Teya was founded in 2019 as SaltPay by Eduardo Pontes and Ali Mazanderani. Pontes co-founded StoneCo, the Brazilian payments giant. But Teya is a separate, independent company. Here is the full story.
Teya is one of the fastest-growing payment providers in Europe, but its origins are less well known than household names like Worldpay or Square. Here is the full background: where it started, who is behind it, and how it became the provider now serving over 300,000 merchants across Europe.
Teya was founded in 2019 under the name SaltPay. The company was incorporated in London by Eduardo Pontes (CEO) and Ali Mazanderani (Chairman), two executives with deep experience in payments infrastructure.
Eduardo Pontes was one of the co-founders of StoneCo, the Brazilian payment processing company listed on the Nasdaq (ticker: STNE). StoneCo's model is to build modern payment infrastructure for underserved SME markets, bypassing legacy banking infrastructure. Pontes brought a similar approach to Europe.
Teya is not a subsidiary of StoneCo. It is an independent company. While StoneCo co-founders were involved in Teya's formation, the two businesses are legally and operationally separate. StoneCo operates primarily in Latin America; Teya operates in Europe.
In 2021, SaltPay raised approximately $700 million in a Series C funding round. The investor group included Tiger Global Management (a major US growth equity fund), Ant Capital (affiliated with Alibaba's fintech arm), GIC (Singapore's sovereign wealth fund), Ribbit Capital (a specialist fintech investor), and Michael Spencer (founder of NEX Group).
This was one of the largest fintech funding rounds in Europe at the time. The capital was used to acquire six companies across Europe and expand the business internationally.
In April 2023, SaltPay rebranded as Teya. The rebrand unified the acquired businesses under a single brand and signalled a shift from infrastructure build-out to customer-facing growth.
The name change also reflected a broadened product set. By 2023, the company had moved beyond payment terminals to offer business banking (Teya Business Account), merchant financing (Teya Cash Advance, in partnership with YouLend), ePOS integrations, and a full suite of business services.
As at early 2026, Teya operates in 9 countries across Europe. In the UK: over 30,000 merchants as at January 2026, with 300,000 or more merchants globally. UK headquarters are in London, with technology operations based in Reykjavik.
In the UK market, Teya operates as an FCA-authorised Electronic Money Institution. The authorised entity is Teya Solutions Ltd., FCA Reference 978181, authorised under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011.
Klipy UK Limited is an Independent Sales Channel (ISC) of Teya. We are authorised to introduce merchants to Teya's payment services and provide ongoing relationship management. Klipy is not Teya: we are a separately incorporated company providing a personal, named account management service alongside Teya's products.
When you become a Teya merchant through Klipy, your payment processing contract is with Teya. Klipy provides advice, onboarding support, and ongoing service. If you ever need to reach Teya's technical or compliance team directly, you can contact them at help@teya.com.
In April 2026, Teya launched several new products in the UK, including Teya Manual Entry (MOTO card-not-present payments confirmed as available), Pay by Link enhancements (custom expiry, branding, and cancellation options), new card network support (Discover and Diners Club), a Business Account web portal, and live Xero and QuickBooks accounting integrations.
Found this helpful? Share with your network:
This content is published by Klipy UK, a Teya-authorised reseller of payment solutions. The views expressed are for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial advice. All content is the intellectual property of Klipy UK. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.
See exactly how much you could save. Upload your statement or enter your monthly turnover-instant results, no obligation.
Try Calculator