The journey from a direct-to-consumer (B2C) platform to a business-to-business (B2B) embedded finance provider is not just a shift in business strategy; it’s a transformational evolution. Our story began with bonsai, a B2C platform designed to provide Open banking services and simplify personal financial management to the Next Generation (GenZ and Millennials).

Over time, we realized that our expertise and technology could serve a broader purpose. This insight led us to launch www.auric.cloud, a cutting-edge B2B embedded finance platform designed to empower businesses, brands and organisations to seamlessly integrate financial services into their ecosystems and respective offers.

The bonsai Chapter: Building Our B2C DNA

At bonsai, we gained a deep understanding of the needs and behaviours of individual consumers and more specifically the Next Generation of young customers. Our platform was all about providing intuitive, user-friendly tools that demystified financial management. In building this platform, we focused on critical capabilities:

1. Crafting seamless user experiences that balance simplicity, functionality and sophistication.
2. Building resilient infrastructure to handle dynamic growth.
3. Cultivating customer loyalty through transparency, security and accessibility.

While we found real success as a B2C platform, we saw a bigger opportunity brewing in the financial services landscape given the traction and interest we received from large brands and companies who reached out to us to form a partnership.  Also, given bonsai was a small company with limited funding and competition in the B2C space was growing, the decision to shift the business entirely into a B2B endeavour was made.

Why Embedded Finance? The Market Opportunity

The embedded finance market is exploding, with McKinsey estimating it could generate $7 trillion in revenue by 2030. Businesses across industries are integrating financial services—payments, accounts, lending, insurance, etc—directly into their platforms to enhance customer experiences and unlock new revenue streams.

I cannot help to consider however, the words of a wise man, thank you Thomas Staudt , that many companies entering the embedded finance industry are there to diversify from saturated historic sales channels and are seeking new sales opportunities in a non-financial or traditional segment.  Equally so, non-financial businesses and organisations are seeking to embed financial services into their traditional product and service offer, but often and rightfully so by not aspiring to become a payment or financial institution.

What are key trends fuelling this new direction?

• Flexible APIs allow non-financial companies to offer financial services without building infrastructure from scratch.
• Companies are transforming into ecosystems where financial services are seamlessly embedded into the customer journey.
• Modern consumers and businesses demand convenience, personalization, and immediate access to financial services, being inclusive into traditional products.

Why Our B2C Experience is a Game-Changer

Transitioning to a B2B model with www.auric.cloud, we didn’t leave our B2C roots behind; instead, we carried forward the lessons that set us apart.                

1. Customer-Centric Mindset: Unlike traditional B2B providers, we prioritize the end-user experience. Our B2C DNA gives us the ability to design embedded financial solutions that resonate with both businesses and their customers.
2. Agility and Innovation: The fast-paced world of B2C taught us how to adapt quickly to user feedback and market shifts, a skill that is critical in the dynamic embedded finance space.
3. Data-Driven Insights: From bonsai, we learned how to extract meaningful insights from consumer behaviour, enabling us to create personalized, impactful financial products.

Auric: Empowering the Embedded Finance Revolution

Auric is our response to the growing need for businesses to integrate financial services seamlessly into their platforms. From a range of Payment Solutions to setting up Accounts and Wallets, Loyalty, Sustainability, Group split function and Budget Insights and Control, all as a Service which Auric offers through a suite of APIs that allow businesses to innovate faster, improve customer engagement, and unlock new revenue streams.

The Road Ahead

It will be interesting to see how this market will evolve in the near future. Value is the result of the perceived benefits one experiences from a partnership, service or product, minus the cost paying for it. Yet many financial companies entering this space look at this purely from a B2B perspective without always fully understanding what plays out in the heads of consumers, customers and members of brands, organisations and companies.

Especially the fast-growing upcoming Next Generation of shoppers think and act totally differently.  With 90% relying on mobile, their needs demand instant, secure, and engaging experiences. Attention spans are short, and there’s an abundance of alternatives. Security and privacy are essential priorities, while sustainability emerges as a natural outcome of their everyday actions and decisions.

Yet if you get it right, the rewards are high.  Embedded finance is rapidly growing, with significant adoption across all sorts of financial products and services. It is estimated that products suitable for embedded finance could account for up to 50% of banking revenue pools in the future.  Plenty companies have successfully embedded financial products into their offering, be it mostly bigger brands such as Ikea, Walmart, Netflix, Shopify, Amazon, etc.  Yet there is a vast pool of opportunity out there for providing relevant and exciting embedded financial services to smaller companies and brands.

If you have a clear understanding of B2C dynamics, this will provide a unique perspective on customer-centric design and functionality, which is vital for embedded finance. Success in this space often hinges on understanding end-user needs and creating intuitive financial experiences, together with your customers. The ability to craft seamless, tailored customer journeys—as done in B2C—can differentiate your B2B offerings.  Research highlights that embedded finance is not just a technology play but also about rethinking customer engagement and value delivery, areas where B2C expertise is a major asset.    

As embedded finance continues to reshape industries, the potential is immense. With Auric, we’re not just participating in this transformation; we’re helping define it. Our journey from bonsai to Auric has taught us that agility, customer obsession, and innovation are not just competitive advantages—they’re necessities.