Banxware, a Berlin-based embedded lending platform and lending-as-a-service provider for SMEs, has announced a strategic partnership with UniCredit’s banking-as-a-service platform Aion and Vodeno.
Alongside the collaboration, UniCredit has made a follow-on investment of €10 million in Banxware.
These developments mark a shift in Banxware’s operating model from structured finance to a capital-light forward flow approach.
Under this arrangement, Banxware’s bank partner will assume full ownership of the loan book generated through Banxware’s embedded lending platform partnerships.
This transition allows Banxware to redirect its equity from loan funding towards scaling operations, product innovation and international growth.
Banxware has previously operated through a structured warehouse facility, but this move signals a new phase of its development.
The forward flow structure aims to enhance scalability by enabling Banxware to act as an intermediary between digital platforms and a network of banks, alternative lenders and specialist finance providers.
Currently embedded in over 40 digital platforms, Banxware recently launched a joint lending product with UniCredit that allows SMEs to access financing between €1,000 and €5 million via a single integration and application process.
For loans exceeding €250,000, the offering, supported by HypoVereinsbank and UniCredit, focuses on delivering efficiency, pricing advantages and faster processing.
Banxware’s platform connects pre-qualified and pre-onboarded SME borrowers with lenders that match their underwriting requirements, aiming to improve conversion rates and lending performance.
Additionally, the Banxware for Brokers initiative enables loan brokers to serve their clients through the same infrastructure, offering access to UniCredit-backed loans under the same terms.
The additional investment from UniCredit will support Banxware’s continued development as a middleware layer for SME lending.
Planned areas of focus include user experience improvements, streamlined platform integrations, AI-driven underwriting and market expansion.
Jens Röhrborn, CEO of Banxware, said:
“It is a major step forward to see our strategic partnership with UniCredit deepen further. We are not just scaling, we are shaping a new infrastructure layer for business lending in Europe. With every new platform we embed and every lender we connect, we are moving closer to a future where access to capital is as seamless and intelligent as the platforms SMEs use to run their businesses.”
Fiona Melrose, Head of Group Strategy and ESG at UniCredit, commented:
“Banxware uniquely combines fintech agility and user-centricity with the financial strength and distribution of a major bank. Through Banxware’s platform reach, UniCredit is extending its footprint across the digital SME economy in Europe, continuing to unlock the Group’s acceleration.”
Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by Freepik
