Payment Veteran for International Growth
As Managing Director of the payment institute Ivy Pay Oy, Bross will be responsible for the regulated business in Finland. The Helsinki-based subsidiary operates as a fully licensed payment institution throughout the European Economic Area and the EU.
As one of Holvi’s first employees, Sascha Bross shaped the development of the company’s development in Helsinki for eight years. After starting as the head of legal and compliance, he rose to become Chief Risk Officer and Chief Compliance Officer, and was a member of the supervisory board. Bross was instrumental in supporting Holvi's expansion, including establishing a local presence in Germany. He was also responsible for the management of all licences, including licence applications, and acted as the single point of contact for the local regulator (FIN-FSA). He established a robust risk and compliance framework that enabled the company to grow sustainably while maintaining regulatory compliance.
Ivy: Account-to-Account Payments at internet speed
Numerous well-known companies are already using Ivy's infrastructure for instant payments. As a leading instant payment provider, Ivy enables direct account-to-account payments without intermediaries. The fintech connects companies to over 5,000 banks in 28 European countries via an open banking API and is expanding globally. Its technology reduces transaction costs and accelerates cash flow.
The market is developing favorably for Ivy: while transaction costs via wallets and international card payment networks are rising and established bank-based payment methods like Giropay and SOFORT are being phased out, new instant payments regulations in the banking sector are driving demand.
About Ivy
Ivy is a global API provider for real-time account-to-account (A2A) payments, enabling businesses to accept direct bank transactions and eliminate the need for cards and digital wallets in online transactions. Instant payment infrastructures are currently being implemented in over 60 regions around the world. Ivy harmonises these regional bank payment systems, providing access through a single open banking API and can reduce the cost of a payment transactions by up to 10 times.
Founded in 2021, the payments fintech has offices in Berlin and Munich, as well as Helsinki, and works with global companies. To date, Ivy has raised $30 million from leading technology investors including Creandum and Peter Thiel's Valar Ventures.
