SumUp merchants can now invest idle cash in money market funds. Tuesday, 24/03/2026 | 02:53 GMT-7 by Damian Chmiel * SumUp has partnered with Upvest to let merchants invest surplus business cash in money market funds directly within the app, starting in Germany. * The feature requires as little as €1 and is powered by Upvest's API infrastructure, with a broader European and UK rollout planned. SumUp, the payments and business banking company, said today (Tuesday) it has partnered with Berlin-based investment infrastructure firm Upvest to bring money market fund investing to its merchant app, giving small business owners access to capital markets tools through the same platform they use for payments and everyday banking. The feature went live in Germany this month and allows merchants to direct a portion of their account balance into euro-denominated money market funds, with investments starting at €1. SumUp said a broader rollout across Europe and the United Kingdom is planned, though it did not specify a timeline for those markets. Idle cash, modest returns. Money market funds pool capital into short-term, high-quality debt instruments and are typically designed to preserve principal while generating modest returns above standard deposit rates. SumUp is positioning the product as a straightforward way for small business owners, who often leave surplus cash sitting in low-yield accounts, to put those funds to work without switching platforms or taking on significant market risk, according to the company. Behind the feature sits Upvest's investment infrastructure, which handles order execution and settlement, custody, regulatory reporting, and tax processing on SumUp's behalf, the companies said. That arrangement lets SumUp offer the capability without building out its own securities operations. "Small businesses are under constant pressure to set money aside for a rainy day," said Felix Lamouroux, SVP of Global Banking at SumUp. "Yet too often this money sits idle in deposits, when it could be earning interest through investments." Upvest expands its client roster. For Upvest, the deal adds a merchant-focused partner to a client portfolio that already includes consumer fintechs such as Revolut, N26, bunq, Webull, and Raisin, as well as digital banks Openbank and DKB. Earlier this month, the Berlin-based firm raised $125 million at a valuation of €640 million, nearly double the €360 million it was valued at when it last raised capital in December 2024. The company processes more than 100 million trades per year and employs 280 people, according to its own figures. "Powered by Upvest's Investment API, SumUp can now offer a best-in-class investment proposition for merchants to grow their wealth," said Upvest CEO and co-founder Martin Kassing. "This partnership shows how modern investment infrastructure can make capital markets investing accessible and operationally simple at scale." The arrangement reflects a broader pattern in embedded finance, where investment or banking products are layered into platforms originally built for other purposes. SumUp itself has been steadily adding financial services around its payment core, having partnered with Adyen in 2024 to expand payment capabilities for small and medium-sized businesses. Upvest, meanwhile, expanded its own product range in January 2026 by adding 2.5 million securitized derivatives instruments to its platform in a deal with Boerse Stuttgart. SumUp pushes deeper into financial services. SumUp, founded in 2012 and serving more than 4 million merchants across 37 markets, has been broadening its product range well beyond card readers for several years, adding free business accounts, merchant cash advances, invoicing tools, and point-of-sale registers to its lineup. The company raised €285 million in late 2023 at a valuation above €8 billion, money earmarked partly for product expansion and new market entry. Adding an investment layer to its banking offering fits that trajectory, though the initial scope is narrow. For now, SumUp merchants are limited to euro-denominated money market funds, a lower-risk product category. The company has not disclosed any plans to offer equities, bonds, or other asset classes through the platform. Damian Chmiel is a Senior Analyst & Editor at Finance Magnates with more than 15 years of experience in the CFD and online trading industry. Active as both a trader and journalist since 2010, he focuses on broker coverage, fintech innovation, and regulatory developments across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. His work includes interviews with C-level leaders at major brokerages and fintech platforms, as well as co-authoring Finance Magnates' quarterly industry benchmarking reports. Damian's reporting is data-driven, market-aware, and grounded in direct industry engagement. His analysis and commentary have also been cited by external media outlets, including Investing.com, Binance, The Asset, Stockhead, and Dispatch. Education: MA in Finance and Accounting, Cracow University of Economics * 3364 Articles * 106 Followers

Upvest secures $125m to cement its position as Europe’s leading API-first investment infrastructure

Upvest secures 125 million dollars for investment infrastructure in Europe. Investors such as Sapphire Ventures and Tencent are leading the financing round. The Berlin-based fintech wants to expand pension products and AI-based investment solutions in Europe. News by Marc Nemitz · Berlin, 17. March 2026 The Berlin-based fintech provider Upvest has completed a financing round totaling 125 million US dollars. Of this, 90 million dollars is equity, supplemented by a planned debt financing of 35 million dollars. The equity round is led by Sapphire Ventures and Tencent. Existing investors such as Bessemer Venture Partners and BlackRock are also participating. Infrastructure for banks and fintechs. Upvest provides an API-based investment infrastructure that enables banks, brokers and asset managers to efficiently build and scale securities offerings. The $125m round, just 12 months after our Series C, underscores our momentum to be the top choice for financial institutions launching and scaling best-in-class investment experiences at lightspeed in Europe Martin Kassing, CEO and Co-Founder Upvest Clients include DKB, Openbank by Santander, as well as Revolut and N26. In 2025, more than 100 million transactions were processed via the platform. According to the company, the number of orders continues to grow at a double-digit rate every month. Focus on the modernization of banking systems. Many financial institutions are facing the challenge of modernizing existing IT systems and tapping into new sources of income in retail investing. Upvest is positioning itself as an infrastructure provider that supports this transformation. The platform has a modular structure and enables new investment products to be integrated and operated more quickly. Expansion of pension products. Part of the capital will flow into the development of local pension products. These include the German pension portfolio and British SIPP models. By technically mapping complex regulatory requirements, banks can bring such products to market much faster, according to the company. Upvest is also investing in AI-based solutions for the investment sector. The aim is to enable personalized investment products and automated advisory services. The platform provides interfaces that financial institutions and developers can use to build their own applications. Focus on growth and profitability. Upvest was founded in 2017 by Martin Kassing. Since then, the company has developed into an infrastructure provider for more than 30 financial institutions. The company intends to use the new capital to drive its expansion in core European markets and further secure its path to profitability.