FT 1000 2021: iBanFirst among Europe’s fastest-growing companies for the second year in a row
Now in its fifth edition, the FT 1000 published by the Financial Times lists the European companies exhibiting the highest levels of absolute growth and compound annual growth (CAGR). iBanFirst has made the ranking for a second consecutive year.
Paris, 2 March 2021 - iBanFirst, the global financial services provider delivering solutions for corporate clients across banking borders, has entered the FT 1000 ranking for the second year running, climbing from 815th to 258th place since the previous edition.
With an absolute growth rate of 585.7% between 2016 and 2019, this acknowledgement comes in recognition of iBanFirst’s hyper-growth strategy. The Franco-Belgian fintech raised €21 million in Series C funding by the end of Q2 last year and continues to pursue its goal of becoming the leading digital platform for cross-border payments. Despite continent-wide Covid-19 restrictions, iBanFirst has accelerated its international expansion and stepped up product development initiatives over the past twelve months. Beyond opening its Munich office in November 2020, the company launched its innovative new Payment Tracker in January of this year, enabling clients and their beneficiaries to track payments in real time, as they would a parcel.
Commenting on the news, iBanFirst CEO and Founder Pierre-Antoine Dusoulier remarked: “We are proud to be listed, for the second consecutive year, in the Financial Times’s ranking of Europe’s 1000 fastest-growing companies. On behalf of iBanFirst, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our clients for placing their trust in us and our product. We will continue to develop innovative solutions to simplify our clients’ daily operations and ensure their international success.”
Founded in 2013 with just 16 employees, iBanFirst now boasts over 200 staff members, with more than 4000 clients across Europe and beyond. Focusing on the development of its core banking infrastructure and platform-centric approach from its inception, the fintech has invested heavily in leveraging expertise and pursuing its R&D objectives, notably opening a third R&D centre in Tunis in July of last year.
About iBanFirst
iBanFirst is a global financial services provider delivering solutions across banking borders. iBanFirst provides a specialist online platform for multicurrency transactions. As an alternative to the traditional bank offer, iBanFirst enables a payment experience and package of financial services addressing the needs of SMEs in their daily operations. Thanks to iBanFirst, financial teams can pay and receive payments in any currency and hedge foreign exchange risks.
Founded in Paris in 2013 by former bank executives and entrepreneurs, iBanFirst is a French company headquartered in Belgium, with operations in France, the Netherlands and Germany. It is regulated as a payment institution passported throughout the European Union and serves more than 4 000 customers all over Europe. Member of the SWIFT network and SEPA homologated, iBanFirst holds AISP and PISP accreditations under PSD2. It has raised €46m from Xavier Niel and leading European venture capital funds Serena, Breega Capital, Elaia and Bpifrance Large Venture.
About the FT 1000
The Financial Times annual FT 1000 ranking lists the one thousand fastest-growing companies in Europe. The FT 1000 2021 is the fifth iteration of this ranking. To be included in the list, criteria notably include revenue generation of at least €100,000 in 2016, revenue generation of at least €1.5 million in 2019 and revenue growth being achieved organically between the years 2016 and 2019. If a company is listed on a stock exchange, its share price cannot have fallen by 50 per cent or more since 2019.