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APIs · head to head

Solaris vs Synctera

Solaris logo

Solaris

APIs

German banking as a service with a full banking licence and a live regulatory problem

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Synctera logo

Synctera

APIs

Banking-as-a-service platform that brings its own sponsor bank and compliance tooling

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Solaris baFin appointed a special representative in 2022 and extended the mandate in July 2024, so a partner is joining a bank under active supervisory monitoring, with slower approvals and heavier compliance demands as a direct consequence.; Synctera implementation fee, platform fee and monthly minimum are all charged and none are published, so a programme cannot model its fixed cost floor without a sales process, and at low volume those fixed fees rather than transaction pricing determine your economics.
  • They diverge on capability: Solaris covers German banking licence, Synctera covers Sponsor bank matching.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Solaris and Synctera actually diverge.

Attributes where Solaris and Synctera differ
AttributeSolarisSynctera

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), platforms (Web, API), user rating (Not yet rated), category (APIs).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Solaris

  • German banking licence
  • IBAN accounts
  • Lending as a service
  • Digital assets and custody
  • SEPA payments
  • KYC and onboarding
  • Deposit protection

Only in Synctera

  • Sponsor bank matching
  • Accounts and ledger
  • Money movement
  • KYC and KYB
  • Transaction monitoring
  • Shared bank dashboard
  • Lending support

Both cover

  • Card issuing

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Solaris

  • A retailer or platform launching a German current account or card product without applying for its own licencenot Synctera
  • A fintech that needs deposit taking and lending, which an e-money licence cannot providenot Synctera
  • A European business needing German IBANs because customers reject foreign IBANs for salary and direct debitnot Synctera
  • A company requiring German statutory deposit protection on customer balances as a product claimnot Synctera

Synctera

  • A software company adding branded debit cards and accounts that has no appetite for sourcing and negotiating with a sponsor bank itselfnot Solaris
  • A fintech whose current bank partner is exiting the programme and needs a replacement with the oversight tooling already in placenot Solaris
  • A community bank that wants to run a fintech sponsorship line of business without building transaction monitoring and reconciliation from scratchnot Solaris
  • A B2B platform issuing spend cards to its customers that needs KYB, monitoring and card issuing from one contractnot Solaris

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Solaris

  • BaFin appointed a special representative in 2022 and extended the mandate in July 2024, so a partner is joining a bank under active supervisory monitoring, with slower approvals and heavier compliance demands as a direct consequence.
  • BaFin fined Solaris EUR 6.5 million in March 2024 for systematically late suspicious activity reports and EUR 500,000 for breaching large exposure limits between January 2022 and March 2024, which is a track record a partner inherits reputationally.
  • Solaris has previously needed BaFin approval before onboarding new corporate clients, which can turn a commercial decision to launch into a regulatory timetable outside your control.
  • The 2024 restructuring involved job cuts and the closure of parts of a business unit, so product lines a partner depends on may not have the engineering behind them that the sales process implies.
  • SBI Holdings acquired majority control in 2025, so strategic direction now sits with a Japanese financial group whose priorities for the European business may differ from the roadmap you were sold.

Synctera

  • Implementation fee, platform fee and monthly minimum are all charged and none are published, so a programme cannot model its fixed cost floor without a sales process, and at low volume those fixed fees rather than transaction pricing determine your economics.
  • The sponsor bank remains a third party whose risk appetite governs what you can launch, and a bank exiting or tightening its programme can force product changes you did not choose, which has happened repeatedly across the sector.
  • Onboarding runs on bank timelines, so several months typically pass between contract and first live customer while compliance policies and flow of funds are reviewed by both Synctera and the bank.
  • Coverage is United States focused, so a fintech with cross-border plans needs an entirely separate stack for other markets rather than an extension of this one.
  • Sitting between you and the bank means Synctera is another party in the reconciliation chain, and when balances disagree you are coordinating between two organisations rather than one, which lengthens incident resolution.

Pricing, plan by plan

Solaris

On request
  • Solaris banking as a service$undefined/year
    • Quoted per partner, typically setup fee plus monthly platform fee
    • Per account, per card and per transaction charges on top
    • Interchange sharing arrangements negotiated per programme

Synctera

On request
  • Synctera Platform$undefined/year
    • Sponsor bank relationship included
    • Accounts, ledger and card issuing
    • ACH, wire and instant rails

Which should you pick?

Choose Solaris if

  • You need german banking licence.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want iban accounts.
Solaris review

Choose Synctera if

  • You need sponsor bank matching.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want accounts and ledger.
Synctera review

Questions people ask

Is Solaris or Synctera better?
Neither clearly leads. Solaris starts at On request and Synctera at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Solaris or Synctera?
Solaris starts at On request and Synctera at On request.
Does Solaris or Synctera run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, API, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Solaris best used for?
Solaris is most often used for a retailer or platform launching a german current account or card product without applying for its own licence, a fintech that needs deposit taking and lending, which an e-money licence cannot provide, a european business needing german ibans because customers reject foreign ibans for salary and direct debit, a company requiring german statutory deposit protection on customer balances as a product claim. Of those, a retailer or platform launching a german current account or card product without applying for its own licence and a fintech that needs deposit taking and lending, which an e-money licence cannot provide are not what Synctera is typically brought in for.
What can Solaris do that Synctera cannot?
Solaris covers German banking licence, IBAN accounts, Lending as a service, Digital assets and custody. Synctera covers Sponsor bank matching, Accounts and ledger, Money movement, KYC and KYB. Both handle Card issuing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Solaris: Does Solaris have a real banking licence?

Yes. Solaris SE is a German credit institution, which is why it can offer deposits and lending, unlike e-money based competitors.

Synctera: Does Synctera provide the bank?

Yes. Unlike a pure technology vendor, Synctera contracts with sponsor banks and brings one into your programme.

Solaris: Is the BaFin action still live?

The special representative appointed in 2022 had the mandate extended in July 2024, and fines were issued in March 2024. Treat supervisory oversight as an active condition in your diligence.

Synctera: What does it cost?

Nothing is published. Expect an implementation fee, a recurring platform fee and a monthly minimum, plus usage charges.

Solaris: Who owns Solaris now?

SBI Holdings of Japan agreed in December 2024 and January 2025 to take a majority stake of over seventy per cent for around EUR 100 million.

Synctera: How long does it take to launch?

Plan for months, not weeks, because both Synctera and the sponsor bank run compliance diligence on your programme.

Synctera: Is it available outside the United States?

Its focus is the United States; it has offered Canadian capability but non-US coverage is limited.

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