Pliant bought hi.health to put a payment card inside insurance claims

Pliant is a Berlin B2B payments company whose API-first platform issues Visa-powered cards in 11 currencies across more than 30 countries for 3,500+ businesses.

That the cumbersome insurance reimbursement workflow is a payments problem — solvable with a card and an app instead of upfront payment and paperwork

Pliant already handled digital card and payment infrastructure for banks. Vienna- and Berlin-based hi.health, founded in 2019 by mySugr co-founder Fredrik Debong and ex-McKinsey Sebastian Gruber, built a digital interface between insurance carriers and customers.

The acquisition — Pliant's second, after buying Friday Finance in 2023 — lets insured individuals pay with a card instead of paying upfront and submit healthcare invoices and prescriptions for reimbursement directly via a mobile app.

hi.health continues to operate independently while benefiting from Pliant's support and infrastructure. Both CEOs frame the deal as eliminating cumbersome reimbursement procedures for users and healthcare providers.

Reimbursement is a payment flow wearing an insurance costume — Pliant's core competence in disguise.

The card removes the consumer's worst moment: paying medical bills upfront and waiting weeks.

Acquiring, rather than building, imported regulatory and claims know-how that payments firms usually lack.

hi.health staying independent preserves its insurer relationships while plugging into Pliant's rails.

Boring workflows are the best acquisition targets: the reimbursement form is where a payments company finds an entire industry.

As of 17 April 2025, hi.health was operating independently under Pliant's ownership, with the acquisition positioned as Pliant's expansion into digital insurance payments. No deal value was disclosed.