How to sell to banks · Go-to-market in the Nordics
Selling to Nordic banks
How fintechs get into Nordic banks: who buys, how long it takes, what procurement and regulation ask of you, how to partner with a tier-1 bank, and how to get leads in the Nordics when banks don't take cold pitches.
The short answer
Nordic banks don't answer cold vendor pitches. You get in by borrowing trust: a co-host the bank already works with, a stage you offer before you ask for anything, and the one person inside the bank who connects business goals with digital delivery. Then you need patience for procurement, and paperwork that is ready before they ask.
You will not be alone. 129 of the 220 fintechs in our company profiles (59%) list banks as customers, so the people you want to reach hear the same pitch every week. Trust and access are the difference.
The Nordic banks in our data
Banks are not only buyers; they are active in the community. Here is where the main Nordic banks stand in the Fintech Awards 2026, which rank engagement with fintech buyers, partners and our readers:
| Bank | Headquarters | Fintech Award Points |
|---|---|---|
| Nordea | Helsinki, Finland | +1,695 (#1) |
| Danske Bank | Copenhagen, Denmark | +395 (#30) |
| SEB | Stockholm, Sweden | +460 (#15) |
| Handelsbanken | Stockholm, Sweden | +105 (#202) |
| Svea Bank | Solna, Sweden | +135 (#192) |
| Lunar | Aarhus, Denmark | +725 (#3) |
| SBAB | Solna, Sweden | – |
| Marginalen Bank | Stockholm, Sweden | – |
| Nordnet | Stockholm, Sweden | +235 (#98) |
Where we have met each bank, and how many of their people read our newsletter, is listed bank by bank in Bank access: where we stand.
Who buys inside a bank
A fintech sale to a bank usually needs six to ten people to agree:
- The business owner whose numbers improve: head of payments, cards, lending or a business area.
- The digital or product lead who connects business goals with delivery. Often the best first contact.
- Architecture and IT, who decide whether you fit the stack.
- Information security, who review your controls.
- Compliance and risk, who decide whether you create a regulatory problem.
- Procurement and vendor management, who run the process and the contract.
- Legal, and for big deals, a sponsor in the executive team.
Most of them won't be reached by an ad. They do come to a well-chosen room: a breakfast with peers, a panel, a dinner, or a build day on an API they are curious about.
Why selling to banks takes time, and how to shorten it
Banks have to check their suppliers. Under the EU's Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), which applies from 17 January 2025, banks must manage the risk from their ICT providers, keep a register of them, and put specific terms in their contracts. Outsourcing of critical or important functions also falls under the European Banking Authority's outsourcing guidelines. In practice, have these ready before the first meeting:
- Security documentation: certifications such as ISO 27001 or SOC 2 reports, penetration test summaries, an incident process.
- Where data is stored and processed, and your sub-processors.
- Contract terms banks will ask for: audit rights, service levels, incident reporting, an exit plan.
- Financial information that shows you will still be there in three years.
This is not legal advice; check the details with counsel. But a fintech that arrives with the pack ready saves months.
Selling to tier-1 banks
- Start with a problem they have already named in a strategy, an annual report or a talk by one of their people.
- Offer a stage first. A panel seat, a podcast episode or a keynote slot. People who have been offered a stage take the next meeting.
- Go through someone they already buy from. Core banking providers, consultancies and cloud partners already approved by the bank can bring you in faster than procurement can.
- Make the first step small. A sandbox, a pilot or a build day is easier to say yes to than a contract.
- Map the whole committee. A champion without a sponsor stalls at procurement.
Fintech bank partnerships: four models
| Model | The bank is… | What it takes |
|---|---|---|
| Bank as customer | buying your product | Procurement, security review, a business case |
| Bank as distributor | offering your product to its customers, often white-label or embedded | Product fit, revenue share, brand approval |
| Bank as infrastructure | holding the licence or accounts behind your product (BaaS) | Compliance alignment, a long contract |
| Bank as co-host | sharing a stage, a room or a report with you | A good idea and a short ask |
The fourth is the easiest way to start the other three. See co-marketing vs partner-led growth and how Nordic fintechs build a partner-led go-to-market.
Go-to-market in the Nordics: fintech market entry in Sweden
- Licensing. Finansinspektionen authorises banks, payment institutions and e-money institutions in Sweden. If you are licensed in another EU country, you can usually passport in after notifying your home regulator.
- Local rails. Swedes identify with BankID and pay each other with Swish; Denmark has MitID and MobilePay, Norway BankID and Vipps. Fit in with them.
- Language. English works for B2B sales and events; consumer products and documents usually need Swedish.
- Proof from next door. A Danish, Finnish or Norwegian reference opens Swedish doors faster than one from further away.
- A local network. The hardest part to build alone. Cardboard, a Norwegian company with no Swedish network, was positioned in Stockholm next to Gilion and Fairlo at a breakfast we ran.
For the regulation in plain language, see our newsletter's Swedish Regulation Cheat Sheet. For market entry help, see market entry services and our GTM for fintech.
How to get leads in the Nordics
- Warm introductions from people your buyers already trust.
- Co-hosted rooms with a short guest list of named accounts.
- A stage before a sales call: panels, podcasts, newsletter features.
- Build days and hackathons on your API. the Embedded Finance Build Day on 25 August 2026 cost SEK 25,000 and no paid advertising: 98 registrations, 72 approved places, 44 builders in 15 teams, 15 working prototypes, 26 companies in the room and 14 warm leads at SEK 1,785 each.
- Side events around Stockholm Fintech Week and Money20/20 Europe; see fintech conferences 2027.
More in how to reach senior fintech buyers without paid ads. Fintechs in our data that sell to banks and rank highest in the Fintech Awards:
Monthio+665
Monthio provides an Open Banking-based affordability and credit decisioning solution for lenders.
Signicat+635
Signicat provides an AI-powered digital identity platform for identity verification, authentication, electronic signing and compliance workflow orchestration.
Subaio+545
Subaio turns raw bank transaction data into financial insights and products for banks and lenders across Europe.
Enfuce+500
Enfuce is a cloud-native card issuing, processing and licensing platform that helps banks, fintechs and brands launch and scale payment card programmes.
Chift+485
Chift provides a unified API and integration platform that connects software products and AI agents to European financial tools such as accounting, invoicing, POS, payment, ecommerce and PMS systems.
SaaScada+465
SaaScada provides a cloud-native, real-time core banking platform for banks, lenders, neobanks, fintechs and BaaS providers.
Dreamplan+460
Dreamplan is a Danish digital platform that gives individuals independent financial advice on pensions, investments, insurance and home financing, and helps them carry out the recommended plan.
Loyalty Key+445
Loyalty Key builds payment-linked loyalty, cashback and reward platforms for banks, card networks and large enterprises.
Questions people ask
How do you sell to banks?
Borrow trust through a co-host the bank already works with, offer a stage before asking for a meeting, find the person who connects business goals with digital delivery, map the whole buying committee, and arrive with security, data and contract documentation ready.
How long does it take to sell to a Nordic bank?
Usually months rather than weeks, because six to ten people need to agree and the bank has to check you as a supplier. Having your security, data and contract pack ready, and starting with a small pilot, shortens it.
What does DORA mean for fintechs selling to banks?
Since 17 January 2025, EU banks must manage risk from their ICT providers, keep a register of them and include specific contract terms. Expect questions on security, incidents, data location, audit rights and exit plans. Check details with counsel.
How do fintechs partner with banks?
Four common models: the bank as customer, as distributor of your product, as the licensed infrastructure behind it, or as co-host of a room, stage or report. Co-hosting is the easiest place to start.
How do I enter the Swedish fintech market?
Sort out licensing with Finansinspektionen or passport in from another EU country, fit in with local rails such as BankID and Swish, bring a reference from a neighbouring Nordic country, and borrow a local network through co-hosted rooms and partners.
How do you get leads in the Nordics?
Warm introductions, co-hosted rooms with named accounts, a stage before a sales call, build days on your API and side events around the big conferences. Cold outreach to banks rarely works.