Checkout.com, a leading global digital payments provider, has announced the establishment of a technology centre in Vilnius. The expansion follows the acquisition of Blue EMI, a Lithuanian electronic money institution, and will see Checkout.com build capabilities in compliance and technology, to serve its operations.
Since its establishment in 2012, Checkout.com has evolved from a fast-growing fintech into a payments infrastructure provider serving some of the world’s largest enterprises, with an expanding geographic presence and global operations. The company enables businesses to accept, process, and optimise digital payments worldwide, with services spanning online card acquiring, multi-currency processing, issuing, fraud detection, and payment orchestration.
Checkout.com employs over 2,000 people, with its global headquarters in London. Its clients include eBay, Uber, Pinterest, Vinted, Klarna, Financial Times, HelloFresh, and Sony.
Blue EMI is authorised by the Bank of Lithuania to provide payment services and issue euro-backed stablecoins for institutional use. The company also offers open banking services, embedded payment checkout solutions, and card payments to e-commerce businesses and licensed crowdfunding platforms. The acquisition brings Blue EMI’s stablecoin capabilities to Checkout.com while giving the payments giant an experienced local team and direct access to the SEPA payment system via CENTROlink.
“Our investment in Lithuania reflects our long-term commitment to the European market. The maturity of the local fintech sector and the clear regulatory framework provided by the Bank of Lithuania align perfectly with our mission to build a scalable, trusted global payments platform”, said Guillaume Pousaz, Founder and CEO of Checkout.com
Edvinas Grikšas, Minister of the Economy and Innovation, highlights the significance of attracting a payments company of this scale:
“Checkout.com’s decision to establish an innovation centre in Lithuania reflects the strength and depth of our fintech ecosystem. When a company trusted by Financial Times, Sony and some of the world’s largest digital platforms chooses Lithuania, it sends a clear message: this is where serious fintech happens.”
Elijus Čivilis, General Manager of Invest Lithuania, points to the country’s strong combination of talent and regulatory expertise:
“Lithuania has become a destination for fintech companies seeking more than a cost-efficient location. The specialised talent we offer in payments, compliance, and engineering attracts global fintechs like Checkout.com and reflects the type of companies we aim to bring to Lithuania. This trajectory supports our ambition to be the number one choice in Europe for large, globally recognised fintechs.”
Source: eimin.lrv.lt
