Helcim has closed USD 38 million (CAD 53 million) Series C funding round led by BDC Capital’s Growth Venture Fund, lifting the company’s valuation to USD 180 million.
The round was led by BDC Capital’s Growth Venture Fund, with participation from Curql Collective, Gold House Ventures, and a group of existing investors. The financing lifts Helcim’s valuation to approximatively USD 180 million (CAD 250 million), up from USD 97 million at its Series B round in 2024, and brings the company’s total equity raised since its 2022 Series A to USD 100 million.
The round arrives as several large Canadian banks have sold off or outsourced their merchant services operations, reducing the number of providers focused specifically on small and mid-sized businesses. Helcim, which serves companies across Canada and the US, is positioning itself to serve this segment through what the company describes as transparent, volume-based interchange-plus pricing, an open merchant platform supporting in-person and online payments, and direct customer support.
Platform built on proprietary infrastructure
Helcim was established as a standalone payments company in 2020, building its processing infrastructure independently rather than reselling a third-party processor’s technology. According to the company, this approach underpins its interchange-plus pricing model, distinguishing it from providers that rely on flat-rate fee structures.
In January 2026, Helcim introduced an AI-powered Payment Extension, a tool allowing merchants to self-integrate its payment processing into existing software systems without being tied to a single embedded-payments provider. The company has cited rapid adoption of this tool as an indicator of demand supporting the current funding round.
Expansion plans and investor commentary
According to the official press release, Helcim intends to use the new capital to continue developing its payments platform and to expand into additional financial services for merchants. The company is also broadening partnerships with regional banks and credit unions that are similarly moving away from traditional processing relationships.
Nic Beique, founder and CEO of Helcim, said the funding would allow the company to expand its platform, grow its team, and move into the mid-market segment. Jack Fraser, partner at BDC Capital’s Growth Venture Fund, pointed to the AI-powered integration tool as an example of the innovation the fund is backing. In addition, Nick Evens, president and CEO of Curql, said credit unions need to update their small business offerings to remain competitive and retain deposits.
The transaction reflects a broader shift in the North American payments sector, where credit unions and regional banks are increasingly seeking technology partners as larger institutions step back from merchant services aimed at smaller businesses.
