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Fintech and payments

European fintech investors

Desk data for 2026.

Fintech is the most heavily covered vertical in the Sesamers investor database, with 40 funds carrying a stated fintech or payments thesis. This list ranks the ones with the most complete verified records, ordered by fund size where the firm publishes it. Fund sizes, ticket ranges and HQ come from each investor’s own record; where a figure is not published, the entry says so.

1Rank

BlackFin Capital Partners

Private equity – insurance brokerage, wealth, payments, financial software Paris, France €4B AUM

Independent private equity firm dedicated to asset-light financial services in Europe since 2009. Buyout Fund IV closed at €1.8B in October 2024 – Europe's largest ever dedicated to the sector. Over 110 transactions, including complex carve-outs from large institutions.

Why it is hereThe largest dedicated financial-services investor in Europe – the buyer at the top of the fintech stack.
2Rank

AVP

Venture to growth – fintech, insurtech, enterprise software Paris, France €2.5B+ AUM · €1M-€150M

Founded within AXA in 2016, now independent after a management buyout closed April 2025. Four strategies from venture to growth plus a fund-of-funds programme. Over 60 tech companies backed across Europe and North America.

Why it is hereThe widest cheque range of any fintech investor here – the same firm can lead your seed and your growth round.
3Rank

ISAI

Early stage – capital-efficient SaaS, fintech, marketplaces Paris, France €1.1B across four strategies · €100K-€3M

The French Tech entrepreneurs' fund, backed by over 430 founders investing alongside institutional LPs. ISAI Venture IV leads or co-leads at €1-3M with a pre-seed pocket from €100K. Portfolio includes Alma and Flowdesk in fintech.

Why it is hereFounder-LP model means portfolio introductions come from operators who have built fintech businesses, not just funded them.
4Rank

Serena

Early to growth – applied AI, energy transition, fintech Paris, France €1B raised · €100K-€15M

Paris VC founded 2008. Serena IV closed a first €200M in October 2025. Over 100 companies backed including Descartes Underwriting in insurtech, with a large in-house operating team.

Why it is hereOne of the few French funds that pairs fintech with a serious in-house operating team for scaling support.
5Rank

Seventure Partners

Early to late stage – digital technologies incl. fintech, retailtech Paris, France €1B · €500K-€10M

Founded 1997 and backed by Natixis Investment Managers, one of Europe's longest-running venture firms. Digital practice covers fintech, retailtech, hardware and telecom; invests up to €20M per company across rounds.

Why it is hereInstitutional backing from Natixis gives a direct line into the French banking system for fintech founders.
6Rank

BlackFin Tech

Growth – European fintech and insurtech with product-market fit Paris, France €390M · €3M-€30M

The venture arm of BlackFin Capital Partners, backing fintech and insurtech companies chasing global scale. Looks for triple-digit annual growth. Fund II closed at €390M in 2022 with a dedicated ten-person team.

Why it is hereThe only European growth fund exclusively focused on fintech and insurtech – if you have product-market fit, this is the specialist cheque.
7Rank

Iris Capital

Seed and Series A – software, fintech, AI, cybersecurity Paris, France €150M (Venture IV) · €1M-€8M

Created 1986 inside Caisse des Depots, independent since 2003. Sponsored by Orange and Publicis, with BRED Banque Populaire on the LP platform. Over 350 companies backed and €1B+ deployed. Fintech portfolio includes Kyriba and Shift Technology.

Why it is hereBRED Banque Populaire as an LP means a banking partner sits directly behind the fund.
8Rank

Elevator Ventures

Series A and B – fintech and beyond-banking, DACH and CEE Vienna, Austria €100M+ · €1M-€3M

Corporate venture arm of the Raiffeisen banking group. Closed a €70M fund in 2024, has deployed over €60M into 21 companies with seven exits. Invests across DACH and Central and Eastern Europe.

Why it is hereThe route into Raiffeisen's banking network across Central and Eastern Europe – a distribution channel most Western fintech VCs cannot offer.

Another 32 funds carry the fintech tag on Sesamers, including Pollen Street Capital, Outward VC, Defiant, MiddleGame Ventures, Further Ventures, Ribbit Capital and Better Tomorrow Ventures. They are omitted from the ranking only because their records do not yet publish a fund size or ticket range – not because they are less active. The Paris concentration in this list reflects where verified records are most complete, not where fintech capital sits; London funds are under-represented here until their records are enriched.

Common questions

Which fintech investor writes the largest cheques?
AVP, with a range from about €1M at venture stage to €150M at growth. BlackFin Capital Partners is larger by AUM at €4B but operates as a buyout investor rather than a venture fund.
Which fund is the specialist for fintech growth rounds?
BlackFin Tech, the only European growth fund exclusively focused on fintech and insurtech, writing €3-30M cheques into companies with product-market fit.
Why are most funds on this list based in Paris?
Because those records are the most complete in the database – fund size and ticket range are published. Fintech capital is at least as concentrated in London; those records need enrichment before they can be ranked fairly.
Does Sesamers take payment for placement on this list?
No. Investors are listed because they carry a verified fintech thesis in the Sesamers database and are ranked by published fund size.

Methodology

Counts are drawn from published Sesamers records tagged to this vertical in 2026. Funding totals use EUR-converted desk rates.

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