Nordic challenger bank Lunar is set to begin processing Visa cards through a cloud-native core banking platform provided by Pismo.
Pismo, acquired by Visa in 2024, offers a comprehensive platform covering core banking, payment processing, card issuing, digital wallets, lending, corporate banking, and financial asset management. Claus Richter, Visa’s country manager in Denmark, stated that “core banking and issuer processor capabilities are key offerings for many of Visa’s financial institutions and fintech partners. With Pismo in our portfolio, we can expand these offerings and better serve the entire ecosystem.”
Founded in 2015, Lunar now serves over a million private and business users across the Nordics. CEO and founder Ken Villlum Klausen explained that the new platform will decrease reliance on legacy technology and facilitate the development and launch of innovative products using Visa’s value-added services, like AI-powered fraud protection and a digital-first user experience.
Klausen noted, “Switching to Pismo allows us to move faster and offer improved experiences to our users throughout the Nordics. It enables us to accelerate service delivery, enhance interactions with payments, and diminish our dependency on outdated systems. This partnership provides the flexibility to create and launch new products independently, reflecting the speed, simplicity, and control we envision for modern banking.”
Additionally, Lunar has adopted the Wise Platform, enabling customers to send money abroad swiftly from within their app. Klausen remarked, “This allows our users to transfer money internationally easily, quickly, and at a fair exchange rate. It’s another step toward becoming the best everyday bank in the Nordics and showcases how strategic fintech partnerships can streamline banking for everyone.”