(Remitly Photo)

The news: Seattle startup Remitly has hired investment banks to prepare for an initial public offering, according to Reuters. The IPO would value Remitly at around $5 billion, Reuters reported — a sizable spike from its last valuation of $1.5 billion in July. Remitly declined to comment when contacted by GeekWire.

Remitly background: Founded in 2011, Remitly’s mobile technology lets people send and receive money across borders, including immigrants in the U.S. and U.K. who support families back home in countries such as the Philippines, India, El Salvador, and others. The service eliminates forms, codes, agents, and other fees typically associated with the international money transfer process dominated by Western Union, MoneyGram, and other longstanding providers.

Last funding: Remitly raised $85 million in July at a $1.5 billion valuation. Total funding to date, which includes a $220 million cash infusion from July 2019, is nearly $400 million.

Remitly, ranked No. 3 on the GeekWire 200 list of top Pacific Northwest tech startups, has around 1,000 employees across its Seattle HQ and six other offices in Spokane, Wash., London, Cork, Krakow, Manila, and Managua.

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