As embedded finance reshapes Europe’s digital economy, MoMo PAI Europe is making waves as an Italian EMI focused on enabling financial infrastructure for startups, e-commerce, and platforms via white-label services. With an emphasis on Open Banking APIs, virtual IBANs, and modular payment flows, the company is bridging the gap between old-school PSPs and new-age fintechs.
We sat down with Paolo Fidanza, CEO and payments veteran, to understand MoMo’s positioning, licensing strategy, and roadmap for 2025.
Who is Paolo Fidanza?
Paolo Fidanza is a fintech innovator with over 20 years of experience in telecom and payments. Prior to MoMo, he held executive roles across Asia and Europe, helping banks and payment firms launch digital services. He now leads MoMo PAI Europe, which has grown rapidly thanks to its white-label, compliant-first embedded finance platform.
Interview
What is MoMo PAI Europe in one line?
We’re an EMI providing embedded finance infrastructure — SEPA, IBANs, PIS/AIS, and acquiring — to platforms across Europe.
What problem does MoMo solve?
Many platforms need compliant payment services without becoming licensed entities. We enable them to launch their financial product with our infrastructure.
What are your core services?
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White-label IBANs (SEPA and SEPA Instant)
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Virtual and pooled IBAN management
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PISP/AISP Open Banking APIs
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Card issuing (Visa, Mastercard)
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FX & international payouts
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Payment orchestration and reconciliation
What licenses do you operate under?
We are an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) licensed in Italy and passported throughout the EEA. We are also PSD2-compliant for PISP/AISP roles.
Are you offering full Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS)?
Yes — we provide the full tech and regulatory stack, from IBAN issuing and KYC to settlement and ledgering.
Who are your typical clients?
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Fintech startups
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Online platforms and marketplaces
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Payroll providers
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Crypto platforms needing fiat rails
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Loyalty or rewards schemes
What makes you different from Solaris or Treezor?
We’re leaner, faster, and less bureaucratic. Clients get live in 4–6 weeks. We don’t upsell or compete with our own clients — our only focus is B2B2X infrastructure.
Do you offer physical cards or just virtual?
Both. We support Visa and Mastercard issuing — virtual-only, single-use, prepaid, and debit with tokenization for Apple/Google Pay.
Do you support SEPA Instant?
Yes, we offer both SEPA Credit Transfers and SEPA Instant from unique IBANs.
Do you provide IBANs under the client’s name?
Yes — we support dedicated, named IBANs for end-users via API.
Do you offer an API sandbox?
Yes, full documentation, sandbox testing, and webhooks are available for partners during onboarding.
How do you handle KYC and onboarding?
We support embedded eKYC with ID verification and AML screening. We also allow clients to bring their own KYC process, with risk delegation clauses.
What about multi-currency support?
EUR is default, but we support GBP, CHF, USD, and plan to add PLN and RON by 2025.
What’s your revenue model?
SaaS-like: setup fee + monthly usage + per-transaction pricing. We also offer revenue-sharing models for card issuing and FX spread.
What’s the biggest challenge in the BaaS space?
Regulatory scrutiny is increasing — rightly so. Many BaaS providers will need to restructure. We built our stack with compliance-first architecture.
What KPIs matter most to you?
Time to go-live, onboarding success rate, active accounts, revenue per client, and uptime.
Are you integrated with Open Banking aggregators?
Yes, we integrate with Salt Edge, Klarna Kosma, and others for AIS/PIS under our own license or via client routing.
What’s next in 2025?
We’re launching treasury APIs, enhanced fraud tools, and entering Spain and the Netherlands with local IBAN issuing.
What’s your long-term vision?
To be the Stripe of licensed fintech infra — invisible, fast, and European-built.
Related Searches
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Best BaaS providers in Italy
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White-label IBANs for platforms
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SEPA IBAN issuing EMI
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Open Banking for fintech startups
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MoMo PAI Europe review
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Card issuing platforms Europe
FAQ
Is MoMo PAI a bank?
No, it is a licensed EMI (Electronic Money Institution), not a deposit-taking bank.
How long does integration take?
Clients can go live in 4–6 weeks with full documentation and support.
Can you issue IBANs in client names?
Yes, we offer dedicated IBANs per end-user via API or batch onboarding.
Does MoMo PAI work with crypto platforms?
Yes — we provide fiat rails for regulated crypto companies (on/off-ramp and card issuing).
Are you PCI DSS compliant?
Yes, all card issuing and processing follows PCI DSS requirements.
Company Services
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SEPA & SEPA Instant payments
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IBAN issuing (white-label)
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PISP/AISP Open Banking APIs
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Virtual and physical card issuing
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FX and multi-currency payouts
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Compliance, eKYC & AML tools
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Payment orchestration & ledgers
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Platform dashboards and reporting
Competitors
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Treezor – Strong in France but slower onboarding
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Solaris – Larger player but complex integrations
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ClearBank – UK-focused, no cards
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Bankable – Strong tech but limited EU licensing
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Intergiro – Sweden-based, focused on lighter use-cases
Product Positioning
MoMo PAI positions itself as:
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A European BaaS/EMI for startups and platforms
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Developer-first with clean APIs and fast launch
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Licensed infrastructure, not a front-facing brand
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Focused on Open Banking + embedded finance
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Lean and regulated, ideal for early-stage scaleups
