Embedded Finance Operations, Europe

    Finance that runs.
    So you don't have to.

    Qualified accountants working inside your systems, managed from Berlin and Amsterdam, delivered from Colombo. Month-end close. AP/AR. DATEV prep. Working capital control.

    <0Day month-end close
    ~0%Cost saving vs in-house
    3–0 wkTime to full delivery
    0%Accuracy on deliverables
    ACCA & CIMA qualified accountantsGDPR compliant · EU-hosted infrastructureSalesforce · DATEV · Exact · SAP · PayhawkEuropean-managed, named team3-month trial. 3-month exit clause.
    The problem

    Your finance function is holding you back

    The previous hire couldn't keep pace. Month-end close takes twelve days and still isn't clean. Your tax advisor is chasing inputs you don't have.

    A qualified accountant in Berlin or Amsterdam costs €65,000–€90,000 fully loaded, takes three to six months to recruit, and leaves you exposed the moment they resign.

    You need the capacity and quality of a senior internal team, without the cost, the management overhead, or the key-person risk of building one.

    That is exactly what Serana Partners delivers.

    See our model →
    01

    Slow month-end close

    Decisions made on stale data. Lender reports missed. Board packs produced over the weekend.

    02

    Cash visibility gaps

    You don't know your cash position until mid-month. AR ages unmonitored. AP runs on gut feel.

    03

    Pre-bookkeeping bottleneck

    Invoices pile up. DATEV prep is manual. The tax advisor is waiting on data only you can produce.

    04

    Hiring is expensive and slow

    €80k+ loaded cost. 3–6 months to hire. High key-person risk. And you still have to manage them.

    Ideal client fit

    Built for businesses like yours

    We work best where finance complexity is growing faster than the team can handle, and where building a full internal function isn't the right answer yet.

    Scaleups

    B2B scaleups, Series A–C

    €5M–€50M revenue, 30–300 FTE. Finance complexity outpacing the team. Operating in DE, NL, BE, FR, or across Europe.

    CFOCOOCEO / Founder
    Trading & Operations

    High-volume trading companies

    Thin margins, high AP/AR volume, inventory tracking, European VAT complexity. Pre-bookkeeping and controlling done right.

    CFOFinance Director
    Holdcos & PE-backed

    Multi-entity groups

    2–6 operating entities. Intercompany eliminations. Consolidated reporting. Standardised close across the group.

    Group CFOInvestorsBoard
    Sri Lanka's leading finance talent network

    The biggest finance talent pool in Sri Lanka

    With the deepest reach into the country's finance talent, you don't settle for whoever's available. You get the best possible candidate for the role. Every search, every time.

    #1

    Largest finance talent pool in Sri Lanka

    Best-fit candidate, every search

    Finance & accounting specialists

    Two paths, one outcome

    Choose how you want finance delivered

    Lift the load entirely with a productised package, or grow your in-house capacity with an embedded senior hire. Pick the model that fits where you are today.

    Finance as a Service

    Lift the load entirely

    Productised packages run end-to-end by our EU-overseen team inside your systems. You get the output and the cadence, without recruiting, managing, or covering for anyone.

    Serana CloseBooks closed by WD7. Every month. Guaranteed."We're still closing on day 14."
    Serana CashWeekly cash visibility. AP/AR under control. Always."I don't know our cash until mid-month."
    Serana BoardBoard-ready pack, produced on time. Every quarter."Our board pack takes a week to produce."
    Serana HoldcoConsolidated reporting across 2–6 entities."Consolidation is still done in Excel."
    Embedded Finance Hire

    Grow your team without the risk

    A named, senior accountant inside your team and systems, reporting directly to you, on our payroll. Mobilised in 3–4 weeks. No local hiring risk. No Bewerbungsgespräch.

    • Capacity inside your team, not an outsourced output
    • ACCA / CIMA qualified. Technically pre-vetted.
    • Live in weeks, not months
    • Flex headcount up or down. No redundancy risk.
    • EU oversight. Same timezone. Same language.

    Ready to talk?

    Tell us what's broken. 30 minutes. No commitment.

    From first call to full delivery

    Live in 3–4 weeks

    Most providers take months to mobilise. Here is exactly what the first four weeks look like.

    1
    Week 1, Discovery

    30-minute discovery call

    We learn your finance setup, systems, and pain points. You receive a scoped questionnaire. No commitment.

    2
    Weeks 1–2, Onboarding

    System access and team assignment

    We map your processes, set up secure access to your tools, and assign your named team. You keep full control.

    3
    Week 3, Transition

    Parallel close

    We run a close alongside your existing process. You verify everything before we take over. Zero disruption.

    4
    Month 2+, Ongoing

    Full ownership. Agreed cadence.

    Your Serana team delivers to the agreed SLA. Your European manager is your single point of contact, same timezone, same language.

    The engagement arc

    01

    Diagnose

    We assess your finance function, gaps, risks, and priorities, across systems, close process, AP/AR workflow, and reporting cadence.

    1–2 weeks
    02

    Stabilise

    Fix what's broken. Establish a reliable close, a clean reporting cadence, and working capital visibility. Quick wins first.

    03

    Optimise

    Automate repetitive tasks, build dashboards, and create processes that scale with your business, DATEV connections, Salesforce integration, reporting automation.

    Why Serana

    Why Serana? Six reasons, and one honest comparison.

    What sets us apart from in-house hiring, Big-4 firms, and freelance bookkeepers, and how we compare on the criteria that actually matter to a CFO.

    Your systems, your control

    We work inside Salesforce, DATEV, Exact, SAP, Payhawk, and Netsuite. Your data never leaves your systems. No platform switching. Ever.

    European management, your timezone

    Your primary contact is in Berlin or Amsterdam, German or Dutch speaker, available during your business hours.

    Wir sprechen Ihr Deutsch.

    Multi-entity experience

    Intercompany eliminations, consolidated group reporting, entity-by-entity P&L. Most outsourcers stop at single-entity. We go further.

    Built for holdco complexity.

    ~40% cost saving vs in-house

    No employer taxes. No holiday cover. No recruitment fees. No key-person risk. One monthly fee, all in.

    €65k/yr in-house → ~€40k/yr Serana.

    Hands-on and proactive

    We flag discrepancies, missed invoices, and VAT misclassifications before you ask. We drive action, not just reporting.

    Corporate responsibility

    Above-market compensation for our Colombo team. Structured career paths. ACCA sponsorship. Good work, well rewarded.

    The honest comparison

    SeranaIn-houseBig-4Freelance
    Cost~40% below EU FTE€80k–€150k loadedPremium day ratesLow rate, high churn
    Time to start3–4 weeks3–6 monthsWeeks, staff rotationFast, slow to integrate
    SeniorityACCA/CIMA, pre-vettedLocal talent poolJuniors do the workVariable, unvetted
    Inside your systemsYes, alwaysYesTheir dashboardsDepends on person
    Multi-entityYes, intercompany, consolidationCostly at scalePremium ratesRarely
    Key-person riskTeam model, no SPOFHighRotation standardExtreme
    FlexibilityScale quarterly, no overheadSlow and expensiveVery expensiveEasy, unpredictable
    Client results

    What good looks like in practice

    Berlin · B2B Trading · Series B

    "Our finance team had completely turned over. Month-end was broken, DATEV prep was two months behind, and the audit was in six weeks. Serana stabilised everything in three weeks. By month two, close was running on day 6."

    Head of Finance, Berlin-based B2B trading company
    ~€15M monthly revenue · 80 FTE
    Amsterdam · SaaS · Series A

    "We needed someone who could work inside our Salesforce setup from day one. The team was up and running in two weeks. Now we have weekly cash visibility and a board pack that goes out on working day 5."

    CFO, Amsterdam SaaS scaleup
    €4M ARR · 45 FTE
    <7
    Day month-end closeDown from 14–18 days across client engagements
    100%
    On-time reportingAgreed timetable met on every deliverable
    Weekly
    Cash position visibilityRolling forecast every Monday, not mid-month scrambling
    ~40%
    Cost saving vs in-houseSenior capability at lower total cost
    3–4 wk
    Average mobilisation timeFrom signed agreement to full delivery cadence

    Amsterdam

    NetherlandsManagement

    Strategic leadership and client operations. Registered HQ. Dutch legal and GDPR framework.

    Berlin

    GermanyManagement

    European business development and client management. German-speaking. DACH market focus.

    Colombo

    Sri Lanka, Delivery HubAccountants & Finance

    ACCA and CIMA qualified accountants working inside your systems, on your schedule, in English.

    Pricing

    Priced around your business. Not a rate card.

    Every engagement is scoped after we understand your finance function. Here is what most single-entity scaleup engagements look like.

    Serana Close

    Pre-bookkeeping, monthly close, DATEV prep. Single entity.

    From €3,500per month

    Serana Cash

    AP/AR management, bank reconciliation, weekly cash report.

    From €3,000per month

    Serana Board

    Close + management accounts + board pack. Quarterly.

    From €4,500per month

    Serana Holdco

    Consolidated group reporting. 2–6 entities.

    From €6,000per month

    Embedded Finance Hire

    Named senior accountant. Full-time. Inside your team.

    From €4,500per month

    Indicative pricing only. Final fee is scoped after discovery, volume, complexity, and entity count all affect scope. No quote until we've completed a diagnostic.

    01

    Diagnostic first, we scope before we quote

    We never give a final fee before understanding your finance function. Volume, complexity, and systems all affect scope.

    02

    One monthly fee. No hidden costs.

    Flat monthly fee based on agreed scope. No junior resources billed at senior rates. No surprise invoices.

    03

    Capacity flexes as you grow

    Scale up or down quarterly. No redundancy risk. No re-hiring cycle. Adjusts to your business in real time.

    04

    Transparent and agreed in writing

    Every engagement starts with a written scope. Deliverables, cadence, and SLAs agreed before work begins.

    Contract terms

    3-month trial period. Prove it works before committing.
    Open-ended engagement after trial.
    3-month exit clause, both parties.
    Annual SLA review. Scope and pricing revisited together.
    GDPR compliant. EU-hosted. Data stays in your systems.
    Frequently asked

    Frequently asked about embedded finance operations

    DATEV setup, German language, time to start, contract terms, the questions every CFO asks before signing.

    Do your accountants speak German?
    Your primary contact is based in Berlin or Amsterdam and communicates in German, Dutch, or English. Our Colombo delivery team works in English and is fully briefed on German accounting conventions, DATEV workflows, and HGB requirements.
    Can you work inside our existing Salesforce or DATEV setup?
    Yes. We work inside your systems, not ours. Our team has operated in Salesforce (including custom ERP extensions), DATEV, Exact, SAP, Netsuite, and Payhawk. We never ask you to switch platforms or adopt new tooling.
    How quickly can you start?
    Typically 3–4 weeks from signed agreement to full delivery. Weeks 1–2 cover onboarding and system access. Week 3 is a parallel close alongside your existing process. Week 4 onwards is full handover. If you have a team departure or imminent audit, we can prioritise accordingly.
    Do you replace our tax advisor?
    No. We handle pre-bookkeeping, operational finance, and reporting. Your tax advisor continues to own formal bookkeeping, statutory filing, and tax compliance. We feed them clean, organised, complete data every month, so they work faster and you get fewer chasing calls.
    What is the difference between Finance as a Service and an Embedded Hire?
    Finance as a Service means we own a defined scope end-to-end, you get the output and the SLA, not a person to manage. Embedded Finance Hire means we place a named senior accountant inside your team, reporting directly to you, on our payroll. Most clients start with FaaS and move to an embedded hire as they grow.
    Can you handle multi-entity or holdco structures?
    Yes. This is one of our strongest capabilities. Serana Holdco is designed for groups with 2–6 entities requiring consolidated reporting, intercompany eliminations, and entity-level P&L visibility. Most outsourcers stop at single-entity. We were built for the complexity that comes after an acquisition or multi-country expansion.
    What does "DATEV pre-bookkeeping" mean in practice?
    Pre-bookkeeping (Vorbuchhaltung) covers everything upstream of the formal booking your tax advisor does. We sort incoming invoices, check GL account assignments, classify VAT, prepare inventory usage reports, and deliver a clean, complete file to your tax advisor via API push or file export, on the agreed cadence, every month.
    Is there a minimum contract term?
    We start with a 3-month trial period. After that, the engagement is open-ended with a 3-month mutual exit clause. We don't believe in locking clients in, we believe in delivering results that make the relationship worth continuing.