Berlin-based lemon.markets joins forces with dwpbank to expand digital brokerage services

Deutsche WertpapierService
Bank (dwpbank) has acquired Berlin-based fintech lemon.markets, taking full
ownership to expand its full-custody services by offering a Brokerage-as-a-Service (BaaS) solution.

In the future, the dwpbank
Group will operate under two brands, combining many years of securities
expertise and stability, with innovative strength. Established financial service
providers and fintechs will benefit from a flexible range of services that
allow them to adapt swiftly and effectively to market shifts, helping them
attract and retain new customer segments in the securities business over the
long term.

With this move, the dwpbank Group (consisting of dwpbank
and its subsidiaries) is advancing its growth strategy to build an ecosystem of
modern, accessible, and reliable securities services tailored to the diverse
needs of the financial sector. Partnering with lemon.markets enhances the
Group’s cloud-based technology stack, adding streamlined, digital brokerage and
custody infrastructure to its existing WP3 securities platform and wpNex
digital asset solution.

lemon.markets, a Berlin-based fintech founded in 2020,
provides banks, fintechs, and asset managers with easy, digital access to
capital markets. Its API-based platform integrates seamlessly into existing
systems and supports features such as fractional trading, real-time processing,
and fully digital workflows for ETFs, stocks, and funds. As a BaFin-licensed
securities institution, lemon.markets serves prominent fintech clients, including Tomorrow, Optio, and Holvi.

Kristina Lindenbaum, Board Member for Client and Digital
Transformation at dwpbank, says:

With the technological know-how and innovative offering
from lemon.markets, we can now offer Banks, as well as Fintechs and Asset
Managers, the best of both worlds in the securities business – expertise and
stability combined with innovative strength. Within the dwpbank Group, we are
enabling our partners to capture growth opportunities in a securities market
increasingly shaped by neo- and online brokers.

The dwpbank Group will
pursue a two-brand strategy in the market, with both companies maintaining
their independent identities while working closely together to leverage their
respective strengths. Their collaboration will focus on jointly advancing their
platforms, ensuring rapid innovation cycles, and offering a flexible service
portfolio that enables established financial institutions and fintechs to adapt
quickly and effectively to market changes.

Through the integration of
both platforms and joint development efforts, clients and partners will gain
access to a broader, more competitive range of services, from full custody to
digital Brokerage-as-a-Service solutions, that can be combined and tailored to
their specific customer needs.

Max Linden, Founder and
CEO of lemon.markets, says:

Both companies share the mission to make investing in
capital markets more accessible – the best foundation for our cooperation.
Alongside our technological leadership, we’re sending a signal of strength to
existing and future partners and customers. With accelerated time-to-market, a
modular service offering, and a modern customer experience, together with
dwpbank, we are making financial service providers more competitive.

Through this partnership,
both companies are actively shaping the evolving securities market. By building
a comprehensive ecosystem for securities services, they are showing how
customer focus, technological innovation, and regulatory expertise can come together
to establish new standards in the industry.

The lemon.markets management team will continue in
their current roles. The acquisition remains subject to approval by the German
Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and customary closing
conditions, with completion expected by autumn 2025.