TrueLayer, a London company that runs a Pay by Bank network for online payments, acquired in3, a Dutch buy-now-pay-later provider, on 29 May 2026. in3 lets shoppers split a purchase into three interest-free payments over 60 days, and built its credit model around payments taken directly from bank accounts rather than through card networks.
Financial terms were not disclosed. in3 will keep operating from the Netherlands while its technology and products are gradually moved onto TrueLayer's platform.
TrueLayer said the deal makes it the only Pay by Bank network in Europe to offer both debit and credit at checkout. Buy now, pay later will be its first credit product, with longer-term credit products planned for later in 2026.
What in3 built
in3 launched its pay-in-three product in 2018, according to FinTech Global. Silicon Canals reported in 2022 that the company had been co-founded by Patrick van de Graaf in 2013 and was based in Eindhoven, and that Hans Langenhuizen, who previously held senior roles at Worldline, Wincor Nixdorf, Aevi and Ingenico Payments, took over as chief executive in June 2020.
Consumers pay no interest or fees, and credit checks run in the background. Rather than acting as a payment service provider itself, in3 is offered through those providers. In 2022 it signed a partnership with Dutch payments company Mollie that FinTech Global said would make in3 available through almost all payment service providers in the Netherlands.
TrueLayer said in3 serves millions of consumers and thousands of merchants. Merchants named by FinTech Global as customers in 2022 included Kwik Fit, EP, La Souris, Matt Sleeps and Dekbed-Discounter.
“We built in3 because consumers deserved a credit option that was genuinely fair, simple and transparent. TrueLayer's network gives us the infrastructure to bring that to millions more people across Europe.”
Why TrueLayer is buying
Pay by Bank has mostly been used for instant debit payments. TrueLayer argued that adding credit gives merchants a complete alternative to cards, pointing to card fees, slow settlement and chargeback fraud. It cited Datos Insights estimates that chargebacks would be used 281 million times worldwide in 2026, with up to 70% of claims fraudulent, and PayPal figures suggesting that flexible credit at checkout can raise order values by 20% and conversion rates by 20% to 30%.
TrueLayer said its network reaches more than 25 million consumers in 22 countries and handles more than $150 billion in annualized payment volume, and that real-time bank data lets it make faster credit decisions at checkout. It also pointed to Europe's dependence on US card networks, which it said process 95% of UK card transactions, and said Pay by Bank now accounts for up to 17% of European ecommerce transaction value.
Chief executive and co-founder Francesco Simoneschi said in3's team and its expertise in consumer credit gave TrueLayer the people, network and products to build an independent European alternative to the card networks.
The founders and the funding
in3 raised $11.1 million from Finch Capital in March 2022, FinTech Global reported. Two months later it announced an $85.3 million Series B, a mix of debt and equity, from British venture firm Force over Mass, US asset manager Waterfall Asset Management and Finch Capital, according to FinTech Futures. The two rounds totalled $96.4 million. At the time, in3 said it planned to launch in Germany.
TrueLayer was founded in London in 2016 by Simoneschi and Luca Martinetti and is authorised by the UK Financial Conduct Authority.
Consolidation in European payments
The purchase follows TrueLayer's acquisition of Swedish payments company Zimpler, announced in October 2025, and TrueLayer described it as part of a wider pattern of UK fintech companies consolidating in Europe.
It also comes shortly before the first wave of Financial Conduct Authority regulation for the UK deferred payment credit sector, which was due to take effect on 15 July 2026.
Langenhuizen said TrueLayer's network would give in3 the infrastructure to bring its product to millions more people across Europe, with merchants and consumers getting instant payments and flexible credit in the same checkout.
