Swan

... And that's a wrap for 2025. 🎁 This special edition of The Embedded Edge newsletter is now live, looking back at a year that proved embedded banking isn't just the future. It's today's standard. Our partners more than doubled their growth, and Swan not only processed €2B per month in payments, but also expanded to Italy and Belgium and shipped features that transformed how thousands of SMBs across Europe manage their money. Behind every metric, there's a story about software platforms becoming true financial hubs for their users. The full wrap-up covers everything from partner growth to our 2025 achievements, including what's coming next in 2026. Read the full edition below 👇

Join us in a day with Paul Enseling in our Paris office ☕ A sneak peek into Swan life: conversations with founders about building financial services into their products, an end of year celebration with a pottery workshop and dinner with the GTM team, and a look at our advent calendar. Paul was lucky to get one at the office and explore the little boxes, each a reminder that choosing the right embedded banking partner is strategic. It’s about balancing control, risk, and speed as companies launch features, scale, and deliver smooth embedded banking experiences. 2025 was significant. But heading in to 2026, if you're considering embedding payments, business accounts, or card programs, now's the time. Catching up on an advent calendar is simple, but catching up with competitors who've launched embedded banking isn't. 🎁

2025 marked the structural shift that finally closed the financial gap in business software. ✨ Just imagine: Issuing a card, verifying a payment, invoicing, and reconciling expenses, all inside a single platform. This is the transition thousands of SMBs around Europe made in 2025, thanks to modern software embracing embedded banking: goodbye chasing payments, hello integrated financial workflows. And while these platforms were busy focusing on building incredible new experiences for SMBs, Swan focused on strengthening the rails beneath them. 🛤️ Throughout the year, our focus delivered: - More reliability - More operational excellence - More European depth - More features The result? Our partners more than doubled their growth across every metric. Want to dive deeper into Swan's 2025 milestones and what's ahead for 2026? Read the full wrap-up on our blog: https://lnkd.in/eqE-7A8M

Our first partners are opening accounts for Belgian SMBs 🇧🇪 Here's why Belgian IBANs matter: they build trust because they start with BE, which means domestic payments work the way they should. No confusion, faster recognition, easier reconciliation for Belgian businesses. Because we know that embedded banking only works when its truly native. Swan's partners can now embed Belgian business accounts (with proper local IBANs) straight into their software. Everything's compliant, everything works. And the timing? Pretty good. Peppol e-invoicing becomes mandatory for all ~1.2 million Belgian companies starting in 2026. Which means every Belgian business will need to send and receive e-invoices digitally. Learn more about Belgian IBANs here: https://lnkd.in/eRThGizz

Behind every secure, compliant embedded banking experience is a team ensuring Swan moves quickly without compromising safety. 🛡️ Our Risk team handles internal controls, compliance, merchant-related risk checks, and financial crime prevention, turning guardrails into enablers for accelerated time-to-market. They verify merchants, analyse suspicious transactions, and design the frameworks, controls, and governance that allow Swan to operate confidently in every market. By analysing risks and building scalable processes, they strengthen defences without slowing growth for Swan or our partners. Risk is one of our core functions, and we're committed to growing the team as we scale. 🙌

Embedded banking simplifies financial operations for SMBs. 📲 By integrating financial services directly into business software, platforms are becoming complete financial hubs. From invoice management to expense tracking to company card programs, and the opportunities for seamless payment flows are proven and growing. Swipe through the carousel to explore how and why these use cases are successful 👉 And read about use cases in more detail here: https://lnkd.in/eKz7tP4b

What if choosing an embedded banking partner was not just a product decision, but a long-term success decision? 🤔 The difference between building, buying, or partnering becomes crystal clear when you look at delivery speed, reliability, and customer trust. Why does the partner model win? Complex compliance requirements, regulation changes, and technical infrastructure need a co-pilot that guides and adapts to your needs. Discover how partnering with an embedded banking specialist outperforms other integration approaches and what to look for when choosing the right fit for your software platform. Read the full article here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eggyQQHC

Embedded banking myths got you spooked? 👻 Time for a reality check. Too many companies let misconceptions about embedded banking hold them back, missing the chance to launch banking features quickly, build user trust, and integrate financial services seamlessly into their product. Swipe through to uncover the truth behind each common myth 👉

It’s extremely important to us at Swan to be a warm and inclusive place. 🌈 We’re a team of 300 across multiple European offices, experiencing all kinds of evolution from leadership, product, teams… there’s a lot of movement! Which is why we’re making even more effort to stay connected as we grow. One of the “glues” that keeps Swan grounded during big changes is our Employee Resource Groups. And this week, we’re especially proud of the afterwork hosted by our most colorful one: Swan Rainbow 🏳️🌈 We kicked off with a panel where we genuinely learned things together. - Some basics (decrypting the LGBTQIA+ “alphabet soup”). - Some history (why some groups have had more visibility than others). - Why being “out” at work is always a personal choice, but what matters is creating a space where anyone can safely be themselves. - And some very relevant workplace topics (example: parental leave applies to anyone who wishes to become a parent. Simple as that.) The final note of the evening couldn’t have been more perfect: a drag show that lit up the Plaza with kings, queens, glitter, and joy. Huge thank you to our speakers and the performers for sharing honesty, insight, and heart: Teddy Mimifir, Karine Larher, moderator Mantombi Ngoloyi and special guest Loïc Dumoulin-Richet from têtu•. We can’t wait to see more of this energy fill Swan’s beautiful Plaza!

What if you could buy a house in one click? 🤳🏠🤔 Probably not a good idea… And yet, in fintech we often talk about removing friction as if the goal is for every action to be as instant as possible. But, not all decisions carry the same weight. Buying a bike shouldn’t take a week. Buying a house shouldn’t take a second. That’s the nuance Nicolas Benady talked about this recent episode of Fintech Insider News: great financial UX isn’t about maximum speed, it’s about the right speed. Some actions should feel seamless. Others should introduce a moment to think. Good UX calibrates that balance so users feel both empowered and protected. A small pause at the right moment can be as valuable as a smooth flow (in life, and in software!) And as always, Nico brings the kind of thought-provoking angle that keeps us sharp. A useful reminder for anyone building financial journeys into their software; whether it’s buying equipment, approving invoices, or managing client payments. Thanks to host Laura Watkins (11:FS) for inviting us alongside guests Joshuah Lebacq (National Bank of Canada) and Mike Saraswat (Stoa). Listen to the episode: https://lnkd.in/excubemM