The LHoFT

What The LHoFT does

The LHoFT (Luxembourg House of Financial Technology) is a nonprofit foundation (Fondation LHoFT) established in 2016 under Luxembourg law as the country's dedicated fintech innovation hub. It operates a platform model connecting early-stage and growth-stage fintech startups, corporates, investors, talent, and government bodies to Luxembourg's broader financial ecosystem. Its core technology is the innovation-hub platform itself — not a software product — comprising structured acceleration programs (the Catapult family: Kickstarter, FundTech 360°, Green Fintech, Inclusion Africa, Inclusion SE Asia), incubation services, fellowship and mutualisation programs, a coworking/metaverse space, and the newly inaugurated AI Experience Centre.

The organization has supported 211 fintechs and accelerated 190 startups across 29 countries, drawing on a network of 300+ mentors and experts and partnerships with the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of the Economy, Luxembourg for Finance, Chamber of Commerce, CSSF, ALFI, Société Générale, MiddleGame Ventures, LSFI, the European Investment Bank, and the Big 4 advisory firms in Luxembourg. Government grant funding supports startup subsidies of up to €50,000 per winning Catapult: Kickstarter participant.

The business model is grant- and program-supported rather than transactional: the foundation does not publicly disclose pricing or revenue, and is funded by Luxembourg government ministries and institutional partners. GTM is event- and program-driven — application-based cohort acceleration, fintech community events, and direct corporate engagement — rather than sales-led. The CEO, Nasir Zubairi, announced his departure in March 2026 to lead Paytm Europe Payments S.A., effective summer 2026, with no successor announced at the time of disclosure.

Name

The LHoFT

Legal name

LHoFT Foundation (Fondation LHoFT)

Website

https://lhoft.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The LHoFT (Luxembourg House of Financial Technology) is a 2016-founded nonprofit foundation operating Luxembourg's dedicated fintech innovation hub, delivering acceleration programs (Catapult), incubation, fellowship, and the AI Experience Centre to fintech startups, corporates, investors, talent, and government partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fintech Innovation Hub & Startup Acceleration

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Fintech innovation hub
• Startup acceleration programs
• Ecosystem development services
• Founder mentorship network
• Financial technology incubation

Headquarters

HQ city

Luxembourg

HQ country

Luxembourg

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The LHoFT operates a fintech innovation hub delivering structured Catapult acceleration programs (Kickstarter, FundTech 360°, Green Fintech, Inclusion Africa, Inclusion SE Asia), incubation services, fellowship programs, mutualisation shared services, and an AI Experience Centre. It connects early-stage and growth-stage fintech startups with a 300+ mentor network, Luxembourg financial institutions, regulators, and investors, with winning startups eligible for up to €50,000 in subsidies from the Luxembourg Ministry of the Economy.

Product overview

The LHoFT (Luxembourg House of Financial Technology) operates as a fintech innovation hub and accelerator, offering a platform of interconnected programs rather than a single unified product. The core offerings include multiple Catapult acceleration programs (Catapult: Kickstarter, Catapult: Inclusion Africa, Catapult: FundTech 360°, Catapult: Green Fintech), complemented by incubation, fellowship, education, mutualisation services, and the AI Experience Centre. These programs collectively support fintech startups at various stages—from early-stage development through acceleration—connecting them with Luxembourg's financial ecosystem and providing mentorship, funding opportunities (up to €50,000 in subsidies), and market access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Catapult: Kickstarter A two-week fintech acceleration programme for early-stage fintech startups that helps entrepreneurs develop business models, identify and manage risk, and connect with the Luxembourg financial ecosystem. Five winners can receive up to €50,000 in subsidies from the Luxembourg Ministry of Economy. The programme targets early-stage founders seeking to validate and refine their fintech business proposition.
• Catapult: Inclusion Africa A one-week bootcamp targeting African fintech companies focused on financial inclusion, building bridges between Africa and Europe, aligned with Luxembourg's sustainable finance goals and microfinance industry. Designed for African fintech founders addressing financial inclusion challenges who want to access European markets and networks.
• Catapult: FundTech 360° A dynamic two-week bootcamp for post-seed fintech firms focused on the fund industry, addressing key challenges in governance workflows, cyber/risk management, ESG data management, and AI/ML-driven processes. Co-sponsored by ALFI (Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry) and MiddleGame Ventures, with the final pitching event hosted at the ALFI conference.
• Catapult: Green Fintech A one-week bootcamp for green fintech firms aspiring to drive financial innovation with environmental impact. Focus areas include Green Finance & Risk Management, Environment Measurement, Sustainable Finance Regulation, and Green Finance & Data Collection Management. Co-facilitated by LSFI (Luxembourg Sustainable Finance Initiative), with integration into LSFI's annual Sustainable Finance Summit.
• AI Experience Centre A centre inaugurated at the LHoFT dedicated to making Artificial Intelligence tangible and accessible for the financial services industry. The centre serves as a hub for demonstrating and educating about AI applications in fintech, providing hands-on engagement with AI tools and use cases for financial institutions, fintechs, and other ecosystem participants.
• Incubation Services Personalized support through incubation programs for fintech startups, offering access to a thriving ecosystem, mentorship, and resources for company growth. Designed for early-stage fintech companies needing tailored guidance before or alongside acceleration.
• Fellowship Programme Programs designed for fintech professionals to develop skills and network within the Luxembourg fintech ecosystem, supporting talent development and industry engagement.
• Mutualisation Programme Shared services initiative allowing fintech companies to pool resources and reduce operational costs through collective arrangements, providing economies of scale on services that would be too costly for individual early-stage startups to procure independently.
• NextFin Asia Fund A dedicated investment fund launched to support fintech startups in Southeast Asia as part of the Catapult: Inclusion SE Asia program, providing direct funding, mentorship, and market access to fintechs addressing financial inclusion challenges in ASEAN.

Quantifiable outcome

• 211 fintechs supported
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Government of the Grand Duchy of LuxembourgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary institutional supporter including Ministry of Finance and Ministry of the Economy. Provides funding for programs, legitimacy, and regulatory alignment for the fintech innovation hub.
• Luxembourg for FinancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agency promoting Luxembourg as an international financial centre. Provides strategic alignment and connections to the broader Luxembourg finance ecosystem.
• Chamber of Commerce LuxembourgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports business development and networking within Luxembourg's commercial ecosystem. Provides connections to business community and enterprise services.
• Société GénéralemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor international bank providing mentorship and industry expertise to fintech participants in acceleration programs. Advises on business models, funding strategies, and product testing.
• LSFI (Luxembourg Sustainable Finance Initiative)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-facilitates the Catapult: Green Fintech program. Provides expertise in sustainable finance and integrates participants into LSFI's annual Sustainable Finance Summit.
• ALFI (Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of Catapult: FundTech 360° program. Provides access to fund industry leaders and hosts final pitching event at ALFI conference.
• European Investment BankmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU investment bank providing strategic support and potential funding connections for fintech companies in sustainability and innovation programs.
• Deloitte LuxembourgminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProfessional services firm providing expertise and potential consulting support for fintech participants in green fintech and other acceleration programs.
• KPMG LuxembourgminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProfessional services firm providing accounting, tax, and advisory expertise to fintech companies participating in LHoFT programs.
• PwC LuxembourgminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProfessional services firm providing regulatory and consulting expertise for fintech participants, particularly in sustainable finance and compliance areas.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Level39: London-based fintech accelerator and innovation hub supporting growth-stage fintechs with corporate, investor, and regulatory access. Directly comparable as a city-backed fintech hub serving European financial centers.
• Station F: World's largest startup campus in Paris operating fintech-specific programs with corporate partners and government support. Directly comparable as a government-enabled innovation hub for fintechs in a major European financial center.
• Barclays Rise: Bank-operated fintech innovation hub offering workspace, mentorship, and accelerator programs. Directly comparable as a financial-institution-backed hub serving fintech founders and corporate innovation teams.
• Startupbootcamp FinTech: Global fintech accelerator program offering mentorship, office space, and investor introductions to early-stage fintech startups. Comparable as a structured cohort-based accelerator targeting the same fintech founder customer.
• Plug and Play Fintech: Silicon Valley-headquartered accelerator running dedicated fintech and insurtech cohorts with bank and VC partnerships. Comparable as a large-scale fintech accelerator with structured programs and corporate sponsorship.

Regional players

• Invest Hong Kong FinTech: Government-led fintech promotion arm running accelerator and ecosystem programs aimed at attracting fintechs to Hong Kong. Comparable as a regional, government-backed fintech hub pursuing a similar market-positioning strategy to LHoFT.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Global accelerator operator running fintech-relevant programs with equity-for-services model and large mentor network. Comparable as a large incumbent in the accelerator space serving fintech among other verticals.

Others

• European Investment Fund: EU institution providing equity, debt, and guarantee instruments to European fintech and VC funds. Comparable as an institutional capital partner that interfaces with LHoFT's portfolio and adjacent EU fintech ecosystem builders.
• Finextra: Financial-sector community and media platform connecting banks, fintechs, and technology vendors across Europe. Comparable as an ecosystem enabler for the European fintech community that LHoFT serves.

Emerging players

• Seedstars: Swiss-based emerging-markets-focused accelerator with strong presence in Africa and Asia running fintech-inclusive programs. Comparable as a cohort-based accelerator targeting emerging-market fintechs, overlapping with LHoFT's Inclusion Africa and SE Asia programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/The_LHoFT

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments3 records

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

Frequently asked questions about The LHoFT