European spend management platform Pleo has joined forces with Berlin-based fintech lemon.markets to roll out an investment account feature for German business customers, allowing companies to put surplus cash into low-risk money market funds.
Pleo Teams With lemon.markets for Business Investment Tool
The new "Pleo Investment Account" lets businesses invest idle cash directly through Pleo's existing interface, earning returns on funds that would otherwise sit in low-yield accounts. Companies can access their money the next business day, maintaining the flexibility of a regular cash account while generating higher returns.
The partnership taps into what the companies describe as a €2 trillion opportunity across Europe, where 26 million small and medium businesses hold deposits that generate minimal returns. Most of these funds remain parked in traditional accounts despite potentially better investment options.
"With 'Pleo Investment Account', we're enabling our customers to put their idle cash to work, earning yield without interrupting their existing workflows," said Amit Kahana, VP of Credit and Treasury at Pleo.
How It Works
The investment process works through lemon.markets' API infrastructure, which handles everything from customer onboarding to trade execution and regulatory compliance . Business customers set up accounts through a digital process within the Pleo app, then allocate cash that gets automatically invested in money market funds.
Max Linden, founder and CEO of lemon.markets, described the launch as an example of embedding investment capabilities directly into business tools companies already use daily. "We are proud to partner with leading Fintechs like Pleo as we scale," he said.
Growing Demand for Embedded Finance
This marks lemon.markets' second major partnership in the business treasury space, following a similar collaboration with banking provider Holvi. The deals highlight growing interest among fintech companies in offering embedded investment products that help businesses optimize cash management.
Pleo, which raised $150 million in Series C funding in 2021 at a $1.7 billion valuation, serves over 40,000 businesses across 16 European markets with expense management and financial workflow tools. The Danish company has been expanding beyond its core spend management platform into broader financial services.
lemon.markets operates as a brokerage-as-a-service provider, offering banks and fintechs access to capital markets through a single API. The company has previously partnered with major financial institutions, including BNP Paribas and Deutsche Bank, and recently expanded into employee stock compensation programs through a collaboration with Optio Incentives that serves DAX-listed companies.
Founded in 2020, lemon.markets has raised over €28 million from investors including CommerzVentures and Creandum. The company became part of the dwpbank Group in August 2025, gaining access to a platform that manages over €2.2 trillion in assets under custody.
