admin Riva Money, a London-based fintech startup, has raised $3 million in pre-seed funding to launch its hybrid payments platform globally. The funding round was led by Project A, with participation from angel investors linked to high-profile financial institutions and fintech brands. The capital will be used to accelerate product development, strengthen engineering capabilities, and expand operations into Europe, Asia, and North America.
Founded in 2025 by a team with backgrounds in global banking and leading fintech companies, Riva Money is tackling one of the most persistent challenges in international business transactions: slow, costly, and opaque cross-border payments. Traditional systems can take several days to settle transfers and often involve high fees and unfavorable exchange rates. Riva’s approach seeks to eliminate these barriers and enable faster, more affordable transactions between businesses across continents.
Dual-Rail Model and Compliance-Driven Growth
Riva’s platform is built on a dual-rail infrastructure, which intelligently routes payments through either conventional banking systems or blockchain-based stablecoin channels. This adaptive approach ensures that each transaction follows the most efficient path based on speed, cost, and location, allowing the company to serve clients in diverse regulatory and economic environments. By leveraging blockchain where appropriate, Riva can bypass many of the inefficiencies inherent in legacy banking rails, while still offering the reliability of established financial networks.
The company’s expansion strategy is anchored in regulatory compliance. Efforts are underway to secure payment institution licenses in the U.K. and EU, alongside a Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) authorisation in the EU and a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license in Switzerland. These approvals will allow Riva to operate within a robust legal framework, giving clients confidence in the security and legitimacy of its services.
With its funding secured, Riva is positioning itself to meet the growing demand for efficient, transparent, and globally connected payment solutions. Its combination of blockchain agility, traditional financial reliability, and a strong compliance focus aims to set a new standard for cross-border business transactions. If successful, the company’s model could signal a significant shift in how businesses transfer funds internationally, offering a faster and more cost-effective alternative to legacy systems.
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