"Pliant delivers a more efficient solution than building our own."
John Lindström, COO of Bezala, discusses how Pliant’s modern approach and flexible offerings allowed Bezala to embed credit card functionality directly into their platform. This partnership has streamlined expense management, improved the user experience, and strengthened Bezala’s position for growth in international markets.
Bezala
Espoo, FinlandHeadquarter
Expense managementIndustry
2015Founded
105,000 in 2024User
Bezala is a SaaS expense management solution developed in Finland. Designed for ease of use and reliability, it serves employees, cost approvers, and financial departments. With 105,000 users, Bezala has grown rapidly, adding 25,000 new users in 2024 alone.
Key features include AI-driven automation, simplifying data entry, and extensive integrations with ERP, financial, HR systems, and tax authorities in Finland and Sweden. Bezala offers a comprehensive solution for expense tracking, receipt management, and accounting.
Originally popular in the Nordics, Bezala is expanding across Europe, providing businesses with an efficient and advanced expense management platform.
Challenge: Meeting Customer Demand for Integrated Cards
Bezala recognized a growing demand from its customers for an integrated credit card solution. Clients frequently expressed the need for a unified platform that seamlessly combined expense management with credit card functionality for a more efficient and user-friendly experience.
While Bezala already supported integrations with various external credit card providers, including Pliant, many customers were looking for a more comprehensive solution that worked seamlessly with Bezala's core functionalities.
The challenge was to deliver a cohesive, all-in-one platform that streamlined both expense management and card services, offering simplicity and seamless operations to meet evolving customer expectations.
Solution: Partnering with Pliant for an All-in-One Platform
Bezala’s partnership with Pliant has delivered a streamlined and integrated solution for managing expenses. Pliant’s modern approach and flexible offerings enabled Bezala to enhance its mobile app with a unified system that seamlessly integrates expense management and credit card features.
The embedded card wallet allows employees to manage all aspects of their expenses—including credit card payments, receipt uploads, and more—within a single platform. This eliminates the need to switch between tools, creating a more efficient and user-friendly workflow.
The development process for the embedded card solution was carefully designed to maintain Bezala’s core functionalities while adding value. By excluding overlapping features, Bezala ensured a streamlined experience for its users. Essential tasks such as expense tracking and receipt management remain at the forefront, while Pliant handles the card-related functionalities.
“We began our partnership with an integration of Pliant cards into Bezala. Now we developed an embedded solution together. Pliant’s solution is a bit different, in a good way. The Idea and vision behind your product is the same as ours. So they match. CaaS allows us to combine best-in-class expense management and credit card functionality.”
John Lindström, COO of Bezala
Why Bezala chose Pliant as a partner:
Pliant shared Bezala’s commitment to delivering fast, reliable, and user-friendly solutions.
The embedded card solution integrated effortlessly with Bezala’s platform, enabling a unified experience without disrupting existing functionalities.
Pliant’s offerings provided the flexibility needed to meet evolving customer demands while supporting Bezala’s growth in new markets.
With operations across multiple countries, Pliant positioned Bezala to expand its services beyond Finland, supporting its European growth strategy.
By partnering with Pliant, Bezala could focus on its core strength in expense management while leveraging Pliant’s expertise in credit card functionality.
Outcome: Driving international growth with CaaS
The ability to offer an integrated card solution has increased customer engagement and strengthened Bezala’s position as a competitive player in the international market. "It’s super important for us to be able to offer the best possible product and service, and in some cases, that means providing the overall service, including the cards, to our clients. It makes us more interesting and improves our bond with clients, opening new opportunities both in Finland and abroad", says Lindström.
For Lindström, it’s clear that the card solution has become an integral part of Bezala's offering. The decision to partner with Pliant has proven to be a key factor in Bezala's continued success and growth, providing a competitive advantage and supporting expansion into new markets.
“The core of Bezala is expense management, but there was an increasing amount of requests from clients that it would be super beneficial if Bezala would have their own credit card solution too, so they could purchase all the related services from one supplier. Partnering with Pliant allows us to do that more effectively than if we had built our own card offering.”
