# The Future of European Payments

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/eu-startups-podcast-987009/the-future-of-european-payments
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/eu-startups-podcast-987009/the-future-of-european-payments.md
Podcast: [EU-Startups Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/eu-startups-podcast-987009)
Published: 2026-07-23T09:50:13+00:00
Episode link: https://eu-startups.podigee.io/179-new-episode-britepay
Audio file: https://audio.podigee-cdn.net/2554319-m-296bf64b43afbf5521780cf7d5f34916.mp3?source=feed
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/eu-startups-podcast-987009/episodes/the-future-of-european-payments
Duration seconds: 1994

## Resource

In this exclusive interview, we sit down with Lena Hackelöer, founder & CEO at Brite Payments, to explore the company’s growth, the future of European payments, and the challenges facing fintech founders. Lena shares how Brite has evolved from a Swedish startup founded in 2019 into a leading pay-by-bank provider operating across 27 European markets. Following its Series A round, the company expanded into Germany and France. She reflects on how her early career shaped her entrepreneurial approach. Her experience at Klarna during its hypergrowth phase taught her how to build and internationalise a fast-moving fintech company, while a later role in a listed financial services business exposed her to operating in a highly regulated environment. Lena also discusses European payment sovereignty. Brite is building a pan-European instant payment network that reduces reliance on non-European infrastructure, but she argues that sovereignty alone will not drive adoption. Merchants and consumers ultimately prioritise convenience, reliability, conversion rates, and lower processing costs. The conversation examines the difficulty of scaling across Europe. Differences in language, culture, banking systems, regulation, and consumer behaviour mean the continent cannot be treated as a single market. Although licences can be passported across the European Union, requirements may still vary between regulators. Lena explains why localisation is essential. German consumers often place greater emphasis on security and data protection, while Swedish users are more comfortable with digital transparency. Brite therefore combines centralised technology with local expertise, adapting its strategy to each market. Looking ahead, Lena sees convenience as the main driver of pay-by-bank adoption. Impr…

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## Transcript

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