Riverty Launches New Bank in Luxembourg to Scale European Payments and Consumer Finance

Riverty has officially launched Riverty Bank S.A. in Luxembourg, a move that secures a regulated foundation for its European expansion. For fintech professionals, this represents a significant shift from a pure-play payments provider to a fully licensed banking entity, enabling the deep integration of consumer finance and embedded credit solutions directly into merchant ecosystems across the continent.

What was announced

The official opening of Riverty Bank S.A. in Luxembourg marks the transition of the fintech company into a fully regulated banking entity. The launch ceremony was attended by Gilles Roth, Luxembourg's Minister of Finance, signaling the strategic importance of the move within the European financial hub. The bank will operate under the leadership of Oliver Kuhaupt, who has been appointed CEO of Riverty Bank S.A. and Board Representative of Riverty Group, alongside Marc Pittig, who serves as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Riverty Bank.

The establishment of the bank provides a platform for Riverty to merge its existing payments business with advanced consumer finance capabilities. Currently, Riverty processes more than €10 billion in transaction volume annually, serving a network of over 1,800 merchants and 25 million consumers across 10 European countries. The new banking infrastructure is designed to support an integrated proposition where payments and credit are combined into a single offering for business partners.

Operating under the strategic ambition "Designed for merchant growth," the bank aims to function as a financial powerhouse. By utilizing regulated banking capabilities, Riverty intends to help merchants integrate embedded finance solutions directly into their customer propositions. This approach is focused on fostering sustainable growth and strengthening customer relationships through improved purchasing experiences across the European market.

"Our strategy can be summed up in four words: Designed for merchant growth. Everything we build starts with the needs of our merchants. Our ambition is to build a bank that enables our business partners to seamlessly integrate payments and consumer finance into their value creation, helping them forge better customer experiences and grow their businesses sustainably."

Oliver Kuhaupt, CEO of Riverty Bank and Chief Banking Officer of Riverty.

The companies involved

Riverty is a prominent fintech provider specializing in payment, collection, and factoring solutions. The company operates as part of the global media, services, and education conglomerate Bertelsmann. Within the parent organization, Thomas Rabe serves as Chairman and CEO, while Carsten Coesfeld is a Member of the Executive Board. Riverty’s leadership includes Andreas Barth, who serves as the CEO of Riverty.

The newly formed Riverty Bank S.A. is the group's regulated banking arm, headquartered in Luxembourg to take advantage of the country's deep banking expertise and financial ecosystem. Before taking the helm as CEO of the bank, Oliver Kuhaupt served as the Chief Risk Officer at Riverty. The company’s presence in the market is defined by its large-scale processing capabilities and its reach into 10 different European jurisdictions. By establishing a dedicated bank, the group moves from being a service provider reliant on third-party banking partners to a self-sufficient financial institution capable of managing its own regulated products and balance sheet.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has closely followed Riverty’s regulatory journey and its strategic positioning in the European market. In May 2026, we covered the initial steps of this transition in Riverty Secures EU Banking Licence to Launch Embedded Finance Hub in Luxembourg, which detailed the company's intent to build an embedded finance hub. Prior to the banking license acquisition, Riverty was active in shaping the industry's long-term outlook, as seen when Riverty Launches ‘Fintech 2040’ Vision Paper to Ignite Strategic Dialogue Around the Future of Finance in May 2025. Additionally, the company's research into consumer behavior was highlighted in our report on how Friends and Family Remain Top of the Finfluencer Charts in October 2025.

What this means

The launch of Riverty Bank S.A. moves the needle by signaling that the "fintech-as-a-feature" era is evolving into a "fintech-as-a-bank" reality for major European players. By securing its own license, Riverty removes the friction and cost associated with partner banking models, putting immediate pressure on traditional commercial banks that have historically provided the plumbing for payment processors. This move also challenges pure-play Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) providers who lack a full banking charter. The industry must now consider whether a banking license is becoming a prerequisite for any fintech aiming to offer deep, merchant-centric credit products at scale across multiple borders.