Brite Payments Founder Lena Hackelöer: The Future of European Payments is Convenience and Localization
In an interview with EU-Startups, Brite Payments founder and CEO Lena Hackelöer discusses the company’s growth across 27 European markets, the role of payment sovereignty, and the challenges for female leaders in FinTech.
Brite Payments, founded in 2019 by Lena Hackelöer, has evolved from a Swedish startup into a leading pay-by-bank provider operating in 27 European markets. After its Series A round, the company expanded into Germany and France.
Hackelöer reflects on how her early career shaped her entrepreneurial approach. Her experience at Klarna during its hyper-growth phase taught her how to build and internationalize a fast-moving FinTech company, while a later role at a listed financial services firm exposed her to a highly regulated environment.
On European payment sovereignty, Hackelöer notes that Brite is building a pan-European instant payment network to reduce reliance on non-European infrastructure. However, she argues that sovereignty alone will not drive adoption—merchants and consumers prioritize convenience, reliability, conversion rates, and lower costs.
Scaling across Europe is challenging due to differences in language, culture, banking systems, regulation, and consumer behavior. Although licenses can be passported within the EU, requirements vary by regulator. Hackelöer explains that localization is essential: German consumers emphasize security and data protection, while Swedish users are more comfortable with digital transparency. Brite combines central technology with local expertise.
Looking ahead, Hackelöer sees convenience as the main driver for pay-by-bank adoption. Improvements in mobile banking, app-to-app authentication, and instant payments are speeding up the experience, enabling instant confirmation, rapid refunds, and quicker payouts.
The interview concludes with a discussion on female entrepreneurship in FinTech. Hackelöer believes progress is being made, but funding inequalities, limited access to technical careers, and low female participation in engineering remain significant barriers.
