Riva Money co-founders, Mahendra Katoch and Niklas Höjman | Image credit: Riva Money
Riva Money has secured funding to develop its payment platform and expand its market presence. The company plans to enhance its infrastructure to improve the movement of money across borders.
Riva Money, a global payments firm leveraging blockchain technology, has secured $3M (nearly €2.58M) in a pre-seed funding round. The investment was led by Project A, with participation from angel investors affiliated with Revolut, Monzo, and J.P. Morgan.
Malin Posern, Partner and Managing Director at Project A, says, “With stablecoin adoption accelerating and regulatory frameworks maturing globally, the time is right for an infrastructure rethink.”
“Riva’s dual-rail system for businesses elegantly solves for both speed and flexibility in a market that’s still reliant on legacy processes. Niklas and Mahendra’s deep expertise in payments and financial markets positions Riva perfectly to build the next generation of payment services.”
Riva aims to reduce the time and cost of cross-border payments, which can take several days due to processing through multiple banks and financial institutions.
It is developing payment services for businesses that address settlement delays, high transaction fees, and currency conversion issues linked to banks and traditional providers. The company is also building infrastructure to replace legacy systems in the payments sector.
Founded in 2025 by Niklas Hoejman and Mahendra Katoch, who have worked at Revolut, Wise, Goldman Sachs, and Citigroup, Riva draws on their professional and personal experience with international payments. They identified inefficiencies in existing systems and set out to develop an improved method for transferring money across borders.
The company uses blockchain technology, including stablecoins, to support its payment infrastructure. Transfers can be completed using blockchain-based rails or traditional fiat networks, depending on the client’s needs and location. This approach allows Riva to select the most suitable method for each transaction.
Riva will allocate the funds to address operational challenges in international money transfers by enhancing its payment infrastructure and processes.
The funds will also support the company’s expansion into markets in Europe, Asia, and North America, as well as the growth of its engineering team to develop and scale its technology.
Governments in the US, Europe, and the UK are introducing legislation to support stablecoin adoption and establish safeguards for users. The global cross-border payments market, valued at $212B in 2024, is projected to grow to $320B by 2030 at a 7 per cent annual rate, according to Grand View Research.
Growth is driven by demand for faster and lower-cost transactions, as well as trends such as improved data exchange standards between financial institutions, the use of digital currencies, and advances in cross-border payment systems.
Riva is seeking authorisation as a payment institution in the UK and EU and is pursuing MICA and VASP licences in the EU and Switzerland as part of its international regulatory strategy.
Niklas Hoejman, co-founder and CEO of Riva Money, says, “Our mission is simple: to enable businesses’ limitless global money movement, instantly and at a fraction of the cost.”
“By combining blockchain technology with a robust regulatory framework, we’re building a solution that offers businesses the speed, transparency and cost-efficiency they need to thrive in today’s interconnected economy.”
