“Can a curated online auction marketplace for special objects embed enough payments, protection, and logistics infrastructure to become the default trusted platform for buying and selling collectibles across Europe and beyond?”
Founded in 2008 as an online catalogue, Catawiki evolved into the leading European auction marketplace for special objects — collectibles, art, watches, cars, jewelry — with over 75,000 objects auctioned weekly. The company has progressively embedded financial infrastructure (Stripe for payments, Payoneer for international seller payouts, Cover Genius for shipping insurance) directly into its marketplace workflows, effectively turning its platform into a managed payments and protection layer for buyers and sellers. The Permira-backed growth round in 2020 accelerated its European expansion and technology investment.