Page 3 - FintechAtlas2019

Dear readers,
Welcome to the second edition of our CEE Fintech Atlas. As in our first edition, our aim is to offer you a profound overview of fintech ecosystems in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). What are the leading fintechs in the region? What did funding levels look like in 2019? In which CEE markets are ecosystems already flourishing and how does funding compare in these respective markets? In this year’s edition, our special focus is Open Banking. This topic grew in importance right across the region in 2019,
not least because of the second Payment Services Directive (PSD2) , and it therefore deserves special consideration in our Atlas. Our findings are underpinned by a number of interviews with top-class interview partners such as fintech founders, representatives of national banks and experts from diverse fintech-related organisations from a range of countries in the region.
Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) has always seen itself as a bridge builder between Western Europe and CEE. These bridges are not one- way streets. We bring Western European fintechs together with CEE banks and vice versa. We promote fintechs from CEE and connect them with investors from Western Europe. 2019 was a particularly successful year in this respect. Our fintech partnership program Elevator Lab entered its third round and has become the leading fintech partnership program in CEE. Our venture capital unit Elevator Ventures made its first direct investment and has a well-filled pipeline of potential investment targets. And, last but not least, we have successfully launched our Open API platform. Please find more information about Elevator Lab, Elevator Ventures and our Open API platform inside the Atlas.
We are proud of these successes, but we do not intend to rest on our laurels. We have also set ourselves ambitious goals for 2020 and want to make our contribution to further advancing fintech ecosystems in CEE. Our CEE Fintech Atlas is proof of this commitment.
I wish you interesting reading. If you have any questions or suggestions, the editorial team of the CEE Fintech Atlas is at your disposal.
Johann Strobl Vienna, July 2020
Johann Strobl
CEO, Raiffeisen Bank International