• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, January 21, 2011

Facebook this afternoon confirmed closing a $1.5 billion investment round at a valuation of $50 billion from Goldman Sachs and Russian investor Digital Sky Technologies. In a statement, the company said Goldman had completed an "oversubscribed offering" to its non-U.S. clients, bringing in $1 billion. The Wall Street firm and Digital Sky Technologies contributed another $500 million at the same valuation.

Prior reports about the "special purpose vehicle" created by Goldman for the funding sparked controversy over whether Facebook had exceeded the 500-shareholder limit requiring a company to file public financial data. The company said today that even before the Goldman, it had expected to pass 500 shareholders at some point in 2011, and therefore expects to start filing public financial reports by April 2012.

Facebook said it raised the money to bolster its cash reserves and increase its financial flexibility. It also said it has no immediate plans for the new capital, but "will continue investing to build and expand operations." Because of the media scrutiny the deal attracted, Goldman previously said it wouldn't offer Facebook shares to U.S. to avoid running afoul of U.S. securities laws.