Leap Finance, the student lending arm of South Asia’s largest study abroad platform, has secured a USD100 million debt facility from HSBC under its ASEAN Growth Fund. This funding marks a significant milestone in Leap’s mission to enable more students to pursue international education and global career opportunities.
To date, Leap Finance has funded over $250 million in education loans, supporting more than 5,000 students. These students have experienced significant growth in earnings post-graduation, demonstrating the transformative impact of Leap’s offerings.
Leap Finance specializes in providing collateral-free, USD-denominated education loans for postgraduate students pursuing degrees abroad. These loans cover the full cost of study and are based on a student’s future earning potential rather than their current financial means—differentiating them from traditional banking options. This approach aims to democratize access to global education by removing financial barriers for talented students.
Vaibhav Singh, Co-founder of Leap, stated, “Leap's mission is to democratize access to global education and careers for students. With lack of financing often the largest impediment to their global aspirations, this facility will enable us to help hundreds of students make their move abroad. More importantly, in HSBC we have a partner who for decades has been helping people and businesses open up to global opportunities. This strong alignment of vision makes me very excited about the partnership and we look forward to building the next generation of global leaders together.”
Shaun Sakhrani, Head of Structured Banking, Southeast Asia, HSBC, added, “We are honored to provide Leap Finance with this bespoke and scalable facility that will help grow its portfolio while supporting more Indian students as they pursue higher education in the US. With the unique metrics of the ASEAN Growth Fund, we are able to support Leap Finance as they expand their business and footprint.”
The new funding will allow Leap Finance to extend its services to more U.S. states, enhance university partnerships, and strengthen its presence in India. The company also plans to explore new countries to diversify its student base further.
This announcement follows Leap’s recent $65 million Series E equity raise led by Apis Partners, bringing its total equity and debt funding to over $400 million since its inception in 2019.
Leap operates globally through platforms like LeapScholar, LeapFinance, GeeBee, and Yocket, providing end-to-end services for students aiming for international education and careers.
