Q1: Can you introduce yourself and your journey into fintech?
I’m Daniel Kjellén, co-founder and CEO of Tink, launched in Stockholm in 2012. After running a domain business and working in investment banking, my co‑founder Fredrik Hedberg and I built Tink to pioneer open banking in Europe.
Q2: What is Tink’s core mission?
To enable banks, fintechs, and merchants to build data-driven financial services via open banking—making banking more transparent and user-centric.
Q3: What main services does Tink provide?
Tink offers account aggregation, payment initiation (A2A), money management tools, credit insights, income verification, consumer engagement, and account verification via a unified API.
Q4: How extensive is Tink’s reach?
Tink connects to over 6,000 banks across 18+ markets, reaching approximately 250 million end users and processing 10 billion transactions annually.
Q5: How did you ride the PSD2 wave?
In Sweden, open banking preceded PSD2. We built early aggregation tools in 2013 and by the 2018 rollout, Sweden was ready—Tink was already enabling API-centric finance.
Q6: What sets Tink apart from competitors like Plaid or TrueLayer?
Tink combines API breadth (A2A, VRP, data insight) with deep bank integrations and value-added products like income and risk assessment—making it more than aggregation.
Q7: How does Tink’s culture contribute to success?
With high ratings and an innovation-driven mindset, we cultivate a curious entrepreneurial culture focused on purpose, speed, and execution.
Q8: How’s Tink positioned after joining Visa?
Becoming part of Visa in 2022 enhances our global scale and brand trust, enabling accelerated, global open banking expansion.
Q9: Any notable acquisitions or partnerships?
In 2021, Tink acquired German open-banking specialist FinTecSystems. We also partnered with major banks for Link Pay and account verification solutions.
Q10: Who are Tink’s main competitors?
Primary competitors include Plaid, TrueLayer, Bud, and Railsr, but Tink leads on scale, bank coverage, and product richness.
Q11: How do banks & fintechs benefit from Tink’s platform?
Clients can offer seamless account connectivity for onboarding, real-time payments, budgeting tools, credit checks, and financial insights—all via one API.
Q12: What customer pain points does Tink solve?
We simplify banking complexity—enabling “Pay by Bank,” account checks, and financial coaching in-app, without bank-by-bank integration hassle.
Q13: What technical challenges did you face early on?
Reverse-engineering bank APIs required high resilience and innovation—it was essential for delivering pre-PSD2 Open Banking in Sweden.
Q14: How has Tink evolved from consumer to B2B?
Tink’s consumer app peaked in 2016 with around 500,000 users in Sweden. By 2017, we pivoted fully to B2B—partnering with banks to power financial innovation.
Q15: How do you keep innovation ongoing?
We embrace purpose-driven reinvention—adapting products and leadership roles every 6 to 12 months to stay ahead.
Q16: What are your next market goals?
Visa backing opens global expansion—focusing on EMEA and beyond, while building new products like variable recurring payments and richer fintech toolkits.
Q17: How do you handle regulation and compliance?
We implement full PSD2 compliance with secure APIs, tokenization, consent management, and ongoing innovation in risk tools.
Q18: What challenges lie ahead?
Scaling across diverse regulatory regimes, maintaining integration depth, and differentiating in an increasingly crowded space.
Q19: What future capabilities excite you?
Areas like automated credit scoring, richer financial coaching products, and global open banking orchestration.
Q20: Advice for fintech founders?
Be intellectually honest, focus on purpose, embrace growth stages, and reinvent yourself continuously.
Tink Overview
Platform & services
– API suite: A2A payments, aggregation, VRP, account verification
– Value modules: income check, expense analytics, money management
– Developer SDKs and sandbox tooling
Competitors
– Plaid, TrueLayer, Bud, Railsr: similar services, fewer markets or modules
– Niche open banking firms: often focus on only account check or A2A payments
Positioning
Tink is a leading open banking infrastructure provider in Europe, combining broad API coverage with rich, value-added data tools. With Visa backing, it’s poised for scalable, international deployment across banks, fintechs, and merchants.
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FAQ
Does Tink hold a banking license?
No — Tink is a regulated open banking platform and does not operate as a bank or EMI.
What does “Pay by Bank” mean?
It refers to payment initiation via open banking APIs. Tink allows consumers to pay directly from their bank account.
Can Tink be used globally?
Tink is currently focused on the European market, but Visa ownership opens the potential for international expansion.
What scale has Tink achieved?
Over 6,000 bank integrations across 18+ countries, serving 250 million users and handling 10 billion transactions annually.
