“Can a licensed European tech bank become the default acquirer and financial OS for pan-European SMBs?”
Founded in 2000 as a Greek software house, Viva pivoted into voice/travel/e-ticketing, then in 2011 into payments under PSD2. Acquired Praxia Bank in 2020 to become a fully licensed European tech bank for businesses — one of very few fintechs to buy a bank outright. JPMorgan's 48.5% strategic stake in 2022 established Viva as a pan-European SMB acquiring and neobank platform, now operating in ~29 European countries with acquiring, card issuing, deposit accounts, and lending.
Viva Wallet discloses Vivabank (in-house) as its banking provider, according to the Embedded Finance Index 2026.
Viva Wallet does not disclose a bank charter of its own; its banking services are provided through Vivabank (in-house).
Viva Wallet processes payments through Viva.com Payments (self-operated).
Viva Wallet's cards are issued through Viva.com Issuing (in-house).
Viva Wallet's lending and capital products are provided by Vivabank (in-house).
The Embedded Finance Index 2026 maps 5 layers in Viva Wallet's stack: Payments / PSP (Viva.com Payments (self-operated)); Banking / BaaS (Vivabank (in-house)); Card issuing (Viva.com Issuing (in-house)); Lending (Vivabank (in-house), Merchant cash advance, Business loans and Deposit accounts); Spend / AP (Viva.com (in-house)).
Viva Wallet was founded by Haris Karonis and Makis Antypas and is founded in 2000, headquartered in Athens, Greece.
Viva Wallet has raised €862.2M in total (latest round: Secondary - Private).
Viva Wallet's acquisitions include Praxia Bank (2020).
Get a read on where your own stack stands against Viva Wallet 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.