Benjamin van der Lande is working to make financial tools more useful for people who are often left out of traditional banking. As co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of HenriPay Holding N.V., he has helped shape a platform designed to teach users how to manage their money with confidence. HenriPay’s digital product, Henri, combines daily banking tools with built-in lessons on saving, spending, and planning. Van der Lande’s goal is to give one billion people the chance to build stronger financial habits.
His work was recently recognized with a 2025 Global Recognition Award. Judges praised his clear direction, lasting impact, and ability to lead through change. They noted his strong results across all evaluation categories and highlighted how his story—starting with a failed business at age 15—has shaped his mission to make finance easier to understand and more available to everyone.
From Debt at Fifteen to a €4 Billion Company
Van der Lande’s business journey began as a teenager when he launched Brutal Lifters, a fitness gear store. The shop gained attention but struggled due to poor financial planning. He was left with €21,000 in debt owed to payment processors, customers, and family. Rather than giving up, he chose to repay everything and learn from his mistakes.
He soon launched another business and applied what he had learned. Later, a meeting with Maurice Weber led to a partnership that combined technical skills with business planning. Together, they grew Crebos Solutions into a company that supported major clients such as Disney and Philips. This work exposed them to the gaps in digital finance and helped inspire the idea for HenriPay.
Today, HenriPay operates across sectors including finance, construction, and real estate. It is publicly listed on the German Stock Exchange and valued at €4 billion. One of its major projects, based in Morocco, supported a state-led urban development worth 800 million dirhams. Van der Lande helped lead the project, showing that his team could handle complex deals while staying focused on practical goals.
Teaching Financial Skills Through Daily Use
Henri, HenriPay’s main product, is built to help users learn as they go. It offers tools like savings goals, group cards, and spending trackers. The Henri group card allows several users to share a card without adding funds in advance, making it useful for families or student groups who are managing shared costs.
Henri does not separate financial education from daily activity. Instead, learning happens naturally through everyday actions. The award panel highlighted how Henri supports younger users who often use mobile banking but do not always know how to make smart financial choices.
HenriPay also works outside the app. In Amsterdam’s Johan Cruyff ArenA, the company helped redesign food and drink operations to cut costs and boost income. Van der Lande also co-authored From Vaults to Clouds, a book exploring how the 2008 financial crisis changed finance and technology.
A Leader Focused on Real-World Change
Benjamin van der Lande has turned early struggles into a clear and lasting mission. He builds tools that help others avoid the same mistakes he once made. His work is about more than running a business—it is about helping people gain control of their financial lives, one step at a time.
