SolarisBank is a technology company.
SolarisBank has raised $57.0M across 1 funding round.
SolarisBank has raised $57.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Solaris (formerly Solarisbank) is a Berlin‑based technology company holding a German banking license that operates a Banking‑as‑a‑Service (BaaS) platform, offering API‑driven banking products — accounts, card issuance, payments, lending and custody — to businesses across Europe.[3][1]
High-Level Overview
Solaris’s mission centers on enabling companies to embed regulated financial services into their products via a cloud‑native, white‑label platform that leverages its banking license and APIs to speed time‑to‑market for partners.[1][6]
Its investment philosophy is not applicable in the traditional sense because Solaris is a product company rather than an investment firm; however, as a platform operator it prioritizes partnerships and capital relationships (including strategic investors such as SBI Group and earlier investors like BBVA, Visa and Lakestar) to scale distribution and product scope.[3][6]
Key sectors Solaris targets include fintechs, mobility, travel, marketplaces, and wealth/asset platforms that need embedded accounts, cards, payments and lending capabilities.[2][5]
Solaris has materially impacted the European startup ecosystem by lowering the regulatory and technical barrier to offer financial products — enabling many fintechs and non‑financial brands to launch banking features quickly via APIs rather than building a licensed bank themselves.[1][2]
Origin Story
Solaris SE traces to Finleap’s fintech builder activity and was founded by Finleap team members in 2015 and launched in 2016 after obtaining a full German banking license; the business grew quickly through partnerships and capital raises beginning in 2016–2017.[3]
Founders and early leaders included Andreas Bittner and Marko Wenthin (originating from Finleap), with later executive leadership including CEO roles filled as the company scaled and brought in investors and partners such as Mastercard early on and later strategic investors including SBI Group, BBVA and Visa.[3][1]
The idea emerged from a gap the founders saw: incumbent banks’ legacy tech and processes made it hard to offer modular, partner‑facing banking services, so they built a cloud‑first bank that exposes regulated services via APIs; early traction included onboarding dozens of partners within months and passporting services across European jurisdictions.[1][3]
Core Differentiators
Role in the Broader Tech Landscape
Solaris is riding the embedded finance and BaaS trend, where non‑bank companies embed financial features in products to increase engagement and revenue; timing favors Solaris because regulators and market demand in Europe have matured to accept third‑party hosted banking services.[1][2]
Market forces in its favor include growing demand from digital businesses for monetizable financial services, increased investor appetite for fintech infrastructure, and cloud‑first banking economics that lower marginal cost to serve partners.[5][1]
Solaris influences the ecosystem by accelerating fintech launches, enabling incumbents and startups to compete with neobanks without full banking builds, and by setting technical and regulatory precedents for how licensed banks can operate as platform providers.[1][2]
Quick Take & Future Outlook
Near term, Solaris will likely continue expanding product coverage (e.g., deeper lending, custody and payments rails) and geographic footprint across Europe while leveraging SBI Group ownership to strengthen capital and distribution opportunities.[3][6]
Key trends that will shape Solaris’s journey include regulatory shifts around open finance and third‑party providers, competition from other BaaS platforms and challengers, and demand for more embedded, personalised financial products from non‑financial brands.[5][2]
If Solaris sustains platform reliability, regulatory compliance and partner growth, its influence should deepen as a foundational infrastructure provider for embedded finance in Europe — effectively tying back to its original mission of making regulated banking services accessible to businesses via technology.[1][3]
SolarisBank has raised $57.0M in total across 1 funding round.
SolarisBank's investors include Animoca Brands, HV Capital, Ischyros New York, Lakestar, Union Square Ventures.
SolarisBank has raised $57.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $57.0M Series B in March 2018.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 2018 | $57.0M Series B | Animoca Brands, HV Capital, Ischyros New York, Lakestar, Union Square Ventures |