← State of Embedded Finance 2026

PayByPhone

Can PayByPhone extend beyond parking payment transactions to become the embedded financial services layer for drivers and fleet operators — combining payments, insurance, and expense management — within the parking moment?

Founded2001
HQVancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Latest roundAcquisition by Lightyear Capital, 2026
IndustryVertical SaaS / Parking & Mobility
The story

Founded in 2001 as a mobile parking payment service, PayByPhone grew into a global leader with over 50 million users and more than 1,300 municipal and private parking clients. Acquired by Corpay, it expanded from pure consumer parking payments to a B2B fleet and corporate parking management platform (PayByPhone Business), embedding payment and expense management capabilities for corporate fleets through the Edenred Payment Solutions partnership. In 2024 the company moved into embedded insurance with PayByPhone Protect, signalling a broader embedded-finance monetisation strategy. In 2026, Lightyear Capital agreed to acquire PayByPhone from Corpay to accelerate further product innovation as a standalone business.

Last 12 months
2024-05
2026-02
Product timeline
2001
PayByPhone founded with a mission to simplify parking payments via mobile.· pivot
2021
Surpassed 50 million users across three continents, offering mobile parking payment in cities worldwide.· banking
2024
Launched PayByPhone Protect in the UK, an in-app insurance product in partnership with Chubb covering personal valuables and car windows during parking sessions.· insurance
2026
Lightyear Capital signed agreement to acquire PayByPhone from Corpay (NYSE: CPAY), with PayByPhone to operate as a standalone independent business.· acquisition
The stack
Payments / PSP
Edenred Payment Solutions
Accounting gap: significant