Blueprint · 02 SME neobank

An SME bank, built for the buyer who runs the business.

Reference architecture for launching an SME-focused neobank on the Klyqo Banking OS. KYB built in, multi-user accounts, expense controls, integrations with the accounting tools they already use, lending that fits cash-flow not credit-score. Banking for SMBs whose existing relationship is somewhere between bad and broken.

The use case

Business banking for the buyer who runs the business, not their bank manager.

The SME segment is the one with the largest gap between need and product. Incumbents under-serve them; tier-1 corporate platforms over-charge them. The right shape is consumer-grade UX, SME-grade compliance, and B2B-grade workflows (multi-user, expense roles, accounting integrations).

< 24 h
KYB approval target
€0–50M
Annual turnover sweet spot
3–200
Typical employee headcount
D+0
Same-day account access
The architecture

Five layers + two rails. KYB and multi-user as first-class concerns.

SME banking adds two things that consumer banks don’t need: KYB workflows for company verification and beneficial-ownership capture, and multi-user permissions on the account itself. Klyqo treats both as first-class capabilities in the marketplace.

Compliance railKYB + UBO requirements per jurisdiction; PSD2 SCA on every payment
Layer 5 · Channels
Operator + accountant + employee surfaces
Web bankingMobile appAccounting pluginApprover inbox
Risk railDirector / signatory risk inline with KYB; account behavior anomaly detection
ComplianceMandate matrix per business; eIDAS signing for company-level contracts
Layer 4 · Klyqo · the Banking OS
Runtime + marketplace dispatch
ComposeDispatchRunObserveKYBVerify UBOsApproveReconcilePay
RiskCash-flow anomaly detection + sector-cohort benchmarks
ComplianceCommercial registry lookups + UBO screening per jurisdiction
Layer 3 · Marketplace primitives & providers
The capabilities an SME bank needs
KYB · Sumsub / VeriffAML · ComplyAdvantageCards · MarqetaAccounting · Xero / QuickBooksNotify
RiskDirector adverse-media + sector watchlists
CompliancePer-business audit trail; mandate matrix enforced at the core
Layer 2 · Core banking
Mambu · corporate-fit
Customer (company)Linked usersCurrent accountDebit cards (multi-user)Ledger
RiskPer-user expense limits + per-card controls
ComplianceBanking licence + business-banking regulatory posture
Layer 1 · Foundation (yours)
Licence · capital · warehouse
Banking licenceWorking-capital lineSponsor or own BIN
RiskWorking-capital exposure across cohort
The canonical journey

KYB to first card spend in 24 hours.

A founder applies on the marketing site with their company registration number. Klyqo runs commercial-registry lookup → UBO capture → director KYC → AML → account provisioning → multi-user invite → card issuance. End to end in under a day for clean cases; branch escalation only when needed.

klyqo / journeys / sme-onboarding · LIVE
01
Company lookupregistry API · pre-fill from registration number
~3 s
02
UBO capturestructure tree + ownership % · multi-step
5–15 min
03
Director KYCSumsub / Veriff · each signatory in parallel
~2 min / each
04
AML screeningComplyAdvantage · entity + UBOs + directors
~10 s
05
Mandate matrixsignatories + thresholds + sole/joint rules captured
user-driven
06
Account opened in Mambucompany customer + linked users + IBAN
~5 s
07
Cards issued to usersMarqeta · per-user expense controls applied
~10 s / each
The providers used

What you pick from the marketplace.

An SME neobank uses six marketplace providers plus the core. The KYB step is the SME-specific addition; the rest mirrors the consumer pattern but with multi-user awareness throughout.

KYB · entity verification
Sumsub
Commercial registry + UBO capture + director KYC orchestrated as one flow. Per-jurisdiction registry coverage.
Roadmap
AML · screening
ComplyAdvantage
Entity + UBO + director screening in parallel. Cohort + sector monitoring.
Roadmap
Cards · issuance
Marqeta
Multi-cardholder per company. Per-card controls (merchant categories, daily limits, geo).
In flight
Accounting · sync
Xero + QuickBooks
Transactions exposed to the SME’s accounting tool. Bank feed + invoice reconciliation hooks.
Roadmap
Notify · messaging
Twilio + Resend
Per-user push + email. Approval-required notifications routed to the right signatory.
Roadmap
Core banking
Mambu
Company customer entity, linked-user records, mandate matrix enforced at the ledger. Corporate-fit configuration.
In flight
What this blueprint is and isn’t

Honest about the build.

The work this blueprint represents

SME banking is harder than consumer banking on the workflow side and easier on the consumer-protection side. KYB takes longer than KYC, mandate matrices have edge cases, and the customer expects integration with the tools they already use. None of this is unsolvable, but it’s why most consumer neobanks who tried to add SME failed at it.

What you bring: the licence (or sponsor), the brand, the acquisition motion (typically founder-network + paid social + accountant partnerships), the compliance officer. What Klyqo brings: the runtime, the KYB + mandate-matrix journey templates, the multi-user-aware adapters, the accounting integration patterns. What we figure out together: which KYB vendor for your registry coverage, which accounting integrations to ship first, which expense-control surface lands with your buyer.

If you’re launching an SME challenger and want a real product running in ten to twelve weeks: talk to us before you commit to a tier-1 platform built for tier-1 banks.

Launching an SME bank?

If you’re a founder building SME banking and you’re tired of horizontal vendors pricing you for tier-1 corporate, the first conversation is short. Tell us about the market, the licence, the registry geography, the buyer profile. We’ll tell you whether Klyqo is the right runtime for you today.

Email diogo@klyqo.com Response within two business days