Powens
Powens is a Paris-headquartered Open Finance and Embedded Banking platform providing PSD2-compliant API infrastructure connecting 300+ clients to 1,800+ European banks for financial data aggregation, payment initiation, and identity verification, with dual ACPR and Bank of Spain regulatory licenses.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Powens does
Powens is an Open Finance and Embedded Banking platform headquartered in Paris, providing API infrastructure that connects businesses to 1,800+ European banks via PSD2-compliant connections. The platform delivers unified access to financial data aggregation (accounts, transactions, wealth, loans), payment initiation services (SEPA, instant transfers, direct debit, Pay by Bank), and identity verification (Bank ID Check, Valitic) for a customer base of 300+ clients spanning fintechs, banks, lenders, accountants, and real estate platforms. Powens operates dual regulatory licenses: payment institution authorization from ACPR France (code 16948) and Electronic Money Institution license from Bank of Spain (code 6719), with PSD2 AISP/PISP authorizations enabling European passporting and embedded issuance of IBANs and digital wallets.
The company's product architecture follows a platform-plus-modules structure, with core financial data aggregation complemented by payment and identity modules, developer tools (Connect SDK, Powens Console), and industry-specific solutions. Powens processes 6.3 million payments totaling €2.7 billion in 2025, aggregating 5 million accounts monthly, and serves customers including Qonto, BNP Paribas, Natixis, Wolters Kluwer, Alma, Younited, Agicap, Dougs, and Pennylane. The April 2024 acquisition of Spanish EMI Unnax expanded operations into Barcelona and Mexico City, forming Powens Group across three legal entities.
Powens monetizes through a usage-based API platform model with transaction fees on payment processing and EMI-related embedded banking services. The company employs an API-first go-to-market motion combining self-serve sandbox access for developers with direct enterprise sales, supplemented by Startup and Partner Programs for ecosystem distribution. Founded in 2012 (originally as Budget Insight), the company is private and backed by PSG Equity following a €31 million growth investment in April 2022. Powens reports 120+ employees across France, Spain, and Mexico and operates from offices in Paris, Barcelona, and Mexico City.
Powens firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Powens
- Legal name
- Powens SAS
- Website
- https://powens.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Powens is a Paris-headquartered Open Finance and Embedded Banking platform providing PSD2-compliant API infrastructure connecting 300+ clients to 1,800+ European banks for financial data aggregation, payment initiation, and identity verification, with dual ACPR and Bank of Spain regulatory licenses.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Powens industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Open Banking and Open Finance API Infrastructure
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320), Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)
- SIC
- Functions Related To Depository Banking, Nec (6099)
- akta.pro primary industry
- A2A Checkout & Merchant Acceptance Solutions (FSAMAFAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- A2A Reconciliation, Reporting & Treasury Ops (FSAMAFAJ), Multi-Currency Accounts, Wallets & IBAN Services (FSAMAIAG), Payments Operations (ACH/Wire/RTGS, SWIFT, SEPA, Checks) (FSABALAB)
Keywords
Where Powens is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Powens business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- API/Platform Access: Access to Open Finance API infrastructure for financial data aggregation and payment initiation, monetized through usage-based API calls and platform access fees
- EMI Services & Embedded Banking: Electronic Money Institution services enabling clients to issue IBAN accounts, digital wallets, escrow accounts, and payment services using Powens' regulatory licenses
- Payment Processing: Transaction-based fees from payment initiation services including Pay by Bank, instant transfers, and direct debit operations processed through the platform
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | API access with sandbox and production environments |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels11 records
Powens product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Powens operates an Open Finance platform delivered via REST APIs that aggregates financial data from 1,800+ European banks and initiates payments (SEPA, instant transfers, direct debit, Pay by Bank) under PSD2 AISP/PISP authorizations. It also provides identity and IBAN ownership verification (Bank ID Check, Valitic), and — via its Spanish EMI license — issues virtual IBAN accounts and embedded payment infrastructure for businesses across banking, fintech, lending, accounting, real estate, and wealth management.
Product overview
Powens is an Open Finance Platform and API infrastructure provider offering a unified platform-plus-modules architecture. The core platform provides financial data aggregation from 1,800+ European banks, complemented by accounts and payments modules (Accounts & Virtual IBANs, Instant Transfers, Direct Debit, Pay by Bank), identity verification products (Bank ID Check, Valitic), and industry-specific solutions for lending, accounting, wealth management, property management, and cashback programs. The platform combines AIS (Account Information Services) and PIS (Payment Initiation Services) under PSD2 regulation, serving 300+ clients across banking, fintech, lending, and real estate sectors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Powens: Open Finance platform providing financial data aggregation, payments, and identity verification APIs to businesses across Europe and Latin America.
Products and services
- Financial Data Aggregation Core Open Banking product synchronizing users' bank accounts, savings, loans, and investments from 1,800+ European banks for fintechs, lenders, accountants, and banks.
- Transactions Access to clean, normalized transaction data from 1,800+ banks across Europe with daily refresh, supporting transaction categorization, spending analysis, and financial reporting for consumer and SMB applications.
- Business Transactions
Quantifiable outcome
- 5M monthly aggregated accounts across platform
- +9 more outcomes
Companies that use Powens
Customer profileNamed customers21 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Powens technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability3 records
Feature8 records
Powens partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Unnax (Acquisition)corePowens completed the acquisition of Spanish EMI Unnax, forming Powens Group to expand offerings in Open Finance and Embedded Banking across Europe and Latin America. The merger enhances group capabilities with combined offices in Paris, Barcelona, and Mexico City, positioning for market leadership in financial technology.
- FormanceflagshipPowens and Formance announced a strategic partnership to combine Powens' Open Banking infrastructure with Formance's accounting and financial operations capabilities, enabling enhanced automation and integration for shared customers.
- Signaturit GroupcoreStrategic alliance focused on smarter credit checks and seamless onboarding. Powens provides financial data and verification services while Signaturit Group contributes electronic signature and identity verification capabilities for enhanced compliance workflows.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Powens competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Plaid: Plaid is a leading financial data aggregation and account-linking platform serving banks, fintechs, and lenders. It is a direct competitor to Powens in bank connectivity, transaction data, and identity verification, though it has historically been stronger in the US and is expanding in Europe.
- Tink: Tink is a European Open Banking platform owned by Visa, offering account aggregation, payment initiation, and identity verification across multiple European markets. It is a direct competitor to Powens' core API suite and benefits from Visa's card-network distribution.
- TrueLayer: TrueLayer is a UK- and Europe-based Open Banking API provider focused on account aggregation and account-to-account (A2A) payments. It directly competes with Powens' Pay-by-Bank and aggregation offerings, particularly for UK and EU merchants.
- Salt Edge: Salt Edge is an Open Banking and Open Finance API platform providing bank connectivity, payment initiation, and data enrichment across Europe and other regions. It competes with Powens on coverage breadth, PSD2 services, and A2A payment orchestration.
- Yapily: Yapily is a European Open Banking infrastructure provider enabling account information and payment initiation services via a unified API. It is a direct competitor to Powens in serving banks, lenders, and fintechs across the EEA.
- Token.io: Token.io is an account-to-account payment network and Open Banking platform operating across the UK and Europe. It directly competes with Powens' Pay-by-Bank and PIS products and targets merchants seeking card-rail alternatives.
Broad incumbents
- Finch (Mastercard): Finch, formerly Finicity and now part of Mastercard, provides financial data connectivity and open banking infrastructure as part of Mastercard's broader payments and identity portfolio. It competes with Powens at the API layer but benefits from Mastercard's global card network and regulatory reach.
Emerging players
- Enable Banking: Enable Banking is a European Open Banking API provider offering PSD2-compliant account aggregation and payment initiation services across multiple EEA markets. It is a smaller, emerging competitor focused on direct PSD2 connectivity with broad but shallower product coverage than Powens.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Powens social profiles
Digital presencePowens compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Powens financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Powens leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Powens subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Powens funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Powens M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Powens
What does Powens do?
Powens operates an Open Finance platform delivered via REST APIs that aggregates financial data from 1,800+ European banks and initiates payments (SEPA, instant transfers, direct debit, Pay by Bank) under PSD2 AISP/PISP authorizations. It also provides identity and IBAN ownership verification (Bank ID Check, Valitic), and — via its Spanish EMI license — issues virtual IBAN accounts and embedded payment infrastructure for businesses across banking, fintech, lending, accounting, real estate, and wealth management.
Is Powens a public or private company?
Powens is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Powens founded?
Powens was founded in 2012. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Powens based?
Powens is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does Powens make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. API/Platform Access are the primary driver. The others are EMI Services & Embedded Banking and payment Processing.
Who are Powens's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Plaid, Tink, TrueLayer, Salt Edge, Yapily and Token.io. Finch (Mastercard) is listed as a broad incumbent. Enable Banking is listed as an emerging player.
Does Powens have an API?
Yes. REST API for Open Banking/Finance data access and payment initiation. Supports HTTPS communication with JSON document exchange. Provides access to financial data aggregation (accounts, transactions, wealth, loans), payment initiation (SEPA, instant transfers, direct debit, pay by bank), and identity verification services. Authentication via Bearer token authorization header. API endpoints include /connectors for bank listing, /accounts, /connections, /transactions, /investments, /documents, and /users resources. Developer documentation is at docs.powens.com/documentation.
What industry is Powens in?
Powens's product category is Open Banking and Open Finance API Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMAFAF, A2A Checkout & Merchant Acceptance Solutions, with a secondary code of FSAMAFAJ, A2A Reconciliation, Reporting & Treasury Ops. Its NAICS code is 522320 and its SIC code is 6099.