Yapily

Company History and Founding Story

Yapily was founded in 2017 by Stefano Vaccino, a former Goldman Sachs employee, with the vision of simplifying access to open banking data and payments. The company launched its API-first platform to address the fragmentation of bank connectivity across Europe, allowing businesses to integrate with multiple banks through a single interface. Early traction came from fintechs needing real-time financial data and payment initiation, and Yapily quickly established itself as a key infrastructure player in the open banking ecosystem.

Business Model

Yapily operates as a “plug-and-play” open banking infrastructure layer, deliberately remaining invisible to end users so that its clients maintain full control over branding and user experience. The company generates revenue through usage-based fees for API calls, subscription tiers for its product suite, and licensing services via Yapily Connect, which allows businesses to go live without obtaining their own regulatory licenses. Its B2B focus includes serving both consumer-facing fintechs and enterprise clients requiring bulk payment capabilities.

Core Products and Platforms

Yapily’s product suite includes Yapily Data for account information services (AIS), Yapily Payments for payment initiation services (PIS), Yapily Validate for identity verification and affordability checks, Yapily Bulk Payments for mass payroll and supplier payments, and Yapily Connect for licensed access without a firm’s own authorization. Additional products include Yapily VRPs for variable recurring payments and Yapily Virtual Accounts for fund segregation and reconciliation. The platform is built for developers with clear documentation and OAuth2-based security, holding ISO 27001:2013 certification.

Market Position and Competitors

A key differentiator for Yapily is its unmatched support for business bank account connectivity, enabling B2B use cases such as invoice financing, cash flow insights, and bulk payments that many competitors struggle to serve. In early 2024, Yapily agreed to acquire finAPI, Germany’s leading open banking platform, a move positioning it as the largest open banking payments platform in Europe by coverage. Notable partnerships include working capital provider Uncapped, credit fintech Zilch, and business payment platform Crezco, where Yapily’s infrastructure has driven significant increases in payment conversion and reductions in debtor days.

Licensing and Regulatory Footprint

Yapily is regulated as an Account Information Service Provider (AISP) and Payment Initiation Service Provider (PISP) in the UK and across European markets. Its Yapily Connect product allows clients to use Yapily’s regulatory licenses, accelerating time-to-market for businesses without their own authorizations. The company’s coverage spans over 2,000 financial institutions across 19 countries, with strongholds in the UK and Germany.

Recent Strategic Direction

Yapily’s acquisition of finAPI in early 2024 underscores its strategy to consolidate European open banking infrastructure. The company continues to invest in product development around virtual accounts and variable recurring payments, targeting both consumer and commercial use cases. With $69.4 million in total disclosed funding and a headcount of approximately 122, Yapily is scaling its platform to become the go-to infrastructure layer for open banking in Europe.