Joint forces: MHB-Bank becomes Raisin Bank

 

Focus on banking-as-a-service for fintechs points to future of financial services

The Berlin-based fintech Raisin continues to expand. Following the successful conclusion of ownership control procedures by Germany’s Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (known as BaFin), Raisin has taken over MHB-Bank as sole owner, thus becoming the first fintech in Germany to buy a bank. Since Raisin launched in 2013, the Frankfurt-based bank has been Raisin’s servicing bank in Germany and Austria. From this business partnership a close cooperation has developed. Through the two companies’ new alliance, Raisin now possesses a full banking license and will use the advantages of this acquisition to further its growth. As a next step, MHB-Bank AG will be renamed Raisin Bank AG. At the same time, Raisin’s German brand WeltSparen will gain a reference point to its international parent brand and become “WeltSparen by Raisin.”

 

Strategic Acquisitions as a Motor for Growth and Diversification

Raisin extends its value chain in the financial sector with the bank takeover, and at the same time takes another critical step in scaling, thus maintaining its position as market leader in cross-border savings and investments. In 2017 the fintech took over PBF Solutions of Manchester, now the UK operation of Raisin.co.uk (www.raisin.co.uk/), a move which also enabled Raisin to prepare its operations for Brexit. Together Raisin and Raisin Bank intend to use synergies in the areas of customer access, technology, and regulation to launch new products and enter new markets. Both companies will remain independent entities, with Raisin Bank AG continuing to exist as a financial institution in its own right.

 

Banking-as-a-Service: A Realignment for Raisin Bank

Raisin will also continue to set a new strategic orientation for the 45-year-old bank. MHB-Bank’s focus has been on specialized solutions for bank lending and escrow services, areas Raisin Bank plans to expand and augment going forward. In the last year and a half, the bank has been building digital solutions in account management, payments, and credit as well as fully digitized loan origination and administration. As a service bank for fintechs, the bank has developed important partnerships with Bergfürst, CreditShelf, Evoca, Exporo, Fiduciam, Invest in Visions, and Myos among others.

 

 

“The bank’s rebranding is the next move in a realignment, underscoring our strong focus on digitization, fintech, and banking-as-a-service. The in-depth exchange of experience and knowledge with Raisin helps us support our cooperation partners even better. It also means we will soon be able to offer a broader palette of services with the most modern interfaces in digital retail banking business,” explained Andreas Wolf, Chief Commercial Officer of Raisin Bank. To this end, new hiring will reinforce the team operationally as well as technically.

 

Strengthening the Raisin Brand: Exclusive — for Everyone

Alongside the rebranding of MHB-Bank and as part of the fintech’s international brand focus, Raisin’s German-language platform WeltSparen is becoming “WeltSparen by Raisin.” This connects WeltSparen to its parent company and the international umbrella brand. Raisin stands for fair and transparent financial products, and for democratizing access to them by overcoming and tearing down barriers. Pursuant to this philosophy, Raisin is building a business model with value for all parties: exclusivity for all — no barriers, no distinctions.

For more information on Raisin Bank see the new website at: www.raisin.bank/en.

About Raisin
A trailblazer for open banking and the leading pan-European one-stop shop for online savings and investments, Berlin-based fintech Raisin was founded in 2012 by Dr. Tamaz Georgadze (CEO), Dr. Frank Freund (CFO) and Michael Stephan (COO). Raisin’s platforms — under the brand WeltSparen in the German-speaking world — are breaking down barriers to better savings for European consumers and SMEs: Raisin’s marketplace offers simple access at no charge to more than 500 attractive and guaranteed deposit products from all over Europe, as well as globally diversified, cost-effective ETF portfolios (now available in Germany). With one online registration, customers can choose from all available investments and subsequently manage their accounts. Since launch in 2013, Raisin has brokered more than 15 billion EUR for almost 200,000 customers in 31 European countries and over 80 partner banks. Raisin was named to Europe’s top five fintechs by the renowned FinTech50 awards and is backed by prestigious European and American investors such as btov Ventures, Goldman Sachs, Index Ventures, Orange Digital Ventures, PayPal Ventures, Thrive Capital and Ribbit Capital.