Lorenzo Pireddu is the new managing director for Southern Europe at the fintech scale-up Qonto. He will oversee the company\u2019s growth in Italy, Spain and Portugal, steering Qonto\u2019s strategy in a region home to over 8.8 million businesses, where the company plans to increase investment by 24% year-on-year, underlining its commitment to these markets.<\/p>\n\n
With over 15 years\u2019 experience in developing technology companies in highly regulated sectors, Pireddu joins from Uber, where he served as managing director for Italy for more than six years. A graduate in Economics from Bocconi University in Milan, he will take the helm of Qonto\u2019s Southern Europe division with the aim of fostering sustainable and compliant growth in Italy, Spain and Portugal, whilst the fintech firm takes decisive steps towards becoming a bank. <\/p>\n\n
\u201cI come from a family of medium-sized business owners in Sardinia. As a young man, I saw first-hand the financial difficulties faced by SMEs: the long queues at the bank, the lack of tools to manage expenses, and inefficient invoicing systems. This is what drew me to Qonto: the chance to help hundreds of thousands of businesses like my parents\u2019 every day,\u201d comments Pireddu (pictured) \u2013 Southern Europe represents a huge opportunity for Qonto, with nearly 9 million SMEs across Italy, Spain and Portugal. By expanding our offering and significantly increasing our investment in these regions, we are positioning ourselves to become the financial partner these businesses have always been waiting for.\u201d <\/p>\n\n
Alexandre Prot, co-founder and CEO of Qonto, says: \u201cSouthern Europe has been instrumental to Qonto\u2019s growth right from the start. This region is home to millions of micro and small businesses that have been underserved by traditional banks for years. Now that we are preparing to become a bank and expand our offering in the field of lending, we need the right leadership to seize this opportunity. Lorenzo\u2019s experience in strategic management within complex and regulated markets, combined with his deep understanding of the needs of local businesses, makes him the ideal leader for this new phase. Under his guidance, we are strengthening our ambition to become a key player in Italy, Spain and Portugal, combining European expertise with the local presence and know-how that these markets require.\u201d <\/p>\n\n
In 2026, Qonto will further strengthen its commitment to Southern Europe with a 24% year-on-year increase in investment. The funds will be allocated to new hires, product development and marketing initiatives aimed at consolidating the company\u2019s presence in these markets. The workforce in Southern Europe currently stands at over 350 employees, with offices in Milan and Barcelona, and will grow further as operations expand, including the strengthening of the team in Portugal. <\/p>\n\n
Italy and Spain are strategic markets for Qonto, which has built a strong presence within the SME ecosystem there since 2019. Portugal, where the company has been operating since 2024, represents one of its most recent expansions and a significant growth opportunity. As it moves towards becoming a bank, Qonto will expand its offering beyond essential services, introducing financing solutions that will support businesses not only in their day-to-day operations but throughout their entire growth journey. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The fintech firm has appointed the Italian manager, entrusting him with responsibility for the Italian, Spanish and Portuguese markets<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":125,"featured_media":159026,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1345],"tags":[2236,1318,1137,1323],"companies":[1635],"journalist":[1518],"class_list":["post-159115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-scaleup","tag-europa-en","tag-fintech-en","tag-italy-en","tag-scaleup-en","companies-qonto-en","journalist-editorial-staff-en"],"featured_sizes_urls":{"thumbnail":{"src":"https:\/\/www.startupbusiness.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/pireddu-piccola.webp","width":150,"height":105,"crop":false,"srcset":false,"alt":"fintech sud europa"},"large":{"src":"https:\/\/www.startupbusiness.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/pireddu-piccola.webp","width":1024,"height":717,"crop":false,"srcset":false,"alt":"fintech sud europa"},"2048x2048":{"src":"https:\/\/www.startupbusiness.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/pireddu-piccola.webp","width":1186,"height":830,"crop":false,"srcset":false,"alt":"fintech sud europa"}},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n