Northern Europe is known for not only its grueling, yet picturesque, winters but also for its amazing FinTech industry. Some of the world’s most popular and influential FinTech companies have risen from Nordic countries, especially Sweden, Finland, and Denmark. Some would even call the region a real gold mine for anyone looking to invest in FinTech startups or get their own company started.
Below, we’ll explore 5 FinTech companies with roots in Northern Europe. How many of these are already familiar to you?
Klarna
What started in 2005 as a simple solution to make online payments smoother has now expanded into a European-wide company that’s known for its online payment system practically everywhere. Today, Klarna boasts over 150 million users and has partnered up with more than 500 000 merchants.
In its essence, Klarna’s goal is to make online payments between consumers and merchants easier. One of their revolutionary functions, however, is their ‘buy now, pay later’ service which allows the consumer to pay for the goods only after receiving them. The company offers many other payment functions, however, including direct payments. Thanks to their versatility and consumer-friendly approach, it’s easy to see how Klarna has grown into a gigantic payment service provider.
Trustly
If anyone in Europe is now thinking about open banking, they’ll most likely come across Trustly. Trustly acts like a connecting puzzle piece between merchants and banks, allowing customers to pay directly from their bank without dealing with any hassle or sharing any card details.
At the other end of the spectrum, merchants can allow their clients to pay for goods and services without having to apply direct banking tools. Trustly takes all the heavy lifting on its own shoulders. Even more notably, Trustly has partnered up with some of the world’s most popular companies like Facebook and Paypal.
Saldo
Anyone who compares quick loans for Finns and is trying to find a responsible lending partner will inevitably find the Finnish revolutionary bank called Saldo. The company first started making waves with its automated lending system which makes the whole process easier for consumers. Thanks to Saldo, those looking to apply for a loan don’t have to wait for hours to hear back on their application.
Though Saldo started as a Finnish-only operation, it started expanding its reach further and has even received a specialized bank license from the European Central Bank. Now, Saldo keeps expanding and has recently made headlines with its decision to expand to the Lithuanian lending market, joining the ranks of other Finnish loan companies.
Qred
While many FinTech companies focus on P2P lending or consumer loans, Qred has come to help out entrepreneurs. Qred, having started in 2015, has received wide recognition for its fast, convenient, and user-friendly lending services for businesses. In fact, Qred is giving traditional lenders and banks some headaches, since thanks to the company’s revolutionary approach, much of the troublesome paperwork is gone from the lending process.
Today, Qred is primarily working on the Swedish market and has supported over 40 000 businesses. Its three core services are a traditional business loan, an everyday VISA payment card, and even invoice factoring, all of which are essential for entrepreneurs.
Lunar
Lunar is one of the FinTech companies that shows how modern banking is done: no more paperwork, no need to visit an actual bank branch, and no need to contact bank advisors. This revolutionary company is bringing an entirely new way of banking to consumers.
This fascinating Danish bank is fully regulated and licensed and can be used as a daily payment or finance management tool, and yet there’s no need to worry about any of the regular hassles you’d encounter in a traditional bank. The company is keen on environmental protection, showing a modern way of banking.
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