Interview with solarisBank’s Andreas Bittner

Andeas Bittner holds the position of Managing Director for our new venture solarisBank and is responsible for bank operations. As such, he organizes the bank business and operation on a daily basis, becoming the bridge between market demand and the development team, and ensuring all the processes are always efficient.

Today, we will interview him on the idea behind solarisBank, its competitive edge, and the journey before the launch of our new venture.

FinLeap.com: How did the idea behind solarisBank come up?

Andreas: Some of the FinLeap ventures had to look for a bank partner because of the mandatory regulations. What they found out was that even banks which claim to be modern, have a legacy they carry with them. We did research and found that many fintechs are looking for a bank partner, creating an enormous demand in the market. Thus, we came up with the idea to create a bank that’s an efficient, agile partner to fintech companies by setting up systems and operations while enabling them to get to the market quickly.

FinLeap.com: What gives solarisBank the competitive edge?

Andreas: A clear, focused position. In a B2B2C customer focus, we support businesses. We enable our partners by building up a modern, open platform that is easy to integrate and use. We speak the same language, so there is no misunderstanding between banking language and technical language.

FinLeap.com: Could you describe a typical business solution solarisBank will provide?

Andreas: For example, we are facilitating marketplaces to be compliant with the PSD II which is something with a very high demand right now.

FinLeap.com: What were some of the obstacles in the creation of solarisBank?

Andreas: I think the biggest obstacle was raising the capital needed to create a working bank.

FinLeap.com: What were the most important steps in obtaining the bank license?

Andreas: Getting the right people on board was by far the most important step.

FinLeap.com: In your opinion, how can the process be improved?

Andreas: Even if you start a business with only a few people, one has to get full time capacity on the most important streams and issues. So instead of one person working on five different important tasks, he or she will have to concentrate 100 percent on one very important task.

FinLeap.com: Why does the digital ecosystem need a bank like solarisBank?

Andreas: The world is digital, so the user’s banking experience will be better with solarisBank.

FinLeap.com: Finally, what impact will solarisBank have on this digital world?

Andreas: We believe that solarisBank will have a significant impact, because we are making the banking business more efficient, more focused, and more comfortable. We are a bank that understands the world of ecommerce.