Zopa, the neobank where IPO speculation has been growing, has acquired payments platform Rvvup to step up its presence in retail finance.
Payment terms were not disclosed for what is the digital bank's second acquisition, and follows a debut £80 million LSE bond listing in May this year, when it said an IPO of its shares was "not a priority" due to market uncertainty.
While Zopa provides point-of-sale lending via 2023 acquisition DivideBuy, Rvvup adds capabilities to support payment methods via a unified checkout experience online.
For e-commerce merchants, Rvvup provides a platform that it says improves payment conversion and lowers processing costs.
Its clients include Tile Giant, MP Moran, French Bedroom, Mole Valley Farmers and Fireaway Pizza.Zopa aims for the acquisition to treble its embedded finance business within two years and secure a top-three retail finance position within five years, with Rvvup operating as a subsidiary.
"Acquiring Rvvup is a key milestone in both Zopa’s growth trajectory and our purpose of building the home of money," said chief commercial officer Tim Waterman.
"Data, technology and lending capability have always been core to Zopa’s growth, and by integrating Rvvup’s unique offering, we will further strengthen our payments and point-of-sale capabilities."
Zopa, which was founded as a peer-to-peer lender but now has a full UK banking licence, reported £20.7 million profit in the first half of 2025, tripling year-on-year, supported by £3.4 billion in gross lending and £5.4 billion in retail deposits.
It recently launched its Biscuit current account, attracting 100,000 customers since its beta phase in June.
May's bond funding followed a €82 million funding round in December, when its value was put at well north of $1 billion.
The expected IPO of Swedish fintech Klarna this month could act as a litmus test for the sector and spark others on both sides of the Atlantic.