B2B Payments Firm Pliant Raises $40M to Expand into U.S. Market

German B2B payments platform Pliant has raised $40 million in a Series B round led by Illuminate Financial and Speedinvest, with participation from PayPal Ventures and Motive Ventures, pushing its total funding past $100 million. Founded in 2020, Pliant serves 3,500 European businesses with Visa-powered credit card issuance and API-driven payment tools, and is now preparing to launch in the U.S. market. The funding will support hiring, infrastructure investment, and new partnerships, building on recent momentum including the acquisition of Austrian insurtech hi.health and a strategic alliance with Commerzbank. CEO Malte Rau says the company is poised to scale globally after triple-digit revenue growth in Europe.