Tapaya receives EUR 1 million for software-based payment terminals

Prague-based fintech startup Tapaya has closed a pre-seed financing round of 1 million euros. The round was led by Passion Capital and carried out together with Depo Ventures. BADideas.fund also participated again.

The capital will be used for the certification of the platform and the further development of the company's own payment infrastructure.

Payment terminals without hardware

Tapaya is developing a software solution that can be used to turn any commercially available device (such as smartphones, tablets or cash register systems) into a payment terminal. Banks, fintechs and software providers can use it to integrate card payments directly into their applications.

Ultimately, the start-up wants to eliminate dependence on special hardware and make payment acceptance completely software-based.

Complex integration as a market obstacle

Until now, stationary card payments have been heavily dependent on certified hardware terminals. This results in high costs and long implementation times for companies that want to integrate payments into their own systems. Certification processes can take up to two years and require significant investment. Tapaya addresses this by bundling compliance, certification and technical connectivity into a central software layer.

This approach allows developers to integrate payment functions into existing systems within days. The platform supports multiple operating systems and connects to banks, payment processors and card networks.

First partnerships in Europe

Tapaya was founded in 2025 and has already implemented its first integrations in the Czech Republic. Further partnerships in Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltic States are currently being developed.

In the long term, the company plans to expand into other European markets and support new payment models such as digital currencies and automated ("agentic") payment systems.

Growing market for software-based payments

The market for so-called SoftPOS solutions is growing dynamically. At the same time, contactless payments and digital wallets continue to grow, while existing infrastructures often fail to keep pace. Tapaya is positioning itself in this environment as a provider of a flexible, software-centric alternative to traditional payment systems.