SoftBank-Backed Vivid Money Exits Retail Banking to Focus Entirely on SME Market
Vivid Money, the Berlin-based fintech backed by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, announced on 13 March 2025 a fundamental strategic pivot: the company would stop developing its retail banking product and concentrate all future investment and product development on the SME and freelancer business banking market.
Why Vivid Exited Retail
CEO Alexander Emeshev cited the impossibility of competing profitably against Revolut and N26 in the mass-market consumer segment, where both competitors had multi-hundred-million-dollar marketing budgets and significant network effects. Vivid, despite strong product reviews and an innovative multi-IBAN model, could not achieve the customer acquisition economics needed to sustain consumer-facing growth.
The pivot reflected a broader trend: several European consumer fintechs (including Finom, Moss, and others) began redirecting toward the SME segment in 2024–2025, where revenue per customer is higher and switching costs are greater.
The New Vivid: SME Banking
As part of the strategic pivot, Vivid:
- Extended its business banking services beyond Germany into France, Spain, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands
- Described itself as the “fastest-growing SME financial platform in Germany”
- Retained its MiFID II investment firm licence and MiCAR crypto licence for future business-facing product development
What Happens to Retail Customers
Existing Vivid retail customers were not forced to close accounts. The company stated that all current retail services would remain accessible. However, no new retail product development would occur — meaning the consumer app will effectively be maintained in maintenance mode while business features receive all new investment.
Implication for this site: Given Vivid’s strategic exit from retail banking, our comparison rankings weight it lower for personal use cases. For EU residents seeking a personal neobank, Revolut, N26, and bunq remain stronger choices.