• Why did you choose to open up your office in Milano?

“Milano is increasingly becoming the reference point of the fintech landscape in Italy, which is why we believe it is strategic to have it as location for the headquarter of the Italian branch of N26. In fact, Milano is hosting most of the Italian team of N26, from marketing and communication to the legal department, from compliance to business development."

• Why does Italy is a need to be market? How big is its potential?

"The potential of the Italian market, especially as regards fintech and the world of challenger banks, is really impressive. Italians are showing more and more interest in online banking services, due to their friendly user experience, immediacy and security. It is no coincidence that many challenger banks, including Italian ones, were born in this last year."

• Can you describe Milano's best qualities for living and doing business?

"Milano is definitely open to news and changes, in any environment. It knows how to welcome them and how to guide its citizens towards improvements, in fact it is a city that is constantly changing face, not only from an urban and architectural point of view (being one of the most developed smart cities in Europe), but also cultural and social. I believe these aspects are crucial for any entrepreneur who decides to do business in a specific city."

“We chose Milano as our headquarter for Southern Europe because it has all the requirements to become a hub able to efficiently combine finance and innovation. This city has a big potential: it’s where many ideas, trends and startups begin their journey and can easily represent an excellent model for other markets in the region.”

• Why did you choose to open up your office in Milano?

"Lombardy is the richest region in Italy and one of the strongest economies in Europe. It’s one of the four motors of European economy. The region is an “international business hub”: has the highest density of multinationals (92 of the top 100 multinationals operating in Italy are based in Lombardy) and attracts over 60% of all foreign direct investment arriving in Italy."

• Why Italy is a need to be market? How big is its potential?

"HiPay HQ believed in the Italian market and they decided to invest there. Italy is a growing market and, according to the International Trade Centre, is the 2nd most competitive country in the world wide. It has great potential, for example, we have seen the beginnings of e-commerce growth following the strict COVID-19 restrictions."

• Can you describe Milano's best qualities for living and doing business?

"Milano is the most European and open city in Italy; it’s multicultural, active and innovative, as well as the cradle of fashion and design. Thanks also to the fashion week and design week, at least for 5 times per year, Milano becomes the Italian epicenter of creativity and offers beautiful events that enrich the city and those who live there."

"Italy is a country of entrepreneurs. Its business community consists of 4.4M of SMBs & professionals ready to ride the wave of digitalisation. Milano is one of the key business cities, offering valuable opportunities to the economic system, including modern infrastructures and innovation hubs. Milano also embodies the Italian values of excellence, wellbeing and networking, encouraging all businesses to further innovate."

• Why did you choose to open up your office in Milano?

The start of operations in Italy is part of the international expansion strategy of the company that already has offices in Paris, Munich and Berlin. We had the chance to meet a lot of Italian decision makers in events interested in our technology. We had a good market fit and tractions with the Italian market. 

• Why does Italy is a need to be market? How big is its potential?

Italian insurers are becoming aware that AI is changing the chain value in the insurance industry and can also change the customer experience. We identified more than 60 insurance companies in Italy, we have hot discussions and we will soon sign our first customers. 

• Can you describe Milano's best qualities for living and doing business?

Milano is a super location at European level for its good quality of living and doing business. It represents a big network for companies and offers a lot of events and conferences to meet decision makers.

“Milano is a blooming city, the heart of innovation and progress for Fintech in Italy. Furthermore, Klarna has chosen Milano for the great resource of talents coming from the local technical universities such as Politecnico, which are among the most highly ranked worldwide.

"We see a tremendous untapped potential when it comes to the development of the e-commerce sector. Moreover, Italian consumers are showing a growing interest in innovative and more customized payment solutions.”

“Milano is a vibrant, international and multicultural city, which at the same time keeps its unique Italian spirit made of tradition and creativity. It has a rich cultural life, it is business and innovation friendly and has a lot of talented people, which makes it a great place to work and live... Klarna loves Milano!”

"Italy is one of the key markets for Solarisbank. The Italian market offers enormous growth potential and all companies can potentially benefit - with different use cases - from the embedded finance trend, driven by the BaaS products. Thanks to the local IBANs, we enable our partners to further localize their offering and tailor it to the needs of their respective end-customers, but also tackle the hurdles of IBAN discrimination. We have established ourselves in Milan, as it offers a great network for companies, especially in the fintech scene, as there are a lot of events, and conferences being organized, and a vibrant community. It is a great location at European level, with a mix of tradition and innovation, and the best quality of life!"