Rapyd is the fintech infrastructure company that lets other fintechs exist. While Stripe handles cards and PayPal handles wallets, Rapyd connects businesses to 900+ payment methods across 100+ countries — including the local payment methods that Stripe does not touch. Mobile money in Africa, bank transfers in Brazil, e-wallets in Southeast Asia — Rapyd makes all of them accessible through a single API. It is the plumbing company for global payments plumbing.
Founded
2016
HQ
London, UK
Total Raised
$770 million
Founder
Arik Shtilman, Arkady Karpman, Omer Priel
Status
Private
Website
www.rapyd.netTHE ORIGIN STORY
Arik Shtilman, Arkady Karpman, and Omer Priel were Israeli entrepreneurs who noticed that expanding payment acceptance globally was a nightmare. Every country had different preferred payment methods, regulations, and settlement systems.
A company that wanted to accept payments in Brazil, Indonesia, and Nigeria simultaneously would need to integrate with dozens of local providers. Rapyd built a "fintech-as-a-service" platform that unified all these local payment methods into a single API.
Founded in 2016, the company grew by signing up fintechs, marketplaces, and gig economy platforms that needed to pay and get paid globally.
WHAT THEY ACTUALLY DO
B2B API-based pricing. Rapyd charges transaction fees on payments processed through its platform.
Revenue scales directly with payment volume. The company also earns from FX conversion, disbursements, and card issuing.
Enterprise contracts provide predictable revenue from large clients.
THE PRODUCTS
Rapyd Collect (accept payments globally). Rapyd Disburse (send payouts worldwide).
Rapyd Wallet (digital wallet infrastructure). Rapyd Issuing (card issuing platform).
900+ payment methods across 100+ countries.
HOW THEY GREW
Partnership-driven growth targeting fintechs and platforms. Rapyd grew by being the infrastructure layer that other companies build on.
When a fintech startup needs to support local payments in 20 countries, Rapyd is the single integration that replaces 20 separate ones. The company also acquired payment providers in Iceland (Valitor) and Hong Kong (Neat) to add local capabilities.
THE HARD PART
Competing against established global payment processors (Stripe, Adyen, PayPal) who are also expanding local payment method coverage. Rapyd's advantage is depth in emerging markets, but Stripe and Adyen have more brand recognition and developer trust in developed markets.
MONEY TRAIL
Series A
2018 · Led by Target Global
$20M raised
Series B
2019 · Led by General Catalyst
$40M raised
Series C
2020 · Led by Coatue
$100M raised
$1.2B valuation
Series D
2021 · Led by General Catalyst
$300M raised
$8.8B valuation
Series E
2022 · Led by Tiger Global
$300M raised
$15.0B valuation
WHO BACKED THEM
Backed by Target Global, General Catalyst, Tiger Global, Coatue, and Stripe. Yes — Stripe invested in Rapyd, which is both a partner and a competitor.
Tiger Global and General Catalyst led the $300 million Series E at a $15 billion valuation in 2022.
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