investors can browse and invest in listed products with varying risk profiles (stability-oriented, balanced, return-oriented) and expected annual returns of approximately 6-12%, while borrowers access credit evaluated through the platform's AI systems. All investor funds are safeguarded by Shinhan Bank's trust system.

Product overview

HonestFund operates as a single unified mobile investment platform (어니스트펀드) that connects investors with credit-based investment opportunities. The platform enables users to browse, invest in, and track various investment products with features including expected returns, investment periods, and product grades. It combines financial services with IT infrastructure, backed by Shinhan Bank's trust system, to provide a simplified investment experience for individual investors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HonestFund Mobile Investment Platform (어니스트펀드) A mobile-first fintech platform that enables individual investors to browse, invest in, and track credit-based investment products with different risk grades and expected annual returns of approximately 6-12%, with investor funds safeguarded through Shinhan Bank's trust system. Targeted at Korean retail investors seeking accessible alternative investments.
• Personal Credit Investment Products Investment products backed by personal credit loans originated through the HonestFund platform's AI-evaluated underwriting, offered to individual investors as one of the platform's alternative asset categories alongside real estate and mortgage products.
• Real Estate Investment Products Investment products backed by real estate loans originated through the HonestFund platform, giving individual investors exposure to real estate debt as an alternative asset class with platform-managed risk grading and expected returns.
• Mortgage Loan Investment Products Investment products backed by mortgage loans originated through the HonestFund platform, providing individual investors access to mortgage debt with platform-determined risk grades, maturity periods, and expected annual returns.
• AI-Evaluated Online Lending Service Online lending service for individual borrowers seeking personal credit, real estate, or mortgage loans, with underwriting performed through HonestFund's proprietary AI-based credit evaluation and risk management systems rather than traditional bank processes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Investment products with varying risk profiles (stability-oriented, balanced, return-oriented) to suit different investor preferences
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Shinhan BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor Korean bank that has invested in HonestFund and provides trust system infrastructure for the platform. This partnership enables HonestFund to offer institutional-grade safety for investor funds through Shinhan Bank's trusted financial infrastructure.
• SCI Evaluation InformationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCredit evaluation information provider with which HonestFund aims to create synergies following the Jinwon Group investment. Focus on expanding AI-based financial technology research.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• 8Percent (에이트퍼센트): One of Korea's largest P2P/online investment-linked lending platforms, offering personal credit and corporate loans to retail investors. Highly comparable to HonestFund in product category, target investor, and revenue model.
• PeopleFund (피플펀드): Korean online P2P investment platform focused on personal credit and small-business loans with retail investor access. Direct competitor in the same product category and customer segment as HonestFund.
• Tera Funding (테라펀딩): Korea-based online investment platform originating personal and corporate loans for retail investors. Direct peer in product offering, business model (interest spread / fees), and customer base.
• Lendit (렌딧): Korean P2P lending marketplace connecting retail investors with consumer and SME borrowers. Closely comparable to HonestFund on origination, investor onboarding, and platform economics.

Broad incumbents

• Kakao Bank: Korea's largest digital-only bank with deep retail deposit base and expanding into investment products. Comparable as a scaled, mobile-first Korean financial platform competing for retail investor share.
• Toss (토스): Korean fintech super-app offering payments, banking, investing, and lending products. Adjacent competitor for Korean retail investment flows with vastly greater scale and brand reach.
• KB Capital: KB Financial Group's consumer/SME lending arm, active in Korean personal credit and adjacent investment products. Comparable as an incumbent expanding into retail alternative investment offerings.

Others

• Dunamu (Upbit operator): Operator of Upbit (Korea's largest crypto exchange) and a prior investor in HonestFund via Dunamu & Partners. Connected through shared investor network and the broader Korean fintech ecosystem.
• SCI Evaluation Information: Korean credit bureau and evaluation information provider, identified as a synergy partner following Jinwon Group's investment. Comparable as a data/infrastructure layer feeding HonestFund's AI credit engine.

Regional players

• Funding Societies: Leading Southeast Asia P2P/SME lending platform. Comparable business model and product mix (consumer and SME loans for retail investors) but operates in different geographies than HonestFund.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds8 records

Investors15 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HonestFund