ClearBank Enables Faster Euro Payments as Fiat Republic Becomes the First Live Client on SEPA Indirect

WHY THIS MATTERS: The complexity and cost of securing direct access to major payment schemes across Europe have long created a bottleneck for scaling fintechs, particularly those at the intersection of traditional finance and digital assets. This announcement, centered on ClearBank’s new SEPA Indirect model and its first client, Fiat Republic, signals a critical evolution in embedded finance. By decoupling scheme participation from the front-end customer experience, ClearBank is offering a more resilient and streamlined path for businesses to manage euro payments. For the reader, this matters because it dramatically lowers the barrier to entry for innovators needing operational autonomy—they gain branded virtual accounts and dedicated BICs without having to navigate the full regulatory and technical burden of becoming a direct participant. This infrastructure-play is a potent example of how specialized Banking-as-a-Service providers are future-proofing the cross-border payments ecosystem, making it faster and more compliant for crypto and neobanking platforms alike.

ClearBank, the enabler of real-time clearing and embedded banking, has today announced a new partnership with Fiat Republic that will significantly improve how businesses and financial institutions access euro payments across Europe.

Through the partnership, Fiat Republic becomes the first client to go live on ClearBank’s new SEPA Indirect product. The solution enables clients like Fiat Republic to offer their customers their own virtual IBANs issued by ClearBank, and operate under their own BICs, allowing them to retain their brand and customer experience while accessing SEPA payments. ClearBank manages scheme access and settlement, thereby removing the complexity of becoming a direct participant, with clients still benefiting from faster access to euro payments, greater reliability, and a more seamless cross-border payments experience.

The launch is the first of several new products ClearBank plans to introduce in Europe this year, supporting its broader European growth strategy. The SEPA Indirect model is built with the highest standards of resilience and compliance, as existing ClearBank products, supporting financial institutions seeking faster, reliable and secure entry to European payment schemes.

The implementation was delivered through close collaboration between the two companies, with a shared focus on regulatory alignment, technical integration and operational readiness. With the service now live, both organisations plan to continue expanding payment capabilities and supporting customers as their needs evolve.

Tristan Kirchner, CEO, ClearBank Europe, said: “Access to reliable euro payments shouldn’t be a barrier to growth. By enabling Fiat Republic access to SEPA Indirect, we’re helping their customers benefit from faster, safer and more resilient payments across Europe without the traditional complexity. As we continue working closely with Fiat Republic, this launch also lays the foundation for supporting more institutions and businesses as we expand our SEPA Indirect capabilities across Europe.”

Adam Bialy, Founder & CEO, Fiat Republic, said: “Fiat Republic has achieved a major milestone in crypto banking! We’re thrilled to announce our integration with ClearBank to launch Agency Banking. By operating under our own European BICs and using our own IBANs, we’re taking a huge step towards operational autonomy. This partnership provides redundancy to existing rails and a seamless, independent experience for our clients. Leveraging ClearBank’s trusted infrastructure ensures we remain the most resilient gateway between fiat and crypto in Europe.”

FF NEWS TAKE: This launch unquestionably moves the needle, specifically in addressing the operational resilience gap for platforms bridging fiat and crypto, a space under high regulatory scrutiny. By offering a clean, regulatory-aligned entry to SEPA without the complexity of direct membership, ClearBank is building mission-critical infrastructure. The next watch point is uptake: will this ‘SEPA Indirect’ model scale rapidly across other European fintechs seeking streamlined compliance? We anticipate a swift expansion of this approach, potentially extending to other regional payment schemes, to solidify ClearBank’s European growth strategy.