FIDEL API

Based in London, England, FIDEL API provides a financial infrastructure platform that enables developers to securely access real-time payment data from major global credit card networks through a suite of application programming interfaces. The company's software-as-a-service business model allows enterprises to build card-linking features for loyalty programs, digital receipts, and expense management applications. The technology currently powers programmable transaction experiences for tens of millions of cardholders across hundreds of thousands of global merchants. FIDEL API has secured approximately $88 million in total equity funding, including a $65 million Series B round led by Bain Capital Ventures, with additional backing from Nyca Partners. Its current enterprise customer base includes multinational corporations such as Google, Royal Bank of Canada, and British Airways. The organization was founded in 2013 by Dev Subrata and André Elias.

High-Level Overview

Fidel API is a global financial infrastructure platform that provides developers with APIs to link users' payment cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) to applications, capturing real-time transaction data for programmable experiences.[1][2][3][4] It serves developers and businesses building solutions like digital receipts, customer attribution, loyalty/rewards programs, expense management, and personal financial management, solving the problem of accessing card-linked payment events without POS integrations, bank logins, or sensitive PII.[1][3][4] Launched around 2013-2018, headquartered in London with offices in Lisbon, New York, and San Francisco (recent Silicon Valley presence), it has raised $83M total funding (including a $65M Series B), employs ~120 people, and reports $25.2M revenue, maintaining 99.99% uptime.[1][2]

The platform targets fintechs, startups, and enterprises in payments, enabling real-time engagement via secure tokenization and compliance tools, with strong growth via executive hires like COO Salman Syed (ex-Mastercard/Marqeta) to expand in North America, Europe, APAC, and Middle East.[1]

Origin Story

Fidel API was founded in 2013 (per some records) or launched in 2018, emerging as a developer-focused platform to simplify card-linking for loyalty, marketing, and payment services with zero friction and processing time.[1][2][5] Specific founders are not detailed in available data, but the company originated in the UK fintech scene, addressing the need for real-time payment event access amid open banking and embedded finance trends.[2][3] Early traction built on APIs for transaction records and card-linked offers, leading to $83M in funding across two rounds, with the latest $65M Series B ~3 years ago supporting global expansion to offices in Lisbon, New York, and a new Silicon Valley foothold.[1][2] Pivotal moments include recent leadership additions like COO Salman Syed in 2025 to accelerate go-to-market and operations.[1]

Core Differentiators

• Real-time card-linking API: Securely connects apps to users' cards for instant transaction capture (e.g., metadata, location, auth codes) from major networks, powering event-based experiences without bank credentials or POS hardware.[3][4]
• Developer-centric tools: Modular components including management dashboard, webhooks, detailed docs, test environment, versioned APIs, and sample apps for rapid integration and reduced time-to-market.[3][5]
• Security and compliance focus: 99.99% uptime SLA, proprietary tokenization engine, consent-based approach (no PII), and PCI-compliant SDKs to ensure privacy and streamline developer compliance.[3][4]
• Ease and scalability: Supports loyalty, rewards, expense tracking, and attribution globally; used by startups to enterprises with robust support for metadata and multi-region expansion.[1][2][4]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Fidel API rides the embedded finance and programmable payments wave, enabling developers to embed real-time card data into apps amid rising demand for personalized fintech experiences like AI-driven rewards and open banking analytics.[2][3][4] Timing aligns with post-2022 payment modernization (e.g., real-time rails growth) and regulatory shifts favoring secure data access, positioning it against competitors like Finix, Solaris, and Bud in the $3T+ payments sector.[2] Market forces include exploding card-linked offers (loyalty market ~$100B+), developer adoption of APIs for no-code integrations, and enterprise needs for attribution sans cookies; Fidel influences the ecosystem by democratizing payment events, boosting customer engagement for fintechs, and fostering innovation in expense/rewards via its global, compliant infrastructure.[1][3]

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Fidel API is primed for accelerated scaling post-$83M funding and COO hire, likely prioritizing APAC/Middle East entry, AI-enhanced analytics on transaction data, and deeper partnerships with card networks.[1][2] Trends like real-time payments ubiquity, regulatory open finance mandates, and Web3/loyalty tokenization will propel growth, potentially elevating its role from niche API provider to core payments primitive. As programmable money matures, Fidel's developer-first edge could amplify its ecosystem influence, mirroring Stripe's trajectory in fintech infrastructure—watch for Series C or acquisition amid 2026's embedded finance boom. This builds on its core strength: turning passive card swipes into active, revenue-driving moments.[3][4]