Frankfurt (Germany) and Bologna (Italy), October 1, 2020

CRIF - a global company specializing in credit and business information, outsourcing and processing services, and credit solutions, included in the prestigious IDC Top 100 FinTech Rankings, and registered as an AISP in 31 European countries where PSD2 is applicable - has entered into a partnership with TechQuartier, the premier Fintech hub in Frankfurt. TechQuartier brings together an innovation platform of startups, corporations, emerging talent, academics, policymakers, and experts in a vibrant ecosystem of more than 300 members.

As a TechQuartier Ecosystem Partner, CRIF participates in accelerator & elevator programs through its Global innovation hub “InnovEcoS” (Innovation and Ecosystem) and is able to position its digital offering and data-driven business as a FinTech company.

This is a continuation of CRIF’s strategy to connect globally with FinTechs and develop win-win collaborations. In detail, InnovEcoS fosters and accelerates innovation by businesses, financial institutions and insurance companies through boosting ecosystems.

CRIF will have access to TechQuartier’s community, as well as its university & partner network. Through this partnership, in a similar fashion to its links with other FinTech hubs around the world, CRIF aims to create and implement a powerful customer-oriented ecosystem based on collaboration. This was the stimulus behind the creation of the InnovEcoS Global Unit and drives CRIF to continuously innovate and develop new added-value services to be integrated in the CRIF Digital Next platform, enabling banks, insurance companies and FinTechs to seize the opportunities generated by Open Business.

“We are very pleased about the partnership signed with TechQuartier and enthusiastic about being part of its dynamic ecosystem,” said Natalia Shchelovanova - Global Innovation and Ecosystem Lead at CRIF. “Through its InnovEcoS hub, CRIF is eager to get in contact with FinTechs, businesses, SMEs, startups, InsurTechs, and RegTech companies. We are guided by the goal of constant innovation through expanding our market offering and providing our partners with the best tools to make our customers’ lives easier.”

“In the digital economy, consumers and SMEs are becoming increasingly demanding and require an intuitive and fast customer experience. For this reason, InnovEcoS plays an essential role in supporting the development of global organizations, helping them to map out their future paths. Ecosystems like TechQuartier are therefore strategic partners, so we are very pleased to be working with them,” said Carlo Gherardi, CEO of CRIF.

“TechQuartier is excited to begin this partnership with CRIF, a global FinTech leader. We believe that together we can expand opportunities in our community to support data-driven business models and build strong digitalization collaboration internationally,” said Miriam Unser, Head of Sales and Business Development at TechQuartier.

"As TechQuartier grows in the areas Big Data and AI, we need to build partnerships to support European collaboration. With CRIF, possibilities and opportunites are greater for our community members and for future projects globally," said Dr. Sebastian Schäfer, Managing Director at TechQuartier.