Riva Secures $3Million Funding In Pre-Seed Round

Today, cross-border payments can still take up to five days, as transactions pass through multiple banks and financial institutions. Riva’s goal is to cut these delays and costs by building the next generation of business payment services.

Its infrastructure avoids poor bank exchange rates and modernizes outdated systems that have seen little change in decades.

Founded by fintech experts Niklas Hoejman and Mahendra Katoch—who have worked at Revolut, Wise, Goldman Sachs, and Citigroup—Riva was born from firsthand frustration.

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Even at leading payment companies, they saw how legacy systems caused delays, high fees, and a lack of transparency. As expats and frequent users of international payment services, they decided to create a faster, fairer, and more transparent way to move money worldwide.

Niklas Hoejman, Co-founder and CEO of Riva Money, said: 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.

Riva’s international payment infrastructure is built on blockchain technology with stablecoins at its core. Transfers can run through blockchain rails or traditional fiat-to-fiat channels depending on the client’s needs. This flexibility ensures the most efficient and cost effective option based on location and requirements.

The $3 million round was led by Project A, with angel investors from Revolut, Monzo, and J.P. Morgan also participating.

Malin Posern, Partner and Managing Director at Project A, said: The way we move money around the world is changing. Niklas and Mahendra's deep expertise in payments and financial markets positions Riva perfectly to solve the real pain points businesses face with slow, opaque international transfers. By combining traditional payment infrastructure with blockchain technology, they're building exactly what frustrated finance teams have been waiting for – faster and more transparent global payments.

Riva will use the funding to scale its operations, grow its engineering team, and launch services across Europe, Asia, and North America.

As part of this global push, the company is pursuing payment institution authorisation in the UK and EU, as well as MiCA and VASP licences in the EU and Switzerland.

About Riva Money

Riva’s mission is to make international B2B payments instant, transparent, and affordable. Its dual-rail system blends blockchain and stablecoins with the reliability of traditional infrastructure, delivering both innovation and proven efficiency to create a faster, more cost-effective, and seamless global payment experience for businesses everywhere.