New Owner gives Railsr bankruptcy protection

London-based Railsr, a former embedded finance startup formerly known as Railsbank, has been acquired by Embedded Finance Ltd, a shareholder consortium that includes previous investors D Squared Capital, Moneta VC, and Venture Capital. The value of the deal has not been disclosed, but the company was valued at around $250 million in October 2022, down from almost $1 billion in previous years. Railsr will go into administration and continue as a going concern as it restructures.

Railsr was an early mover in embedded finance, offering APIs for banking, payment cards, and credit products, which were used by fintechs, neobanks, and other brands and businesses that wanted to offer financial services to customers. Its fall from grace raises questions about whether the startup’s own strategy and execution caused its downfall or if it is a signal of more problems to come for other embedded finance players.

There are more widespread issues facing fintech startups that are not profitable, which are coming to the end of their runway and finding it challenging to raise more funds. This situation may mean that they need to come to terms with their next steps, and the outcome may not be pretty. It remains to be seen what Railsr’s fate will signify, but the investors are still bullish about the potential for embedded finance as a business.

The acquisition of Railsr means that it can now rebuild momentum and return to growth. Railsr has a best-in-class technology platform that has given hundreds of fintech customers a competitive advantage. Investors believe embedded finance has the potential to spur innovation, shape business models, and shift consumer experiences. Despite macroeconomic challenges, the acquisition has stabilized Railsr, which operates systemic backbone infrastructure underpinning the UK financial system. No services are being interrupted, and two other operations connected to Railsr, Payrnet Limited in the UK and UAB Payrnet in Lithuania, will continue to trade as before.