Despite having the word “payments” in its name, Tribe Payments isn’t an EMI. It doesn’t compete with other EMIs, and doesn’t have an EMI licence (because it doesn’t need one). Instead, it acts as a technology partner for banks and fintechs that require issuer or acquirer processing, risk monitoring, digital wallets or POS/SoftPOS solutions.
Tribe Payments is fully audited and compliant with fintech standards such as DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act), PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), and various ISO standards due to the sensitive nature of the data it holds.
Despite having over 150 employees in Lithuania and customers in the region, Tribe has typically focused on the UK and other markets since being founded in 2018. This strategy is changing, as the company looks to go back to its roots, making itself known as a well-established tech partner in the Baltic and Nordic regions.
NFM met with Rūta Kairytė, Commercial Director, Northern Europe at Tribe Payments, to discuss this shift.
Last chance: Get your tickets for Baltic Fintech Days May 13
NFM: Why the renewed attention in the Baltics and Nordics?
Rūta: In 2024, we opened an office in Singapore to strategically expand into the APAC region. We received great feedback, which made us ask ourselves, “Why aren’t we doing this in Lithuania?”
It was one of those “hiding in plain sight” situations. We decided to shift focus to a zone where we have strong ties, and where we can be on the ground, meeting with people and showing that we’re present.
NFM: You’ve personally already met with several key players since re-establishing Tribe in Lithuania.
Rūta: Yes, I live in Vilnius, so I was the most logical choice for the position of commercial director here.
Since shifting focus back to the Baltics, we’ve met with Invest Lithuania, the regulator, and the Lithuanian Fintech Association. We’re also now members of the Fintech Latvia Association, and we’re establishing relationships with Estonia as well.
We are an obvious choice as a technology partner in the Baltics and Nordics, but we just haven’t made our presence known until now.
NFM: You offer direct access to more card schemes than most. And you also handle issuing and acquiring processing. Tell us what else Tribe brings to the table.
Rūta: We process both sides of the transaction, issuing and acquiring, allowing EMIs to work with a single vendor, thus reducing complexity and adding flexibility.
We offer direct integration for all major credit card schemes (Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay, Amex, JCB, and Discover), both on the acquiring and issuing sides. We also have white-labeled software for POS/SoftPOS integrations and an e-commerce gateway. On the issuing side, we provide a rich ledger system, integrated banking services, and a white-labeled digital banking platform with full front/back-end management.
In-house, we support:
- Real-time fraud and risk screening, integrating global PEP and sanctions data
- 3D secure
- Extensive data analytics
Our Bank Connect Module lets fintechs connect to global banking partners to offer their own Banking-as-a-Service, either directly or through our stack.
We work with a partner network to provide alternative payment methods, BIN sponsors, full KYC/KYB functionality, and more.
Last chance: Get your tickets for Baltic Fintech Days May 13
NFM: Why do fintechs need a technology partner?
Rūta: When applying for a licence and talking with law firms, card schemes, or consultants, the first question they typically ask is, “Who’s going to be your technology partner?” Innovation occurs in the layer above the basic stack of card processing, compliance, DORA, and so on. Building all of this in-house is both immensely costly and immensely risky because it requires specialised knowledge.
If companies want to compete in the fast-paced fintech environment of the Baltics, they need to have a foundation first and then build their innovations on top of that. Tribe Payments provides that foundation, and it’s tried and tested.
