Hi Embedded Finance Friend
This newsletter went out a bit later than expected. If I am being honest, I missed my calendar reminder for the monthly mailing, and I only realised last night.
January was busier than expected. The Uber story (see #1) outperformed all my other articles. And February is already off to a strong start, too, so stay tuned.
Lastly, I consider it a privilege that many of my readers and followers reach out when they are working on something new in Embedded Finance. This gives me a chance to learn about new projects, and I am also happy to provide feedback and offer introductions to my network (when beneficial and mutually agreed).
To make this a bit more 'official', I have created an Office Hours page on my website. If you'd like to chat, get in touch via the link below.
And now let’s dive in 👇
News
In January, I covered eleven Embedded Finance stories. Click through to read the full versions on my website (sorted by views):
- Uber launches the Uber Pro Card in the UK, offering instant payouts, fuel cashback, and a linked bank account. Built on Griffin's BaaS platform. (EFR)
- French investment fintech Shares enters exclusive negotiations to buy Treezor, the BaaS platform that helped launch Qonto, Lydia, and Swile. (EFR)
- Worldline launches merchant financing with YouLend. Plus: why PSPs are racing to add lending, and YouLend's $230M revenue milestone. (EFR)
- Stripe powers checkout in Microsoft Copilot, allowing users to complete purchases in chat. Part of Stripe's push to become the infrastructure for AI commerce. (EFR)
- Swan launches Belgian IBAN accounts, now offering local IBANs across six European markets. Existing customers like Accountable likely drove this. (EFR)
- NatWest Boxed now has five BaaS customers live, including the AA and Saga, with three more unannounced. Point-of-sale lending is next on the roadmap. (EFR)
- UK payments infrastructure provider Modulr expands into the US through a partnership with FIS, marking its first market outside Europe and adopting a different playbook. (EFR)
- Wix expands Wix Payments to 11 EMEA countries using Stripe Connect. How the website builder is following Shopify's playbook into embedded finance. (EFR)
- RentSpree partners with Unit to launch embedded banking and bill pay for landlords. Another vertical SaaS platform turning workflows into financial hubs. (EFR)
- Vox AI partners with Adyen to add payment terminals at drive-thru speaker towers. How the voice AI provider is embedding payments into QSR automation. (EFR)
- JPMorgan Chase takes over Apple Card from Goldman Sachs, ending a six-year partnership that cost the bank billions. What it means for embedded finance. (EFR)
Podcast
In January, I published three podcast episodes – more than usual to make up for November and December. Click through for details and links to all platforms (sorted by plays):
- Banxware's Lending Orchestration Layer: Connecting Platforms, Banks & SMEs (EFR)
- Embedded Banking Done Differently: NoCFO’s Teemu Karuluoto on Choosing a Neobank Over BaaS (EFR)
- Hope Is Not a Strategy: What Makes Embedded Finance Partnerships Actually Work with Jas Shah (EFR)
Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this edition.
My newsletter, podcast, and event activities are free, but I need your support to continue. Please share Embedded Finance Review with your friends and coworkers, and let me know your feedback.
And if you need help understanding, building, or launching an embedded finance product, visit my website and get in touch.
Best wishes from Berlin,
Lars Markull (LinkedIn)
