The fintech start-ups Okoora, which developed an AI-based cloud platform for global payment management, banking, and risk management, has been chosen as one of Europe’s top 100 start-ups by The Europas’ prestigious competition for 2024. This past July, Okoora was also included in CNBC/Statista’s 2024 list of the world’s top 250 fintech companies, and now it has achieved another prestigious milestone in Europe.
The Europas competition, established in 2009 by Mike Butcher, editor-in-chief of Tech Crunch, has, for the past 16 years, recognized the most successful and ambitious start-ups in Europe across 20 categories, including fintech, insurtech, cybersecurity, foodtech, edtech, agtech, and more. Previous winners of this list include Spotify, Wise, Deliveroo, Farfetch, and Starling Bank, which have become leaders in their respective fields.
Okoora has developed an integrated platform tailored for businesses operating in cross-border trade environments. Unlike other payment and banking companies, Okoora offers a unique model that provides essential operational tools for businesses, such as accounts, wallets, currency conversions, payments, cash flow management, invoicing, and more. Additionally, Okoora uniquely integrates tools for managing currency risks. The platform, powered by artificial intelligence, connects to a vast network of banks, payment processors, and trading rooms, enabling clients to secure the best price for each transaction in real time. AI tools continuously monitor opportunities and threats in the fluctuating foreign exchange landscape, allowing businesses of all sizes and types to navigate the global market confidently.
In February 2024, Okoora announced that its platform had saved Israeli businesses over NIS 11B in cumulative foreign exchange transactions since its launch, with most of the savings achieved during 2023. That year, the company saw an 83% increase in its customer base, a 465% rise in payment transactions made by clients, and a 161% increase in hedging transactions against currency fluctuations.
Benny Avraham, founder and CEO of Okoora: "We are entering the European market with great strides, and it is incredible that even in the early stages of our operations, we have received recognition from one of the continent’s most prestigious competitions as one of the leading start-ups in the fintech sector. Recently, we announced our entry into the Polish market, which includes establishing sales offices, a marketing and customer service team, and an R&D center to support continued product development. I have no doubt that this award, combined with our operations in several European countries, marks the beginning of extensive activity on the continent, which will accelerate in the coming years."