Sfey

What Sfey does

Sfey is an Estonian fintech company headquartered at Järvevana tee 7b, Tallinn, that operates a modular, cloud-based payment processing gateway for open-loop contactless payments in mobility contexts. The platform is EMVCo EMV L3 certified and is engineered to be hardware-agnostic and acquiring-bank-configurable, supporting contactless NFC card, mobile wallet, and wearable payments. The product portfolio is structured around four core solutions — EV Charging Payments, Transportation Payments, Micromobility Payments, and Unattended Payments — supplemented by a Transit Module that delivers PAR/FPAN token management, debt recovery workflows, whitelist/blacklist controls, and payment-window parameters (aggregation and daily capping). Performance is a documented selling point: online retail transactions in 3 seconds and offline transit transactions in 0.5 seconds.

The company sells to enterprise B2B customers — cities, municipal transit authorities, EV charging operators, micromobility providers, and unattended/self-service operators — through direct enterprise field sales supported by channel partnerships with acquiring banks and hardware vendors. Its public flagship deployment is the Freebike tap-and-ride e-bike service in Lahti, Finland, described as the world's first app-free micromobility payment flow. Revenue is generated through a combination of transaction-based fees on payments processed and SaaS/platform licensing fees for access to the gateway, structured as custom multi-year enterprise contracts rather than standardized tiers.

Operationally, the company is private and independent, with no disclosed parent, no institutional investors identified, and a lean named leadership team of CEO Jaroslav Stuchlik and CCO Craig Jacoby. Marketing and demand generation are run primarily through the company website (with a German-language variant indicating DACH outreach), a LinkedIn presence, a newsletter, and external thought-leadership placements on platforms such as Intelligent Transport. No funding rounds, headcount figures, or revenue disclosures are present in the available data.

Name

Sfey

Legal name

Sfey

Website

https://sfey.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sfey is an Estonian fintech that provides a modular, EMV L3-certified cloud payment gateway enabling cities, transit authorities, EV charging operators, and micromobility providers to accept open-loop contactless card and mobile-wallet payments across their mobility networks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobility Payment Processing

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320)

akta.pro primary industry

Open-Loop EMV Contactless Fare Payments (THAIAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Integrated Payment Processors (PSP/Acquirer) (FSAMABAA), EMV Chip, Magstripe & PIN Debit Acceptance (FSAMADAG)

Keywords

• Open-loop payments
• Mobility payment processing
• Contactless transit payments
• EV charging payments
• Micromobility payment gateway

Headquarters

HQ city

Tallinn

HQ country

Estonia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Payment Processing Services: Sfey charges mobility operators (EV charging stations, public transit, micromobility providers) for processing their contactless payment transactions. The company provides the payment infrastructure enabling secure and efficient transaction processing, with revenue derived from transaction fees for each payment processed through their platform.
2. Platform/SaaS Fees: The company provides a cloud-based payment gateway as a service, suggesting subscription or platform licensing fees for access to their payment processing infrastructure, along with support and configuration services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sfey provides a modular, cloud-based payment processing gateway that enables cities and mobility operators to accept open-loop contactless payments for public transit, EV charging, micromobility, and unattended self-service machines. The platform supports EMV L3 certified transactions, integrates with multiple hardware manufacturers and acquiring banks, and offers a specialized Transit Module for tokenization, daily capping, and debt recovery management.

Product overview

Sfey is a modular cloud-based payment processing gateway provider specializing in open loop contactless payments for mobility services. The platform consists of core products for EV charging, public transportation, and micromobility payment processing, plus an Unattended Payments solution for self-service machines. The Transit Module adds specialized token management and aggregation capabilities. All products share a common API integration layer and support contactless card and mobile wallet payments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EV Charging Payment Platform Payment processing platform enabling seamless integration of contactless payments into EV charging stations, supporting various hardware and software systems for quick setup and secure instant payment processing. Designed for electric vehicle charging station operators seeking to streamline payment processing and reduce reliance on proprietary charging apps.
• Transportation Payment Solution Contactless payment processing platform for public transit systems supporting multiple models including Tap in Single Pay-As-You-Go, Aggregate Pay-As-You-Go, and Card as a Credential. Online transactions process in 3 seconds, offline transit transactions in 0.5 seconds. Designed for cities and public transportation authorities seeking to modernize fare collection with open-loop payment acceptance.
• Micromobility Payment Platform Payment processing platform for micromobility services including e-bikes and scooters, enabling fast and secure contactless payments with seamless integration with diverse hardware and software systems. Designed for bike-sharing and scooter-sharing companies offering shared mobility services in urban areas.
• Unattended Payments Solution Flexible payment system for self-service machines including vending machines, parking meters, ticket kiosks, and self-checkouts. Supports tap-and-pay functionality with real-time verification, encryption, and authorization. Designed for operators of automated self-service machines requiring secure, fast, cashless payment processing.

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• FreebikecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroundbreaking collaboration resulting in the world's first tap-and-ride e-bike sharing solution in Lahti, Finland. Freebike uses Sfey's payment gateway to enable users to unlock and pay for e-bikes by simply tapping their contactless payment card—no app required. The e-bikes have a 135 km range and are 100% designed for sharing. Sfey's modular cloud-based payment processing gateway integrates seamlessly with Freebike's system, providing full configurability for the payment process.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Littlepay: UK-based open-loop payment platform purpose-built for transit and mobility operators, aggregating multiple acquiring banks. Directly comparable to Sfey in targeting small-to-mid transit authorities with EMV contactless fare acceptance.
• Masabi: UK-based SaaS provider of open-loop contactless fare payment platforms (Justride) for transit agencies worldwide. Closest direct competitor to Sfey, with overlapping EMV contactless, validator, and mobile wallet capabilities targeting the same municipal customers.
• Bytemark: US-based provider of transit fare collection and account-based ticketing platforms with mobile and open-loop payment support. Comparable to Sfey in offering cloud-based fare payment infrastructure to transit agencies.

Broad incumbents

• Flowbird Group: European supplier of unattended payment terminals for parking, transit ticketing, and EV charging, including contactless EMV acceptance. Overlaps with Sfey in unattended payments and EV charging verticals.
• INIT GmbH: German provider of integrated ITS solutions including fare collection systems (MOBILEvario, evendPCO) for transit authorities globally. Larger incumbent offering open-loop as part of a broader portfolio of transit hardware and software.
• Cubic Transportation Systems: Dominant global supplier of automated fare collection systems for major transit agencies, with NextAccount and NextWave open-loop platforms. Largest legacy competitor; offers overlapping capabilities but as part of a full fare-collection suite.
• Worldline: European payments giant with a dedicated Mobility & e-Transactional Services division covering transit fare collection and unattended payments. Compares as a broad incumbent that competes in Sfey's verticals at scale.

Others

• Vianova Systems: Provider of mobility data and MaaS integration platforms used by cities and mobility operators. Adjacent ecosystem participant — not a payments competitor, but a potential integration partner in the same municipal procurement conversations.

Emerging players

• PayRange: North American provider of cashless payment solutions for unattended machines including parking, vending, and laundromats. Adjacent comparable to Sfey's Unattended Payments product line.
• PayiQ: Nordic mobility payment specialist offering contactless and mobile payment solutions for transit, parking, and EV charging in the Nordics. Comparable to Sfey in mobility-vertical focus with regional Nordic overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sfey

Compliance1 record

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

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Sfey