The Story Behind Riva

Why was Riva founded? Not because of a business plan on paper — but from first-hand experience of managing billions across borders, shutting down payment corridors when markets went haywire, and seeing companies struggle because the global payments system simply didn’t work.

In this guest article, published together with our lead investor Project A, Riva’s co-founder Niklas Hoejman shares the journey that led him and his co-founder Mahendra Katoch to create Riva. Among other things, the article covers:

  • The breaking points that revealed the fragility of today’s payment rails

  • What it meant to manage FX exposure at scale — and the risks of pre-funding models for payment firms

  • Why corporate (B2B) payments are still decades behind consumer solutions

  • Insights from CFOs on what really matters: predictability and convenience

  • Riva’s vision of a dual-rail future — combining banking rails and blockchain rails for the best outcomes

The article is both a personal story and a blueprint for the future of global payments.

👉 Read it here to understand why Riva exists, and where we are heading.