Adyen
Global payments platform used by major enterprises — a European alternative to Stripe and Braintree.
Overview
Adyen is a Amsterdam, Netherlands-based European company building fintech and payments software since 2006. As an EU-headquartered provider, Adyen operates under GDPR and is outside the reach of the US CLOUD Act, making it a privacy-friendly alternative to well-known US incumbents for European teams.
Why European teams pick Adyen
Teams in Europe pick Adyen when they want a fintech provider that bills in EUR, supports their local data-protection officer requirements, and keeps customer data under Netherlands law, operating since 2006. Compared with well-known US incumbents, Adyen avoids cross-border data transfers under Schrems II and the US CLOUD Act, which is often the deciding factor for European procurement and legal teams.
See more EU fintech tools or browse other startups from Netherlands.
About
Adyen is an Amsterdam-based payments technology company founded in 2006, processing payments for some of the world's largest enterprises including Spotify, LVMH, Booking.com, and McDonald's. It provides a unified payment platform — online, in-person (POS terminals), and in-app — with acquiring licences in 37 markets, support for 200+ payment methods, and advanced fraud prevention through its RevenueProtect engine. Unlike Stripe (US-founded), Adyen is EU-founded, EU-headquartered, and regulated under Dutch financial services law. It is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. Adyen is best suited for enterprise and scale-up companies processing high volumes who need a single global payment infrastructure with EU governance.
Details
- Founded
- 2006
- Headquarters
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Other EU startups like Adyen
- InvoiciaNorway — EU-hosted invoice management with PEPPOL e-invoicing, Norwegian VAT (MVA) support, Brønnøysund auto-lookup, and credit notes. GDPR-first.
- SumeriaFrance — French mobile bank with peer-to-peer payments and savings — formerly Lydia.
- PayplugFrance — Simple online and in-person payment solution for French businesses — a French alternative to Stripe.
- MangopayLuxembourg — White-label payment infrastructure for marketplaces and platforms — a Luxembourg alternative to Stripe Connect.
- SpendeskFrance — All-in-one spend management for finance teams — a French alternative to SAP Concur.
- PleoDenmark — Smart company spending with virtual cards and receipt capture — a Danish alternative to Expensify.
Frequently asked questions
What is Adyen?
Adyen is an Amsterdam-based payments technology company founded in 2006, processing payments for some of the world's largest enterprises including Spotify, LVMH, Booking.com, and McDonald's. It provides a unified payment platform — online, in-person (POS terminals), and in-app — with acquiring licences in 37 markets, support for 200+ payment methods, and advanced fraud prevention through its RevenueProtect engine. Unlike Stripe (US-founded), Adyen is EU-founded, EU-headquartered, and regulated under Dutch financial services law. It is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. Adyen is best suited for enterprise and scale-up companies processing high volumes who need a single global payment infrastructure with EU governance.
What does Adyen do?
Adyen is global payments platform used by major enterprises — a european alternative to stripe and braintree. It is listed under fintech and payments on EU Alts because its core functionality serves teams looking for a European fintech tool with EU data residency, typically as a switch away from well-known US incumbents.
Is Adyen a good European fintech alternative?
Adyen is a fit for European businesses evaluating fintech options where data residency and GDPR alignment matter — typical buyers include EU-based SaaS teams, public-sector projects, regulated industries (healthcare, finance, legal), and any organisation that needs to demonstrate that customer data does not leave the EU. It also overlaps with payments use cases.
Is Adyen GDPR compliant?
Adyen is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands and falls under EU jurisdiction, so it processes user data under the GDPR by default. Customer data processing is supervised by Netherlands's data protection authority, the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP). Because the company is not US-incorporated, it is not subject to the US CLOUD Act — meaning US authorities cannot compel Adyen to disclose customer data the way they can with well-known US incumbents. For European buyers, that often simplifies DPIA paperwork and standard contractual clauses.
How do teams switch from well-known US incumbents to Adyen?
Most teams move to Adyen from well-known US incumbents because they want EU data residency without giving up the core fintech workflow. Adyen's Netherlands base means a single jurisdiction for both the company and (typically) its hosting infrastructure, so you can drop Schrems II transfer impact assessments for this part of your stack. Plan the migration in stages: export your data from the US incumbent, pilot Adyen with a small team, then move the rest once the integration coverage you need is confirmed.
Where is Adyen based?
Adyen is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The company was founded in 2006. Its main website is https://www.adyen.com.