原文链接：http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2014/09/11/smartphone-giant-xiaomi-backs-peer-to-peer-lender-jimubox/?mod=WSJBlog

China-based online lender JimuBox has scored a $37.2 million Series B round led by smartphone maker Xiaomi Inc. and Shunwei Capital Partners, a venture fund co-founded by the entrepreneur who set up Xiaomi.

Peer-to-peer lending services have grown in strength in China in the last few years, as part of the nation’s shadow banking sector. Small businesses and individuals often bypass traditional banks for loans because banks are still hesitant about taking on debt-related risks.

Concerns have been raised over the lack of regulation over peer-to-peer lending services, which has led some online platforms to close down without any money being returned to lenders.

However, this has done little to deter the growth of the peer-to-peer industry.

JimuBox said it links borrowers to investors and completes due diligence including credit checks on those seeking money.

he investment into JimuBox also highlights the growing power of China’s technology giants, including Xiaomi and Alibaba Group Holding, as strategic investors that are increasingly plowing capital into small businesses alongside traditional venture capitalists.

Other venture firms involved in JimuBox’s Series B round were Matrix Partners China, Vertex Venture Holdings, Magic Stone Alternative Investments and Ventech China, according to a news release. Ventech China, part of France-based Ventech Capital, invested in JimuBox’s Series A round in February.

Funds from the Series B will be used for product development, team expansion and marketing, among other things, according to the company.

“The money will be used to grow and consolidate their current business,” said Tuck Lye Koh, a founding partner and chief executive at Shunwei, in an email. He didn’t provide further details.

JimuBox founder and CEO Dong Chun said in a statement that Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi’s participation in the new financing will especially push forward the development of the business’s platform.

Many startups are now looking for investment from China’s technology behemoths. These companies have deep pockets, with some managing their own venture funds, and can help with more technical aspects. Qihoo 360 is one Internet company that recentlyset up a venture fund at the heart of startups, in Silicon Valley, following in the footsteps of Tencent Holdings and Alibaba.

Earlier this month, Internet conglomerate Tencent injected $70 million into Ting Ting Group, a Chinese online health-care service platform known as DXY. With Tencent behind it, Ting Ting could launch health-care products for Tencent’s online chat system known as WeChat, highlighting the benefits of having a heavyweight technology investor.

On the peer-to-peer lending side, the JimuBox deal is the latest in a string of similar investments.

Rong360, a comparison website for financial products specifically for individuals and small businesses, closed a $60 million round led by Pavilion Capital Pte. Ltd., which is wholly owned by Singaporean wealth fund Temasek Holdings Pte. Ltd., and Shanghai-based PPDai raised around $50 million from investors including Sequoia Capital China.