Three Health and Fintech Startups Raise Fresh Capital for Global Expansion

Salmon secures $140 million in the Philippines

Salmon Group, a technology-driven banking and lending platform, said on 19 October 2026 that it had secured $140 million in additional financing to expand across the Philippines. Of that total, $90 million was committed by Spice Expeditions, Washington University Investment Management Company and Moore Strategic Ventures, while the remaining $50 million comes from bond proceeds.

Salmon plans to scale lending products including its Salmon Credit Line and in-store lending, and to extend its services to nationwide motorcycle financing and lending to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Established in July 2022, the company operates under Salmon Bank (Rural Bank) Inc. and Salmon Finance Inc.

Salmon's mobile app has been downloaded nine million times and holds a 4.8-star rating on both the Apple and Google app stores. Salmon Finance uses an AI-powered credit engine to assess applicants with limited credit histories and can deliver decisions within minutes.

Emerald raises €1.66 million in London

Emerald, a London-based preventive healthcare platform, secured an additional €1.66 million (£1.4 million/$1.85 million), bringing its total funding to €3.44 million (£2.9 million). The round includes an €832.2k (£700k) grant from Innovate UK, the company's second award from the organisation, plus a further €832.2k (£700k) in venture capital raised after the award.

All existing investors took part, joined by new backers including Sequel and Highgoal, and Emerald's valuation rose from its previous round. EU-Startups reported that co-founder and CEO Alexander Badalyan said a preventative approach to healthcare improves long-term health outcomes by highlighting potential issues before they become critical.