EUVC E684 | Max Schertel, finmid & Tim Rehder, Earlybird: Powering European SMBs with the cash they need
Jan 20, 2026
Join Max Schertel, CEO of finmid, an innovator in embedded lending for European B2B platforms, and Tim Rehder, a General Partner at Earlybird specializing in fintech investments, as they dive into the transformative power of embedded lending. They discuss how better data unlocks access to underserved SMEs, turning platforms into banks without the need for capital ownership. Learn about the impressive margins in this space, the practicalities of scaling across Europe, and how customer integrations, like Wolt Cash, are driving retention and growth.
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Embedded Lending As Platform Banking
- Embedded lending lets platforms offer financing products across Europe with one integration.
- This turns marketplaces into banks-in-all-but-balance-sheet via deep platform data access.
Data Trumps Traditional Bank Underwriting
- Deep integration gives superior risk scoring because platforms hold richer transactional signals.
- Embedded providers can displace banks on distribution and underwriting for B2B lending.
Own Ops, Outsource Capital
- Own regulation, operations and the data engine to deliver a simple single integration for platforms.
- Outsource pure capital provision to institutional investors or private debt funds instead of building a large balance sheet.