Pantlån

Pantlån is a digital pawn service aiming to modernize one of the world's oldest forms of lending. The company was founded by Petter Händel and Alfred Appelros, entrepreneurs with backgrounds in banking, finance, tech, and marketing. Händel, the current CEO, has a history of entrepreneurship, including founding a glamping site, and previously served as the head of business development at Marginalen Bank. Appelros founded the social media agency Getsocial. Their mission is to challenge the traditional, and often slow, pawn industry by providing a fully digital and transparent platform.

The business operates as a registered pawnshop under the supervision of Sweden's County Administrative Board (Länsstyrelsen), ensuring regulatory compliance. Pantlån's core service allows individuals to secure loans by using personal valuables, such as jewelry, gold, and watches, as collateral. This model eliminates the risk of personal debt for the borrower, as the pledged item is the sole security for the loan. The process begins with the user getting a preliminary valuation of their item through the company's proprietary AI model, which can provide an estimate within minutes. After the initial digital valuation, the user sends the item to Pantlån via secure, insured transport for a final expert assessment. Once a loan offer is accepted, funds are disbursed directly to the user's account via Swish, often within five minutes.

Revenue is generated from the interest paid on the loans. Customers have flexibility in repayment; they can pay interest monthly to extend the loan, pay back the principal at their own pace, or pause amortization. If a borrower decides not to or cannot repay the loan, the collateralized item is sold at auction, with any surplus value returned to the borrower. In early 2024, Pantlån secured 5 million SEK in a funding round from a group of prominent investors, including Pär Svärdson (founder of Apotea), Fabian Bengtsson (former CEO of Siba), and Anders Wall.

Keywords: digital pawnshop, AI valuation, collateralized loans, online lending, fintech, secured loans, asset-backed lending, Petter Händel, Alfred Appelros, Pär Svärdson, jewelry loans, watch loans, gold loans, quick loans, Swish payment, online pawn, pawn brokerage, alternative financing, financial services, circular economy