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The Fintech Brief | Inside CreatePay x Liberis: A New Playbook for SMB Lending

🔎 From SMB lending gaps to OCC crackdowns, here’s what fintech leaders need to know now.

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Industry Watch 🔎

🚀 Partnership Spotlight: CreatePay x Liberis

When CreatePay set out to offer faster, simpler funding to thousands of UK small businesses, they needed a partner who could deliver more than just capital — they needed a platform built for scale, speed, and smart decisioning.

Enter Liberis.
Together, we’re making it easier for small businesses to access the finance they need—when they need it:

➡️ Moving to the Liberis-hosted core experience – a stronger, smarter foundation for growth.
➡️ Launching new channels – from self-serve to in-app messaging and push notifications, reaching SMBs right where they do business.
➡️ Rolling out pre-approvals and API pre-pop – turning data into instant, tailored offers, and pre-filling application forms to save time and reduce friction.
➡️ Supporting over 6,000 merchants – and growing every day.

🎤 On Stage at Money20/20: What to Watch

We’re counting down to Money20/20 Europe, and two sessions on our radar feature Rob Straathof, CEO of Liberis, diving into some of the most critical themes shaping the future of embedded finance and AI in fintech.

Sessions to bookmark:

These talks will explore how embedded finance is unlocking access to capital for growing businesses—and what happens when AI tools are designed with trust, transparency, and real-world utility at the core.

Want behind-the-scenes access?

Follow the Bobsguide team on TikTok and Instagram for real-time updates, speaker clips, and on-the-ground insights.

And for full recaps, interviews, and exclusive takeaways:
👉 money2020.unofficialinsights.com

Industry Trends & Innovation đź’ˇ

FINTECH MARKET GROWTH

Embedded banking services, integrating functions like payments and lending directly into digital platforms such as eCommerce or ride-hailing apps, are expanding rapidly with a 25.5% CAGR projected to 2031. Europe leads this growth due to digitalisation and regulatory pressures, while SMEs and non-bank retailers increasingly adopt embedded finance for operational efficiency. The biggest hurdles remain compliance and data security, but the potential for new revenue streams in sectors like healthcare and logistics shouldn’t be underestimated.

LENDING INNOVATION

Nearly half of lenders serving SMBs are missing out by not offering embedded lending, despite strong demand—45% lack such products and only 22% plan to add them soon. Many focus on consumers and underuse vital integrations with eCommerce or POS platforms, while regulatory changes in the UK and US may reshape the lending sector’s risk and compliance landscape. For SMB lenders, failing to act risks losing customers eager to switch to providers that offer these convenient credit solutions.

DIGITAL PAYMENTS

Nuvei is set to enable eCommerce merchants to accept the Wero digital wallet, connecting 40 million users across Germany, France and Belgium, and soon expanding to other European markets. This move means quicker, localised payment options such as instant SEPA transfers and forthcoming features like buy now, pay later. Merchants targeting European shoppers can anticipate easier transactions and a viable alternative to Visa and Mastercard’s dominance.

FINANCIAL INNOVATION

Gen Z expects financial tools to be seamlessly integrated into the digital platforms they use daily, pushing institutions to embed finance—like lending and investments—into everyday apps. With embedded finance projected to reach $7 trillion in transaction value by 2026, traditional asset managers face irrelevance unless they partner with fintechs. If you work in finance or wealth management, adapting to this embedded model is no longer optional but essential for survival and consumer relevance.

Bobsguide is a ClickZ Media publication in the Finance division