Powens

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.

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

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

• Open Banking API
• Financial Data Aggregation
• Payment Initiation Services
• Identity Verification API
• Embedded Banking Infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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
2. 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
3. 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

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core 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

Named customers21 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Unnax (Acquisition)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2024Powens 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.
• FormanceflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPowens 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 GroupcoreTechnology or IntegrationStrategic 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

Direct 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

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/powens
• Xx.com/Powens_eu

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors3 records

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Powens