Korea-based AI-powered fintech company Habitfactory has secured approx. USD 26 million(KRW 35 billion) in a Series D funding round. The round was led by Z Venture Capital (ZVC) and Smilegate Investment. ZVC is the corporate venture capital arm of LY Corporation — a joint venture between Naver and SoftBank under A Holdings.

New investors including Z Venture Capital, Korea Development Bank, IBK Venture Capital, and Kolon Investment participated, while existing backers KB Investment, Shinhan Venture Investment, and Smilegate Investment followed on. With this round, Habitfactory’s total funding amounts to approx. USD 51 million(KRW 69.4 billion).

Habitfactory plans to deploy the capital primarily toward international expansion across the United States and Japan. With U.S. mortgage rates declining, the company intends to aggressively scale its existing mortgage business. In Japan, it will begin with insurance and mortgage verticals, citing strong structural similarity to the Korean insurance and U.S. mortgage markets. Habitfactory sees an opportunity to solve pain points caused by legacy financial infrastructure.

The company operates “Signal Planner,” an AI-driven financial platform offering insurance, pension, and personal finance services in Korea. Its first-half revenue grew 76.8% year-on-year. In 2023, Habitfactory obtained a U.S. mortgage banking license, and has originated cumulative loans totaling approx. USD 149 million(KRW 203.1 billion).

Habitfactory has gained recognition for reducing costs and improving productivity across its operations via AI, strengthening its competitiveness. The company has recently begun the process of selecting IPO underwriters and is accelerating preparations for a public listing.

Sae Ji-hye, Director at Z Venture Capital, commented, “Habitfactory has strong growth potential in global financial brokerage, backed by its leadership in Korea’s insurance brokerage digital transformation and its technology capabilities. We expect strong synergy through ZVC’s global network.”

Co-CEO Dongik Lee added, “This funding validates our effort to address inefficiencies in the financial industry. We will continue to launch services globally that reflect the expertise we have built, setting positive precedents across markets.”