Corporate

TX Ventures, the VC arm of TX Group, invests in Swiss Fintech Relio

Swiss Fintech Relio secures CHF 3 million in financing for the launch of a digital payment account for business customers. With its newly developed compliance technology, the startup specializes primarily in complex corporate clients.The lead investor in this funding round was TX Ventures, the VC investment arm of TX Group. The financing round also included significant investments from SIX FinTech Ventures, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), amongst other new investors.

Zurich, 10 January 2023 – Relio AG («Relio») completed the closing of its CHF 3 million funding round for the launch of a digital payment account for business customers. The funding round was led by TX Ventures, the VC arm of TX Group, and also included significant investments from SIX FinTech Ventures and High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF). Other participants included F10, daFUND, QBIT Capital and several business angels. 

Neobanks have reshaped digital banking in Europe. However, these digital banks often encounter compliance challenges when servicing corporate clients. Complex ownership structures, international money flows and complicated business models pose higher risks in terms of fraud and money laundering. Due to the elaborate due diligence needed, such clients often wait several weeks to open an account, frequently having  their transactions and accounts frozen as preventive measures until these have been manually screened by experts. Relio has developed an automated compliance framework that performs these checks accurately and quickly, shortening possible delays and bureaucracy, thus lowering the usual frustration these customers experience when trying  to pay salaries and invoices on time. This innovative solution provides Relio with a competitive advantage for reliable Swiss payment accounts in the corporate customer segment.

Relio’s founder is CEO Lav Odorovic, the creator of  Penta, a successful SME neobank in Germany. With the help of this financing round, Relio aims to advance the development of the tech stack and obtain a FINMA Fintech license. 

Lav Odorovic, Co-Founder and CEO of Relio: «We are very excited to be working with TX Ventures. For us, they are not just another investor, but a true partner that adds value in various areas. TX has a unique position in the Swiss ecosystem with its long-standing commitment to fintech, its deep startup expertise and its extensive network which has helped us from day one.»

Krzysztof Bialkowski, Managing Partner at TX Ventures: «We are very excited to be part of Relio led by Lav, the successful founder of German SME bank Penta. We strongly believe that Relio’s experienced team can continue developing the future of finance in SME banking by automating and improving a central aspect of banking: compliance. This allows the company to bring true innovation to the market by getting rid of bureaucracy and waiting times while supporting even the most complex SME customers in Switzerland and abroad.»

Contacts
TX Group

Karole Verlage Frei, Group Senior Communications Manager
[email protected]

Relio
Milos Stokic, Co-Founder and Head of Marketing
[email protected], +41 78 663 26 33

 

About TX Group
The TX Group forms a network of platforms and participations that offers users information, orientation, entertainment and assistance for everyday life on a daily basis. Its roots lie in journalism with the diverse newspapers of Tamedia and the free media of 20 Minuten. The portfolio is complemented by the advertising marketer Goldbach. The TX Group is an anchor shareholder of the SMG Swiss Marketplace Group and JobCloud, holds majority stakes in Doodle and Zattoo and is an investor in the fintech sector through TX Ventures. The portfolio of TX Ventures includes the minority stakes in the platforms Everon, Helvengo, Lend, Lykke, Monito, Neon, PriceHubble, Selma Finance and Stableton. In addition, TX Ventures is invested in Backbone, Helpling Switzerland and Picstars. Founded in 1893, TX Group has been listed on the Swiss stock exchange since 2000.
www.tx.group

About Relio
Relio is developing a Swiss digital payment account specifically for SMEs. In the Swiss financial center, many companies struggle with bureaucratic hurdles when opening an account and throughout the entire banking relationship. Relio's technological platform allows compliance to be largely automated. As a result, even complex companies can open a business account with a Swiss IBAN with just a few clicks. The startup was launched in December 2020 by Lav Odorovic. He previously built the German challenger bank Penta as founder and CEO. With Relio, he now aims to drive digitalization in the banking sector in Switzerland.
www.relio.ch