European fintech infrastructure providers are increasingly pursuing banking licenses as firms seek greater control over lending, liquidity, and embedded financial operations. Rivertyโs transition into a fully licensed banking entity reflects the broader convergence of payments, financing, and regulated banking infrastructure across digital commerce ecosystems.
Riverty has secured an EU CRR banking license, marking a major strategic shift as the company transitions from a PSD2 payment institution into a fully licensed banking entity headquartered in Luxembourg.
The move represents a significant expansion of Rivertyโs role within Europeโs embedded finance ecosystem as the Bertelsmann-owned fintech deepens its focus on merchant services, transaction-based lending, and integrated financial infrastructure.
The newly licensed banking entity is expected to officially begin operations in July 2026.
For years, Riverty has operated across payments, BNPL, collections, factoring, and embedded financial services infrastructure throughout Europe.
By obtaining a banking license, the company will now gain direct control over regulated banking operations, including balance sheet management, liquidity, lending infrastructure, and risk oversight.
Riverty said the transition forms part of its long-term strategy to strengthen its position as a financial infrastructure partner for merchants operating across digital commerce environments.
The company currently supports more than 1,800 merchants and approximately 25 million customers across 10 European markets, processing over 235 million transactions annually.
The banking transition also advances Rivertyโs broader vertical integration strategy as fintech infrastructure firms increasingly seek regulatory licenses to expand product flexibility and gain greater control over capital and financial operations.
Since consolidating brands including Afterpay, Paigo, and Aqount under the Riverty identity in 2022, the company has steadily expanded beyond payment facilitation toward a more fully integrated financial services model.
The move reflects a wider trend across European fintech, where infrastructure providers are increasingly pursuing banking licenses to combine payments, financing, liquidity management, and embedded financial services within unified regulated platforms.
As embedded finance adoption continues accelerating, merchants are increasingly seeking integrated checkout, financing, and payment infrastructure capable of improving conversion, customer retention, and operational flexibility within digital commerce environments.
