SAPI

What SAPI does

SAPI is a London-based fintech founded in 2019/2020 that provides payment-linked financing to small businesses through an embedded B2B distribution model. Its core product is revenue-based financing in which advances are repaid as a fixed percentage of the merchant's card and A2A (account-to-account) payment flows — typically 10–30% of sales — rather than via fixed monthly instalments. Underwriting is described as evidence-led, leveraging real-time trading data from partner payment volumes combined with open banking signals, enabling a 5-minute application and 24-hour decision turnaround. The loan book is concentrated in underserved segments, with 90% supporting immigrant- and woman-owned businesses, and the company reports an 82% renewal rate among existing borrowers. Founders Mai Le, Alexis van Lennep, and Michal Kot bring prior experience at Goldman Sachs and AlixPartners, and the firm holds FCA Annex 1 registration (not authorised for consumer credit), with payment rails operated through Modulr FS Limited.

SAPI's product set spans Payment-linked Financing (the flagship), Instant Payout, Settlement Pre-funding, Custom Payment Liquidity, and SAPI Direct, the direct-to-merchant self-serve channel. Distribution is primarily via embedded partnerships with payment service providers, ISVs, marketplaces, fintechs, and neobanks — including named partners Paynt, PaymentSave, KodyPay, Emerchantpay, and Acquired — under a white-label model. The company has recently expanded its partner tooling with Partner Easy Apply (January 2025) and a revamped Merchant Application Journey (November 2025) to reduce integration friction and improve direct-merchant conversion.

Revenue mechanics are anchored in origination economics rather than net interest margin alone: SAPI earns one-time fixed fees on advances sized £10K–£500K, plus introduction commissions from partners that rebrand the credit product. Capital efficiency has improved markedly with an $80M round in November 2025 ($75M debt + $5M equity) led by Hudson Cove, following a £7.5M round in March 2024, supporting both loan-book growth and a November 2025 expansion into Vietnam as the company's first move outside the UK.

Name

SAPI

Legal name

SAPI Group Limited

Website

https://sapi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SAPI is a London-based fintech providing payment-linked revenue-based financing to underserved small businesses, distributed via embedded partnerships with payment service providers (Paynt, PaymentSave, KodyPay, Emerchantpay, Acquired) and a direct self-serve channel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Embedded Finance / SME Lending

NAICS

Sales Financing (52222)

SIC

Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

Embedded Payments (Pay-ins, Pay-outs, Wallets) (FSAGALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

A2A Checkout & Merchant Acceptance Solutions (FSAMAFAF)

Keywords

• Embedded finance solutions
• Payment-linked financing
• SME lending platform
• Revenue-based financing
• Liquidity-as-a-service

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Transaction Fee - Advance Origination: SAPI charges a one-time fixed fee agreed upfront at the time of advance origination. This is not interest but a fixed cost for the financing. No early repayment fees are charged.
2. Introduction Commission: Introducers and partners that introduce merchants to SAPI receive an introduction commission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SAPI provides embedded payment-linked financing to small businesses through a Liquidity-as-a-Service model. Businesses receive an agreed amount upfront and repay automatically as a fixed percentage (typically 10%-30%) of sales taken at source via card and account-to-account payments. The platform is delivered to merchants either directly via the SAPI Direct self-serve portal or embedded as white-label financing within partner payment platforms, marketplaces, and fintechs.

Product overview

SAPI is a payment-linked financing platform operating on a Liquidity-as-a-Service model. The core product is Payment-linked Financing, where businesses receive upfront capital and repay automatically as a percentage of revenue or card takings. The offering includes three supporting modules—Instant Payout, Settlement Pre-funding, and Custom Payment Liquidity—that enable payment companies to offer embedded credit without expanding their balance sheets. SAPI Direct provides a UK-focused direct application channel for businesses seeking financing up to £200,000. The platform connects repayment-at-source rails with underwriting and servicing, serving Payment Service Providers, marketplaces, introducers, brokers, vendors, and neobanks across US, UK, EU, and Asia-Pacific markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Payment-linked Financing Funding where repayments are collected directly from card and account-to-account payments as a fixed percentage of sales (typically 10%-30%) taken at source until the advance plus a one-time fixed fee is fully repaid. Designed for small businesses seeking fast, flexible working capital aligned with their trading cash flows.
• Instant Payout Empowers payment companies to give their business clients immediate access to funds, boosting cash flow and supporting faster growth. Designed for payment service providers offering embedded financing to their merchants.
• Settlement Pre-funding Provides payment companies with liquidity to bridge settlement cycles, ensuring smooth operations and reducing financial strain. Designed for payment service providers needing working capital to manage settlement timing.
• Custom Payment Liquidity Delivers tailored credit solutions for payment companies to optimise cash flow and support unique business models within the payment ecosystem. Designed for payment platforms with bespoke liquidity needs.
• SAPI Direct UK-focused direct application platform for businesses to apply for payment-linked financing up to £200,000. Available to UK-incorporated limited companies with 12+ months trading history, providing a 5-minute application and 24-hour decision.

Quantifiable outcome

• £50M+ advanced to small businesses
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Modulr FS LimitedcoreTechnology or IntegrationFCA-authorized Electronic Money Institution providing payment accounts and e-money services. SAPI Group Limited is a distributor of Modulr FS Limited. Funds are safeguarded in line with Electronic Money Regulations.
• PayntcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPayment platform partner that embeds SAPI's payment-linked financing for their business customers.
• PaymentSavecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPayment platform partner that embeds SAPI's payment-linked financing for their business customers.
• KodyPaycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPayment platform partner that embeds SAPI's payment-linked financing for their business customers.
• EmerchantpaycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPayment platform partner that embeds SAPI's payment-linked financing for their business customers.
• AcquiredcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPayment platform partner that embeds SAPI's payment-linked financing for their business customers.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Kapitus: Kapitus provides working capital and small business financing through partner channels including PSPs. Comparable SMB lending focus with embedded/white-label distribution ambitions.
• Pipe: Pipe converts recurring revenue into upfront capital for SaaS and subscription businesses. Comparable in revenue-linked financing mechanics, though Pipe focuses more on recurring-B2B revenue than card takings.

Direct peers

• YouLend: YouLend provides embedded finance (working capital advances) to SMBs via PSP, ISV, and marketplace partners—essentially the same Loan-Product-as-a-Service / white-label model SAPI targets, with strong PSP distribution in Europe.
• Uncapped: Uncapped provides non-dilutive growth capital to founders and SMBs, with a fixed-fee pricing model and partner-led distribution. Comparable in product positioning (alternative to bank loans) and target segment (early-stage and growth-stage SMBs).
• Wayflyer: Wayflyer provides revenue-based financing specifically to e-commerce SMBs, repaid from sales. Comparable in revenue-linked repayment mechanic, though more vertically focused on e-commerce platforms.
• Clearco (Clearbanc): Clearco provides revenue-based financing to SMBs and e-commerce companies, repaid as a fixed percentage of revenue. Highly comparable in product structure and target segment, though Clearco focuses more on digital-native brands.
• Fundbox: Fundbox offers SMB working capital and invoice-based financing, increasingly distributed through embedded partnerships with accounting software and PSPs. Comparable in product breadth and SMB focus.
• Liberis: Liberis offers embedded revenue-based financing to small businesses distributed through payment partners. Directly comparable embedded-finance model with similar partner-led distribution to PSPs and acquirers across Europe.
• Stripe Capital: Stripe's embedded lending program offers SMB working-capital advances repaid from Stripe payment processing volumes. Closely comparable model: payment-linked underwriting via the platform's own transaction data, white-label distribution to Stripe merchants.
• Square (Block) Loans: Square Loans extends working capital to merchants repaid as a percentage of card sales. Same revenue-based, repayment-at-source mechanic that flexes with daily card takings; targets similar underserved micro and SMB segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sapigroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/SAPIgroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sapigroup
• Instagraminstagram.com/sapigroup

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors8 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SAPI