Brite Payments CEO on Building a Pan-European Pay-by-Bank Platform

Jan de Vries · 2026-07-23

In an exclusive conversation, Lena Hackeloer, founder and CEO of Brite Payments, opens up about the company's rapid growth, the future of European payments, and the real hurdles FinTech founders face today. ### From Swedish Startup to Pan-European Player Lena explains how Brite evolved from a Swedish startup founded in 2019 into a leading pay-by-bank provider now operating across 27 European markets. After its Series A round, the company expanded into Germany and France. That's a lot of ground to cover in just a few years. Her early career shaped her approach in a big way. She worked at Klarna during its hyper-growth phase, which taught her how to build and internationalize a fast-moving FinTech company. Later, she took a role at a listed financial services business. That experience exposed her to operating in a heavily regulated environment. Two very different worlds, but both essential. ### European Payment Sovereignty: More Than a Buzzword Lena dives into the concept of European payment sovereignty. Brite is building a pan-European instant payment network that reduces reliance on non-European infrastructure. But she's quick to point out that sovereignty alone won't drive adoption. Merchants and consumers ultimately care about convenience, reliability, conversion rates, and lower processing costs. You can't just say "buy European" and expect people to switch. ### The Challenge of Scaling Across Europe Scaling across Europe is tough. Differences in language, culture, banking systems, regulation, and consumer behavior mean the continent can't be treated as a single market. Even though licenses can be passported across the European Union, requirements may still vary between regulators. One size definitely does not fit all. Lena explains why localization is essential. German consumers often place greater emphasis on security and data protection, while Swedish users are more comfortable with digital transparency. Brite combines centralized technology with local expertise, adapting its strategy to each market. Smart move. ### What's Driving Pay-by-Bank Adoption? Looking ahead, Lena sees convenience as the main driver of pay-by-bank adoption. Improvements in mobile banking, app-to-app authentication, and instant payments are making the experience faster. That means instant confirmation, rapid refunds, and quicker payouts. For merchants, that can directly improve cash flow and reduce cart abandonment. ### The State of Female Entrepreneurship in FinTech The conversation wraps with a discussion about female entrepreneurship and representation in FinTech. Lena believes progress is being made as more women gain senior experience and professional networks. But she doesn't sugarcoat the challenges: - Funding inequalities remain a significant barrier - Limited access to technical careers holds many back - Low female participation in engineering is still a problem These aren't quick fixes. But conversations like this help keep the spotlight on what needs to change. ### Key Takeaways - Brite Payments grew from a Swedish startup into a pan-European pay-by-bank platform operating across 27 markets - Lena's experience at Klarna shaped her entrepreneurial approach and payments expertise - European payment sovereignty matters, but adoption depends on convenience, reliability, conversion rates, and commercial value - Fragmented regulation, banking infrastructure, and consumer behavior make European expansion complex - Mobile banking, instant payments, and app-to-app authentication are making pay-by-bank services faster and more attractive - Greater female representation requires better access to funding, technical careers, and senior leadership opportunities