FRIDA
FRIDA e.V. is a Cologne-based non-profit association developing standardized REST APIs (Open Insurance) for the German insurance market, funded by annual membership fees and used by major insurers, system integrators, and InsurTechs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersCologne, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What FRIDA does
FRIDA e.V. (Free Insurance Data Initiative) is a Cologne-headquartered, non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) that develops open, standardized application programming interfaces for the German insurance industry, operating an Open Insurance initiative modeled on open banking principles. The organization co-creates REST API specifications based on OpenAPI Standards 3.0+ with OAuth2 for identification and authentication, and has to date published seven API products covering motor claims (CarClaimsAPI), cyber risk assessment (CyberAPI), document exchange (DigitalDocumentsAPI), building insurance and property risk data (RealEstateAPI Policy and Risk), retirement planning (PensionAPI), and statutory-private health insurer coordination (HealthCareAPI). Specifications are openly documented on GitHub in English and German and distributed through the FRIDA Marketplace at marketplace.freeinsurancedata.de.
FRIDA's commercial model is a two-tier annual subscription membership: 5,000 EUR per year for regular members (typically insurance companies with voting rights) and 500 EUR per year for startups and emerging companies, with revenue reinvested into the initiative's standardization activity. Membership and partner count is stated as "approaching 100," spanning primary insurers (Baloise, HDI, Deutsche Rück, Provinzial, WWK, ALH Group), major technology platforms (Hypoport Insurtech, DATEV, SAP Fioneer, Red Hat, msg Group), implementation partners (Accenture, Deloitte), research (Fraunhofer ISST, codecamp), InsurTechs (Finanzguru, BANKSapi, BSI Software), and trade associations (VOTUM Verband, InsurLab Germany).
Governance is by an elected board chaired by Julius Kretz (ALTE LEIPZIGER Lebensversicherung) and Slobodan Pantelic (HDI), with operational staff including a Partner Manager and a small technical core. The organization is registered at c/o InsurLab Germany, Hohenzollernring 85-87, Cologne, and operates exclusively in the German market today, while publishing whitepapers and API designs aligned with the EU FIDA regulation in anticipation of broader European applicability.
FRIDA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- FRIDA
- Legal name
- FRIDA e.V.
- Website
- https://freeinsurancedata.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- FRIDA e.V. is a Cologne-based non-profit association developing standardized REST APIs (Open Insurance) for the German insurance market, funded by annual membership fees and used by major insurers, system integrators, and InsurTechs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
FRIDA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Open Insurance API Standards
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Open Banking APIs & Connectivity (FSAMAFAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Open Banking, Account Aggregation & Payment Initiation APIs (BPAMAFAJ)
Keywords
Where FRIDA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cologne
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
FRIDA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: FRIDA e.V. generates revenue through annual membership fees. Regular members (typically insurance companies) pay 5,000 EUR per year. Startups and smaller companies pay 500 EUR per year. As a non-profit organization, revenue is reinvested into the initiative's activities and API development.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Regular Membership for insurance companies and established businesses |
| Subscription | Annual | Startup Membership for emerging companies and InsurTechs |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
FRIDA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
FRIDA e.V. is a non-profit Open Insurance Initiative that develops, standardizes, and publishes ready-to-use REST APIs covering motor insurance claims, cyber risk assessment, digital document exchange, real estate and building insurance, healthcare coordination between statutory and private insurers, and pension data transparency. The APIs are openly documented, based on OpenAPI 3.0+ standards with OAuth2 authentication, and made available to insurers, brokers, InsurTechs, and technology providers via GitHub and a dedicated API marketplace. Membership in the association is funded through annual fees of €5,000 for regular members and €500 for startups, with revenue reinvested into use-case development.
Product overview
FRIDA e.V. is a non-profit Open Insurance Initiative developing standardized APIs for the German insurance market. The portfolio consists of seven distinct API products organized by insurance domain: CarClaimsAPI for digital vehicle claims handling via smartphone wallet; CyberAPI for domain-based cyber risk assessment; DigitalDocumentsAPI for cross-provider insurance document delivery; HealthCareAPI for coordination between statutory and private health insurers; RealEstateAPI (Policy) for building insurance data exchange; RealEstateAPI (Risk) for property risk data aggregation; and PensionAPI for retirement planning transparency. These REST APIs operate independently but share common goals of standardization, interoperability, and end-customer benefit, following open-source principles and complementing existing standards like BiPRO or GDV.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CarClaimsAPI Digital wallet solution enabling car insurance contract data to be stored on smartphones and motor insurance claims to be reported simply and automatically via QR code in emergencies, with standardized interfaces and intuitive processes for insurers, intermediaries, and end customers.
- CyberAPI Domain check and risk management API for cyber insurance that enables insurance intermediaries to perform outside-in scans, checking customer web addresses against up to four defined criteria for cyber risk advisory and underwriting.
- DigitalDocumentsAPI Central, cross-provider access API enabling insurers to transmit documents securely and in compliance with data protection to digital mailboxes provided by third-party providers, where customers can access bundled insurance documents in digital document safes.
- HealthCareAPI Healthcare API managing digital communication between statutory (GKV) and private (PKV) health insurers, facilitating processes such as treatment and cost plan (HKP) coordination for supplementary health insurance claims.
- RealEstateAPI (Policy) API standard for real estate data exchange relating to building insurance, enabling standardized information exchange between insurers, companies, and end customers without expensive system adjustments, with first implementation being the digital insurance card for residential buildings.
- RealEstateAPI (Risk) API for exchanging property risk data from third-party systems such as land tax databases and software providers like SkenData and PriceHubble, standardizing property risk data exchange across all providers for insurers and intermediaries.
- PensionAPI API enabling third parties to provide pension data centrally and up to date, creating a complete picture of all retirement plans and allowing users to assess their pension gap and plan actively for retirement through pension cockpit and retirement planning applications.
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduction in IT costs through standardized APIs instead of multiple individual interfaces
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use FRIDA
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
FRIDA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
FRIDA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- BaloisecoreMajor German insurance company (Baloise Group) that is a member of FRIDA and participates in developing Open Insurance standards and use cases.
- BANKSapicoreTechnology company providing API infrastructure for banking and insurance data integration, member of FRIDA initiative.
- FinanzgurucorePersonal finance management app that is a member of FRIDA, contributing to Open Insurance ecosystem development.
- AccenturecoreGlobal consulting firm and member of FRIDA providing implementation expertise and consulting services for Open Insurance initiatives.
- DeloittecoreMajor professional services firm and member of FRIDA providing advisory and implementation services for insurance digitalization.
- Hypoport Insurtech AGcoreTechnology platform provider for financial services and insurance, member and advisory board participant in FRIDA initiative.
- HDIcoreMajor German primary insurer and member of FRIDA, participating in use case development and standard-setting.
- DATEVcoreLeading IT service provider for tax consultants, accountants, and lawyers in Germany, member of FRIDA for insurance data standards.
- InsurLab GermanycoreInsurance innovation hub and co-location partner for FRIDA e.V. headquarters, supporting startup ecosystem and insurance innovation.
- VOTUM VerbandcoreAssociation of independent financial services companies in Europe (VOTUM) providing market expertise and networking for FRIDA.
- Fraunhofer ISSTminorFraunhofer Institute for Software and Systems Technology contributing research expertise to FRIDA initiatives.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
FRIDA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Plaid: Dominant open-finance connectivity platform that provides API infrastructure linking banks, fintechs and consumer apps. Operates the commercial layer analogous to what FRIDA standardises: open-data connectivity for financial services, but at much larger scale and broader scope than FRIDA's insurance-only niche.
- Tink: European open banking platform owned by Visa, providing PSD2-compliant APIs for account aggregation, payment initiation and identity. Comparable to FRIDA as a connectivity provider in the open finance ecosystem, but commercially focused on banking rather than insurance.
- Insurance Europe: European insurance and reinsurance federation representing 36 national associations. Relevant comparable as a pan-European insurance coordination body — though it focuses on policy/advocacy rather than API standards, its role as an industry-wide convener overlaps with FRIDA's ecosystem-building function.
- GDV (Gesamtverband der Deutschen Versicherungswirtschaft): Umbrella association of German insurers that publishes industry data standards (e.g., GDV-Datensatz) and represents the sector politically. Comparable to FRIDA as a German insurance-wide coordination body, but incumbent in nature and broader in mandate than FRIDA's API-first focus.
Direct peers
- The Berlin Group: European standardisation initiative for open banking interoperability, defining NextGenPSD2 and SRTP APIs adopted by major European banks. Closely analogous to FRIDA's role: a multi-stakeholder, non-profit body defining open finance API standards that incumbents adopt to comply with PSD2/FIDA-like regulation.
- BiPRO e.V. German insurance industry's established standards body for data exchange, developing normative processes and interfaces used across the German market. Directly comparable to FRIDA as a competing/adjacent insurance standards organization, though focused on a longer-established normative standard.
- Open Insurance Implementation Entity (UK): UK initiative coordinated by the Financial Conduct Authority and industry to define and implement open insurance data-sharing standards. Functionally a sibling initiative to FRIDA in another jurisdiction — a non-profit, member-driven body setting open insurance API rules for the UK market.
Emerging players
- Konsentus: UK-based RegTech providing open banking API infrastructure including TPP identity and regulatory checking. An emerging player with partial overlap to FRIDA's open-finance API enablement role, though operating commercially in banking rather than the insurance sector.
Regional players
- Open Insurance Brasil (SUSEP Open Insurance): Brazil's regulator-led open insurance framework, requiring insurers to publish standardised APIs covering policy, claims and customer data. Comparable to FRIDA as an open-insurance API standardisation effort, but driven by a regulator in Latin America rather than by a member-led industry body in Europe.
Others
- NMB Solutions / Innopay Open Banking: Innopay is a Dutch consultancy that co-authored the Berlin Group NextGenPSD2 standards and advises on open finance strategy. Comparable to FRIDA as a thought-leadership and standards-development contributor in the open-finance space, though positioned as an advisory firm rather than a membership association.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
FRIDA social profiles
Digital presenceFRIDA compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
FRIDA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
FRIDA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
FRIDA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
FRIDA M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about FRIDA
What does FRIDA do?
FRIDA e.V. is a non-profit Open Insurance Initiative that develops, standardizes, and publishes ready-to-use REST APIs covering motor insurance claims, cyber risk assessment, digital document exchange, real estate and building insurance, healthcare coordination between statutory and private insurers, and pension data transparency. The APIs are openly documented, based on OpenAPI 3.0+ standards with OAuth2 authentication, and made available to insurers, brokers, InsurTechs, and technology providers via GitHub and a dedicated API marketplace. Membership in the association is funded through annual fees of €5,000 for regular members and €500 for startups, with revenue reinvested into use-case development.
Is FRIDA a public or private company?
FRIDA is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was FRIDA founded?
FRIDA was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is FRIDA based?
FRIDA is headquartered in Cologne, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does FRIDA make money?
One revenue line is on record: membership Fees.
Who are FRIDA's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Plaid, Tink, Insurance Europe and GDV (Gesamtverband der Deutschen Versicherungswirtschaft). Direct peers are The Berlin Group, BiPRO e.V. and Open Insurance Implementation Entity (UK). Konsentus is listed as an emerging player. Open Insurance Brasil (SUSEP Open Insurance) is listed as a regional player. NMB Solutions / Innopay Open Banking is listed as an others.
Does FRIDA have an API?
Yes. FRIDA provides REST APIs for Open Insurance standards in Germany. The APIs are ready-to-use, secure, standardized, and efficient. They create digital transparency between all market participants in the insurance and financial sector. API documentation is available on GitHub in both English and German. The APIs use state-of-the-art mechanisms for identification and authentication, including OAuth2. Available APIs include: PensionAPI (for retirement planning transparency), CarClaimsAPI (for digital vehicle insurance claims via smartphone), CyberAPI (for domain check and cyber risk management), DigitalDocumentsAPI (for digital document exchange), RealEstateAPI (for building insurance data), and HealthCareAPI (for healthcare insurance coordination between GKV and PKV). Developer documentation is at github.com.
What industry is FRIDA in?
FRIDA's product category is Open Insurance API Standards. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMAFAA, Open Banking APIs & Connectivity, with a secondary code of BPAMAFAJ, Open Banking, Account Aggregation & Payment Initiation APIs. Its SIC code is 8600.