Salt Bank started offering securities trading to its Romanian customers through a tie-up with German-based Upvest, bringing international market access to users of the year-old digital bank.

The bank's 500,000 customers can now buy and sell securities through their existing mobile banking app. Salt Bank, which launched in October 2024, has become one of Romania's faster-growing financial apps since its debut.

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Banca Transilvania, Southeast Europe's largest financial group, backs the digital bank. The investment feature represents Salt Bank's first move beyond standard banking products like accounts and payments .

As for Upvest itself, this month it also expanded its partnership with the UK branch of the broker Webull, which added access to London-listed shares after introducing fractional stock trading in June, also enabled by the Berlin-based fintech.

Salt Bank Targets Wealth Management Market

Salt Bank plans to add features and expand the investment offering after the initial launch. The bank reached its current customer base in twelve months, though it hasn't disclosed revenue figures or profitability metrics.

"At Salt, banking has always been about people — about giving them the freedom to move at their own pace, in a way that feels right for them," said Gabriela Nistor, Salt Bank's CEO. "With Salt Investments and our partnership with Upvest, we wanted to take that freedom even further: for people to be able to invest globally."

The move puts Salt Bank in competition with other Romanian financial apps adding investment features. Traditional Romanian banks have offered brokerage services for years, though typically through separate platforms rather than integrated banking apps.

The investment product is currently limited to Romanian customers. Salt Bank hasn't announced timing for potential expansion to other markets where Banca Transilvania operates.

Upvest Trading Infrastructure to Handle Growing Volume

Upvest's Investment API powers the new service, connecting Salt Bank's app to global securities markets. The Berlin company, founded in 2017, processes more than 100 million trades each year for clients including Revolut and Openbank. Among the partners is also the challenger bank N26.

Martin Kassing, Upvest's CEO, pointed to Salt Bank's growth rate as evidence of demand for modern financial products. "We are proud to partner with them on their journey into investments and to provide the investment infrastructure that enables their end users to access securities effortlessly and at a low cost," he said.

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The platform handles trading execution , custody, and back-office operations. Salt Bank customers pay transparent fees for trades conducted within the mobile interface they already use for banking.

Upvest employs 250 people and counts Earlybird and Bessemer Venture Partners among its investors. The company remains independently managed by founders Martin Kassing, Til Rochow, and Tobias Auferoth.