“Can a fully licensed German bank become the definitive white-label embedded finance infrastructure layer for European non-financial brands and fintechs?”
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.
Solaris discloses Solaris SE (in-house) as its banking provider, according to the Embedded Finance Index 2026.
Solaris does not disclose a bank charter of its own; its banking services are provided through Solaris SE (in-house).
Solaris moves money over SEPA Instant and SEPA.
Solaris's cards are issued through Solaris SE (self_issued).
The Embedded Finance Index 2026 maps 5 layers in Solaris's stack: Money movement (SEPA Instant and SEPA); Banking / BaaS (Solaris SE (in-house)); Card issuing (Solaris SE (self_issued)); Lending (Consumer Loans, Overdrafts, Splitpay (BNPL), Fronting (license-as-a-service lending) and 2 others); Open banking (Yapily and Qwist).
Solaris is founded in 2016 and headquartered in Berlin, Germany.
Get a read on where your own stack stands against Solaris and the rest of its category — what they built versus bought, which providers they use, and where the gaps in your own strategy and competitive set actually are.