The State of Fintech in Europe 2021
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INTRODUCTION On behalf of the Tech.eu team, and our partner Finstar, our gratitude for downloading and reading our report on the State of European Fintech in 2021, which is based on analysis of data we’ve collected and vetted on the high-growth sector from the start of 2017 until the end of the second quarter of 2020 (to account for re- porting lag and allow us to take a deep dive). 2020 was a year that will undoubtedly be remembered as the year of the coronavirus pandemic, which to this day is wreaking havoc on businesses - even entire economies - across the world. The technology industry held its collective breath when the COVID-19 pandemic hit last year, but apart from some obviously hard-hit sectors such as travel and tourism (and some less visible effects like the mounting pressure on scores of early-stage tech startups that were still looking for the holy product-market-fit), it con- tinues to grow and thrive across the glove. In Europe, things are no different, and the fintech sector continues to be one of the most important areas of innovation across the continent, particularly in big countries like the UK, Germany and France. At Tech.eu, we meticulously keep track of technology startup and scale-up funding rounds, M&A transactions, IPOs, partnerships, active investors and more, and we have a particular interest in keeping track of the fintech scene as one of the most prominent fields of growth and technological innovation in Europe. In this report, we present you with the most relevant numbers coupled with analysis needed to understand who and what is driving European fintech’s ongoing maturation. The research report also includes a look at what the effect of the coronavirus pandemic has had on markets and consumers, and ultimately the fintech sector, and quotes from industry insiders, entrepreneurs, investors and experts to complement the intelligen- ce that can be derived from it. Additionally, we take a look at a number of alternative routes to funding for fintech (and other types of) startups in Europe and beyond. Even though our analysis of the data stops at the end of Q2 2020, we have taken note of a number of inte- resting developments that have happened in the second half of a challenging year. On 10 February 2021, we will host a virtual event where we’ll have a discussion with fintech leaders about this report’s findings, and present updated data for 2020 and the first month of the new year. This is necessary, because after the cut-off date for the analysis in this report, numerous things of note have happened. For instance, in September 2020, Swedish payments service provider Klarna raised $650 million, at a valua- tion of $10.65 billion, ranking the company as the highest-valued private fintech company in Europe. It didn’t hold on to that title for too long, because in January 2021 UK-based payments business Checkout.com was valued at $15 billion after a $450 million investment led by Tiger Global. In July 2020, UK fintech scale-up TransferWise reached a $5 billion valuation in a secondary share sale, a few months before announcing that it made a net profit for the fourth year in a row, as it gears up for a 2021 IPO. In Germany, credit marketplace auxmoney scored €150 million in growth funding, while France-based Lydia extended its Series B round, raising an additional $86 million led by Accel. Israeli fintech-as-a-service com- pany Rapyd raised $300 million, while London-based Curve is to launch in the US after securing a $95 mi- llion round - and the exact same amount was raised by UK fintech GoCardless in December 2020. Neobank Monzo, meanwhile, closed £60 million in new funding before the year was over. Interestingly, there are also major headlines coming from more nimble ecosystems across Europe (e.g. Bel- gium-based Unifiedpost’s IPO, The Netherlands-based payments platform Mollie raising €90 million, Italian 3 mobile/digital payment platform Satispay securing €93 million in funding in a Series C round co-led by Ten- cent, Square and other investors, and Austria’s Bitpanda, raising Series A round of $52 million led by Peter Thiel’s Valar Ventures. The list goes on, but the point is that our research report’s main findings and recent headlines suggest the same conclusion: overall, the state of the European fintech sector is to be considered rather healthy (but not without challenges). But do all of these headlines hide an imminent crisis, as early-stage fintech funding continues its inevitable dip and the sector faces a period of uncertainty and intense pressure from various angles? Or does the crisis, in fact, bring a wealth of opportunities for burgeoning fintech startups in a rapidly changing world as the way we work, shop and spend our free time continues to shift as we hopefully look forward to a post-COVID-19 world? Please enjoy the report, put together with the kind help of Finstar, share it with your friends, and don’t hesitate to give us feedback! We hope the new year has gone off to a good start for you, and wish you all the best for 2021. Robin Wauters Founding Editor, Tech.eu The COVID-19 crisis has brought forward a lot of changes in the world, altering the way we work, shop, co- llaborate and move around. As this report shows, many trends that have been accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic have in fact proven to be beneficial to the European fintech industry. Around €10 billion of funding was raised by fintech startups and scale-ups in Europe throughout 2020, and we’re seeing bigger rounds, bigger companies, and bigger ambitions. This report demonstrates that the European fintech sector is in good shape, and Finstar is looking forward to invest in the future leaders in this space. Oleg Boyko Founder and Chairman of Finstar Financial Group 4 BROUGHT TO YOU BY FINSTAR Finstar Financial group is an international priva- cellence in startups, turnarounds, joint ventures and te equity and investment advisory firm with around mergers & acquisitions. USD$2 billion of assets under management (AUM). The company is headed by Oleg Boyko and has a Mr Boyko is also involved in philanthropic ventures diversified investment footprint in more than 30 coun- through his Parasport Foundation. During the CO- tries. Finstar’s investment professionals target oppor- VID-19 pandemic of 2020 the foundation provided tunities in Europe, the US, Asia, Latin America and targeted assistance to over 2,000 para-athletes re- the CIS. The group is strongly focused on the fintech presenting 28 different sports across 35 regions of sector and has been highly successful historically in Russia. Mr Boyko was also among the invited atten- banking and financial services, IT, real estate, FMCG dees of the annual Forbes 400 Summit on Philan- retail, media, and entertainment sectors. Finstar has thropy in 2020. a proven track record of 25 years of operational ex- FINSTAR FINTECH PRESENCE 5 BROUGHT TO YOU BY TECH.EU Tech.eu is the premier source of European technology news, data and market intelligence, providing unpre- cedented insights into the tech startup, investment, M&A and IPO activity across Europe (including Israel, Russia and Turkey). Founded in 2013, Tech.eu combines solid editorial products with data-driven market intelligence reports across investment stages, geographies and sectors, as well as bespoke event, research and consultancy services. Tech. eu offers a curated selection of stories on European startups, scale-ups, venture capital, policy and more, through a combination of a unique online magazine, industry newsletters, reports, a podcast, job plat- form and event calendar. For more information on Tech.eu and our partnership opportunities, get in touch with [email protected]. 6 EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE FINTECH INDUSTRY Arguably, it’s still too early to really understand what With some obvious exceptions - imagine the impact the impact of the coronavirus pandemic will be on of COVID-19 on providers of in-store payment ter- the technology startup and innovation industry as a minals, for example, or those specifically targeting whole, but as part of our research we’ve looked into business travelers with their services - it is evident some of the trends that pertain to the fintech sector that the above trends are generally positive for inno- in particular. vators in the fintech industry. This is especially the case when coupled with an accelerated move to a As a response to the raging pandemic, entire coun- cashless future and advancements in infrastructure tries have gone into (different types of) lockdown and and connectivity, open banking services, security, resorted to school closures and curfews, travel was hyper-personalisation, big data, artificial intelligence banned all across the world, companies of all sizes and robo-advice technologies. These trends were al- have experienced near-instant financial woes, and ready underway, but the coronavirus pandemic has governments need to look for rapid ways of providing expedited many of them. support to scores of individuals and businesses, bo- rrowers and lenders alike, as the uncertainty remains Needless to say, the current situation can generally a huge factor. be described as a boon for a slew of tech companies that can e.g. process online payments, provide a ‘Buy In such an unprecedented environment, seismic Now, Pay Later’ solution or quick working capital for shifts are inevitable - and some irreversible. SMEs, run a credit or loan marketplace, help financial industry behemoths with their ‘digital transformation’ There are fewer things to spend on in lockdown and rid of their aging IT systems, assist smaller firms mode, which means savings rates spike, while de- with cash-flow management, offer user-friendly apps mand for mortgage loans decreases.