Banco Santander acquired a 50.1% stake in Ebury for £350m to strengthen its SME trade services.
The strategic investment will expand Ebury access to financial backing while preserving its entrepreneurial culture.
Ebury is a trade and foreign exchange facilitator operating across 19 countries and 140 currencies. The company provides international trade solutions for small and medium-sized businesses.
Banco Santander has acquired a 50.1% stake in Ebury for £350m to strengthen its Global Trade Services offer and support its digital growth strategy. The transaction will provide Ebury with backing from a major financial institution while allowing the fintech to scale its platform and services for international SMEs.
Ebury has maintained consistent average annual revenue growth of 40% over the past three years. The new capital, alongside continued support from existing backers, will enable the company to fund further business expansion and enhance its product capabilities.
From the founder
"Combining a big bank with nimble fintech means we can offer our clients the best of both worlds: they can benefit from our technology and high quality service safe in the knowledge that they are counterparty to one of the world most important financial institutions. It is an exciting time for Ebury, we have just completed our first acquisition, and the new capital from Santander and our existing shareholders will allow us to invest in new ways to serve SMEs trading internationally and continue the growth in our business while keeping our entrepreneurial culture."
Juan Lobato
co-founder at Ebury
Investor perspective
"Small and medium-sized businesses are a major engine of growth around the world, creating new jobs and contributing up to 60% of total employment and up to 40% of national GDP in emerging economies. SMEs are becoming increasingly global and Santander is the best positioned bank to play a leading role to help them access global trade finance. By partnering with Ebury, Santander will deliver faster and more efficient products and services for SMEs, previously only accessible to larger corporates."
Ana Botín
Group Executive Chairman, Banco Santander