← State of Embedded Finance 2026

Solaris

“Can a fully licensed German bank become the definitive white-label embedded finance infrastructure layer for European non-financial brands and fintechs?”

Founded2016
HQBerlin, Germany
IndustryInfrastructure / BaaS
The story

Founded in 2016 as Solarisbank AG, one of Europe's first technology companies with a full German banking license, enabling other businesses to offer regulated financial products via API. The company pivoted from being a bank-for-banks to a full-stack embedded finance infrastructure provider, launching cards, lending, KYC, and open banking as discrete API products. After rebranding to Solaris SE in 2022, it was acquired by Japan's SBI Group in 2023. The platform has since focused on EU-wide expansion, offering white-label banking, cards, and lending to fintechs and non-financial brands across Germany, France, Spain, and Italy.

Last 12 months
—
Product timeline
2016
Founded as Solarisbank AG, one of the first pure-play Banking-as-a-Service platforms in Germany with a full banking license.· banking
2021
Expanded into card issuing and broader embedded finance APIs, attracting fintech partners across Europe.· card
2022
Rebranded from Solarisbank to Solaris SE, signaling a broader embedded finance platform identity beyond traditional banking.· pivot
2023
Acquired by SBI Group (Japan), marking a major ownership transition.· acquisition
2024
Expanded EU passporting to France, Spain, and Italy, enabling pan-European coverage for partner products.· banking
Regulated entities
Full Banking License (CRR)
Germany (BaFin) · 2016
Solaris SE
In the press
embeddedfinancereview.com ↗
Coverage sourced from Embedded Finance Review — a content partner for this report. All articles are © their original authors; click any card to open the source.
◇ article2026-03-31
SumUp completes the stack & Solaris resets
SumUp adds investing via Upvest, completing its SME financial stack. Solaris cuts 80 jobs and pivots again. Plus short news from across Europe.
solaris
Source · Embedded Finance Review ↗
◇ article2026-03-30
Solaris Is Cutting 80 Jobs and Calling Itself an AI-Native Bank. The More Interesting Shift Is Who It Now Wants to Serve.
Solaris cuts 80 jobs and pivots to AI-native banking. But the more interesting question is who the Berlin BaaS pioneer now wants to serve.
solaris
Source · Embedded Finance Review ↗
◇ article2025-02-03
This is Solaris’ rescue funding and what it means for its investors
German BaaS provider Solaris raises EUR 140M rescue funding led by SBI Holdings with harsh terms leaving previous investors massively diluted at 80:20 split.
solaris
Source · Embedded Finance Review ↗
◇ article2025-01-02
From unicorn to rescue: SBI Holdings to take majority stake in Solaris
Japanese investor SBI Holdings takes 70-80% stake in German BaaS provider Solaris with €100-150M rescue funding. How the unicorn's valuation crash wipes out investors.
solaris
Source · Embedded Finance Review ↗
◇ article2025-01-02
Solaris' rescue deal and Visa's creator push
SBI Holdings takes a majority stake in Solaris, Visa targets the creator economy with tailored financial services, and Gusto showcases vertical SaaS innovation. Plus key embedded finance developments from the European and US markets.
solaris
Source · Embedded Finance Review ↗
◇ article2024-12-08
What's the price for Solaris' new lifeline?
British BaaS Griffin partners with investment provider WealthKernel; Banxware and UniCredit increase their partnership; Banking Circle is for sale and Mambu acquires Numeral.
solaris
Source · Embedded Finance Review ↗
◇ article2024-12-08
German BaaS provider Solaris avoids liquidation, but what’s the path ahead?
German BaaS provider Solaris avoids liquidation as shareholders reject closure with SBI Holdings likely to provide rescue funding and majority stake. What happens next.
solaris
Source · Embedded Finance Review ↗
◇ article2024-11-16
Is banking-as-a-service provider Solaris for sale?
Solaris is looking for fresh funding but is also exploring a sale; SEB Embedded announces new partnership; and Cambodia is using fintech to increase tourism spending.
solaris
Source · Embedded Finance Review ↗
The stack
Banking / BaaS
Solaris SE (in-house)
Card issuing
Solaris SE (self_issued)
Lending
Consumer LoansOverdraftsSplitpay (BNPL)Fronting (license-as-a-service lending)Trade Finance (B2B trade credit line)Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL)
Open banking
YapilyQwist
Accounting gap: none