Embedded Lending Leader finmid Secures €17M to Fuel Bolt and Skroutz Partnerships

Berlin-based finmid has secured a €17m Series A extension to scale its embedded lending infrastructure across Europe. By moving beyond simple cash advances into complex asset finance for Bolt and merchant lending for Skroutz, finmid is demonstrating how non-financial platforms can leverage proprietary data to challenge traditional commercial lenders in the mobility and e-commerce sectors.

What was announced

The €17m Series A extension, led by Big Pi Ventures and Mainset with participation from Earlybird, brings finmid’s total funding to €52m. The capital is designated to expand the company's asset-finance products, multi-source funding infrastructure, and underwriting capabilities. This funding follows a €23m Series A round in April 2024 and supports the launch of two distinct financing models that mark finmid’s expansion into the mobility and e-commerce categories.

The first product, Bolt Vehicle Solutions, targets the European ride-hailing market, which is projected to reach €157 billion by 2034. Through this programme, fleet operators can access up to €400,000 over a four-year term to finance vehicles. Unlike standard commercial leases, these terms involve fixed monthly repayments where ownership transfers to the operator upon the final payment, effectively converting a recurring operational cost into a long-term business asset. Operators apply through the Bolt platform, with finmid handling the underwriting and application process.

The second major development is a partnership with Skroutz, Greece's largest online marketplace. This initiative, known as Skroutz Funding, allows the marketplace to lend directly to its network of approximately 9,000 merchants. Notably, this is the first instance where finmid’s credit infrastructure is used to wrap around a platform’s own source of capital, with the Skroutz Group providing the funding while finmid manages underwriting, regulated lending, and servicing. Since its inception, finmid has extended over €4 billion in financing offers across 30 European markets, reporting an 85% borrower return rate.

"Two years ago, embedded lending meant a cash advance for a restaurant. Today the same rails carry a multi-year vehicle loan, a marketplace's own balance sheet, and the potential for more. Every platform with business customers now has a way to become their financing partner without becoming a bank."

Alexander Talkanitsa, co-founder, finmid.

The companies involved

Berlin-based finmid is an embedded lending infrastructure provider that enables B2B platforms to offer financing to their customers. Founded by Max Schertel and Alexander Talkanitsa, the company has established a significant footprint in the European fintech space by handling the regulatory and technical complexities of lending for non-financial firms. Its partner roster includes major delivery and payment players such as Wolt, Delivery Hero, and myPOS. The company operates on a model where capital can come from the platform itself, a banking partner, or finmid’s own refinancing partners.

Bolt is a global mobility platform offering ride-hailing, micro-mobility, and delivery services. It has become a central player in the European gig economy, frequently seeking financial integrations to support its ecosystem of drivers and fleet partners. Skroutz, meanwhile, is the dominant e-commerce entity in Greece. The marketplace has recently seen significant corporate movement, including interest from global private equity firms. The investors backing this round bring regional and sector-specific expertise; Big Pi Ventures, where Nick Kalliagkopoulos is a Partner, has a strong focus on the Southeast European market, while Earlybird is a well-known venture capital firm in the European tech ecosystem.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has closely tracked the expansion of these entities across the European market. In June 2026, we covered how finmid and myPOS Launch Embedded Lending to Bridge Italy’s €3bn SME Funding Gap, a move that targeted the underserved small business sector in Southern Europe. We also reported on the corporate restructuring of finmid’s new partner in May 2026, when Blackstone to Acquire Majority Stake in Greek E-commerce Leader Skroutz from CVC. Additionally, Bolt’s efforts to integrate financial services were highlighted in our report on how Klarna and Bolt Partner to Launch New Payment Options for Rides and Scooters, illustrating a broader trend of mobility platforms becoming primary touchpoints for financial transactions.

What this means

This announcement signals a shift in the embedded finance power dynamic. By moving into asset-backed finance for vehicle fleets, finmid is entering a territory traditionally dominated by specialized bank leasing arms. The real innovation, however, lies in the Skroutz partnership. When a platform uses its own balance sheet to lend, it bypasses the "banking-as-a-service" middleman, turning the platform itself into a primary financial relationship holder. This puts immense pressure on traditional commercial banks, who lack the real-time transaction data that platforms like Bolt and Skroutz use for underwriting. The industry must now ask whether banks will be relegated to mere providers of liquidity while platforms capture the high-margin relationship and data.