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I N T R O D U C T I O N 2021
Finance Monthly is pleased to officially present its 2021 Finance Monthly FinTech Awards edition! Despite the challenging year that 2020 was, the FinTech sector continues to evolve and grow at an unprecedented rate. From crowdfunding to mobile payments and money transfer services, FinTech is revolutionising how businesses and consumers handle financial transactions and it will continue to do so in 2021 too. Year upon year, the Finance Monthly FinTech Awards celebrate the true innovators who help drive the FinTech industry forward and help make the sector what it is today. We acknowledge and reward the individuals, firms, startups and banks who are recognised as leaders in their area of expertise. At Finance Monthly we are proud and excited to present our 2021 Finance Monthly FinTech Awards – a celebration of the creators and innovators in the financial technology world! Congratulations to all our winners! I N T R O D U C T I O N
GLOBAL Sergey Romanovsky Nebeus Digital Lending Innovation EUROPE Austria Gerald Steiner Andréewitch & Partner Data Protection Law - Law Firm of the Year Belgium Hans Leybaert Unifiedpost Group Cloud Software Innovation 30 Denmark Bech Brunn Bech Brunn Data Protection Law Firm of the Year Morten Bremild Anywhere Solutions Home Technology Innovation Estonia Hikaru Kusaka Blockhive Blockchain Adviser of the Year 32 Vilve Vene modularbank Business Banking 34 6 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM I N T R O D U C I N G T H E W I N N E R S I N D E X
7 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM I N D E X Finland Jorma Jokela Ferratum Mobile Banking 36 France Pascal Gauthier Ledger Cybersecurity 38 Germany Valentin Stalf N26 Digital Banking 40 TAIYO Legal TAIYO Legal Corporate Banking Innovation Jan Feuerhake Taylor Wessing Data Protection Law - Lawyer of the Year Chrono24 GmbH Chrono24 GmbH E-Commerce & Buyer Protection Firm of the Year Franz Reiner Daimler AG Finance Mobility Provider of the Year Nico Peters COMPEON GmbH SME Financial Services Provider of the Year 42 Ireland Marie McGinley Eversheds Sutherland LLP Privacy, Data Protection and Aybersecurity Adviser of the Year Italy Paolo Bertoluzzo Nexi Payment Services Firm of the Year Lithuania Brian Reaves Factris Fintech Innovation Vytenis Morkūnas Paysera Payment Innovation 44 Netherlands Pieter van der Does Adyen Payments Platform of the Year 46 Steve Meirink Wolter Skluwer Covid-19 Response, Senior Leadership Award THINKSURANCE 14 Florian Brokamp, CEO & Co-Founder INSURTECH FIRM OF THE YEAR
Wolter Skluwer Wolter Skluwer Compliance Solutions: Launch of the Year, Proviso Wolter Skluwer Wolter Skluwer Lien Solutions: Product of the Year, iLien Motor Vehicle & Portfolio Sync Wolter Skluwer Wolter Skluwer Finance, Risk & Reporting: RegTech & Regulatory Reporting Firm of the Year Poland Wojciech Kostrzewa Billon Group Ltd. Blockchain Technology Firm of the Year Sweden Oscar Berglund Trustly Payment Innovation 48 Switzerland Benjamin Manz moneyland.ch Comparison Services 50 Guido Buehler SEBA Bank AG Digital Investment Solutions Firm of the Year United Kingdom Beaufort Group Beaufort Group Asset and Fund Management Firm of the Year Lupton Fawcett LLP Lupton Fawcett LLP Banking & Finance Law Firm of the Year Anthony Rose SeedLegals Best Fintech Startup Lydia Torne Simmons & Simmons Copyright, Database Rights & Confidential Information Adviser of the Year Rob Sumroy Slaughter & May Cyber Advisory Lawyer of the Year 8 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM I N D E X KLARNA 16 Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO FINTECH INNOVATION STARLING BANK 18 Anne Boden MBE, CEO BEST FINTECH BANKING
Amanda Jukes METCloud Cybersecurity Firm of the Year 52 Morton Fraser LLP Morton Fraser LLP Debt and Asset Recovery - Law Firm of the Year Graham Rodford Archax Digital Asset Trading Leader of the Year Tom Blomfield Monzo Digital Banking and Finance 54 David Manasyan OMEGA BAAP LIMITED Fintech Innovation 56 Matthew Longhurst TreasurySpring Fixed-Term Funding Firm of the Year Centtrip Ltd Centtrip Ltd Foreign Exchange and International Payments Expert of the Year Barry McCarthy Assure Hedge Hedging Solutions Firm of the Year Sharegain Ltd. Sharegain Ltd. Investment Services Firm of the Year Chris Skinner Chris Skinner Most Influential Fintech Commentator of the Year Nikolay Storonsky Revolut Online Banking Services 58 Michael Whelan MessageCloud Payment Innovation Rob Lincolne PayDock Payments Gateways Firm of the Year Pollinate Pollinate Payments Platform of the Year Jaidev Janardana Zopa Limited Peer-to-Peer Investing Firm of the Year Rhydian Lewis RateSetter Personal Loans Provider of the Year 9 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM I N D E X PANNOVATE 20 Pavle Ljujic, CEO & Founder PAYTECH FIRM OF THE YEAR RAISIN UK 22 Kevin Mountford, Co-Founder PERSONAL FINANCE TECH
Craig Rogers Eversheds Sutherland LLP Privacy, Data Protection and Cybersecurity Adviser of the Year Bryony Cove Farrer & Co Private Wealth Adviser of the Year Scott Picken Wealth Migrate Real Estate Investment Platform of the Year Oliver Tregoning JM Finn Wealth Management 60 AMERICAS Barbados Mike Kessler Tokenise Investment Platform of the Year Brazil Isabel Costa Carvalho Hogan Lovells International Capital Markets Lawyer of the Year Canada Will Kennedy TickTrade Systems Inc. Best Trading Solution for Foreign Exchange Markets Terry Boyland CPQi Financial Markets Leader 64 Cayman Islands David Bily Moneta Markets CDF Trading Platform of the Year 66 Colombia Paolo Fidanza MO Tecnologias AI Credit Score Platform Innovation USA Alexander Filatov Parascript AI Data Software Innovation Ronald Daugherty Krugliak, Wilkins, Griffiths & Dougherty Co. Banking & Finance Lawyer of the Year 10 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM I N D E X VANTAGE FX 24 David Bily, Head of Partnerships & Marketing EXCELLENCE IN CUSTOMER SERVICE
Kriss Smolka Funn Media Best Mobile App 68 Chris Zannetos Covered Security Cybersecurity Firm of the Year Brian Armstrong Coinbase Digital Currency Services 70 Jon Bolen ENTOUCH Digital Energy Management Innovation Kee Bryant‑McCormick Bone McAllester Norton PLLC Estate and Wealth Transfer Planning Jeffry Bernstein Coblentz Law Estate Planning Adviser of the Year Marty Weinberg UBS Financial Services Inc. Finance Adviser of the Year TurnKey Lender TurnKey Lender Lending Innovation BlueSnap BlueSnap Online Payment Solutions Firm of the Year Mark Grueninger UBS Wealth Management Adviser of the Year Venezuela Juan Garanton Blanco Torres Plaz y Araujo Project Finance Lawyer of the Year ASIA China Eric Jing Ant Financial FinTech Innovation 74 India Harshvardhan Lunia Lendingkart Lending Services 76 Rustam Gagrat Gagrats M&A Law Firm of the Year Israel Erez Schneorson E. Schneerson, Diab & Co Insurance Law - Law Firm of the Year Philippines Mikko Perez Ayannah Payment Innovation 78 Singapore Laurent Bertrand BetterTradeOff Financial Planning 80 Taiwan Delphine Chen & Shuai-Sheng Huang Formosa Transnational Fintech Law - Lawyer of the Year 82 11 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM I N D E X
United Arab Emirates Anglo-Gulf Trade Bank Anglo-Gulf Trade Bank Trading Systems Innovation & Publicis Sapient & Publicis Sapient Geoffroy Hermanns Herbert Smith Freehills LLP Asset Management and Investment Funds Lawyer of the Year AFRICA Nigeria Tayo Oviosu Paga Payments Platform of the Year 86 South Africa Denis Warren-Tangney Warren-Tangney Attorneys & Mediators Financial Law - Lawyer of the Year Jeremy Leach Inclusivity Solutions Microinsurance and Digital Insurance Leader of the Year Abe Cambridge Sun Exchange Solar Leasing Innovation AUSTRALIASIA Australia Asher Tan CoinJar Digital Currency Services 90 Damien Klassen Nucleus Wealth Investment Solutions Expert of the Year Chris Bayliss Judo Bank Lending Services 92 12 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM I N D E X CELLULANT 26 Milkah Wachiuri, Group CFO PAYMENT INNOVATION
FEATURED WINNERS
THINKSURANCE Florian Brokamp, CEO & Co-Founder INSURTECH FIRM OF THE YEAR G E R M A N Y 14 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM
Thinksurance is the leading B2B insurtech for commercial insurance consultation in Germany. On its platform, it connects insurers and distributors from several sales channels as well as business customers. That revolutionizes the way how commercial insurances are consulted. The company’s technology solution covers the full consultation journey: from customer needs and risk assessment to contract closing and policy issuance leveraging data analytics and artificial intelligence. Unlike other insurtechs, Thinksurance was one of the first technology companies to assemble all parties involved on one platform. Even within the insurance companies, the platform involves the different stakeholders (e.g., underwriters, sales reps, actuaries, etc.). Business insurance distributors such as the majority of (online-)brokers and broker pools, agencies, banks, and others use the offering as SaaS to find and conclude the right insurance coverage for their clients. Thinksurance leverages its proprietary technology to make the process as easy as possible, e.g. with several APIs to distributors CRMs and insurer systems. The platform has become a central tool for communication and workflows within distributors and insurers. All relevant insurers already partner with the platform leading to an unrivaled market coverage in the commercial insurance space for small and medium-sized enterprises. Also, insurers are offered adjacent services such as Data Analytics, a Portfolio Transfer Tool, after sales processes or while label solutions for internal and external use. After first entering the market in January 2016, Thinksurance has managed to gain significant traction to shape the industry and the way commercial insurances are traded. Even though still only a small share of commercial insurance consultations is digitized, the young company is rapidly spreading across the country. In September 2019, the company announced the partnership with Eight Roads Ventures, a well-known, globally acting Venture Capital firm to scale at speed and expand to other countries within the next years. Because of this ambitious plan, in 2020 the team grew significantly not only regarding the insurance experts, tech gurus and specialists employed, but also the areas the young company is operating in. The first member of the French Thinksurance was hired to explore and prepare the French market for the #1 technology consultation platform. Operations will probably start in early 2021 and another European market will follow soon after. Connected through the passion for a digital future and aspire to transform the insurance industry, the Thinksurance team is on its way to have a strong footprint in the development of how insurers and distributors think about insurances. Florian Brokamp Thinksurance www.thinksurance.de G E R M A N Y 15 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM Florian Brokamp is a young entrepreneur and compassionate founder. He loves to develop his company and his team, which have both become an essential part of his life. After finalizing his studies both in law and business administration – two separate degrees in parallel – he started his career as Top-Management consultant at McKinsey &Company. While spending his time on digital projects, he developed his enthusiasm about new technologies. Blessed with a high level of energy and driven to accomplish something significant, he founded his first start-up in 2015 – Thinksurance. Florian as CEOhas not only amajor impact on shaping the business model since the early days, but also by maintaining the family-like culture. His team names positivity, commitment, and openness as his main personal traits. On top of that, he has proven creativity on developing new business lines. A large share of the company’s total revenue comes from their Data Analytics products, which have been originally invented by Florian on a napkin during a lunch break. This napkin has changed the way insurers calculate their prices and do their market research for commercial insurances. After starting with one co-founder and a first employee in a small room, where he could write all to-dos of the company on one board, in 2020 the company reached its first 100 employees. In his private life, Florian is a passionate tennis player and cross-fitter. Furthermore, he loves to be around people, listen to music and to enjoy his life with a smile – as someone raised in a wine region, of course also with a glass of wine. He has been active in several voluntary activities over the years, from helping social entrepreneurs or giving scholarships for students to co-leading the board of a local tennis club. Connected through the passion for a digital future and aspire to transform the insurance industry, the Thinksurance team is on its way to have a strong footprint in the development of how insurers and distributors think about insurances. ABOUT THINKSURANCE FLORIAN BROKAMP CONTACT
KLARNA Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO FINTECH INNOVATION S W E D E N IMAGE CREDIT: TECH.EU 16 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM
Klarna was founded in 2005 in Stockholm, Sweden with the aim of making it easier for people to shop online. In the last 14 years, technology has evolved, excited and transformed the world around us, yet our mission remains as relevant as ever, to make paying as simple, safe and above all, smoooth as possible. Klarna is now one of Europe’s largest banks and is providing payment solutions for 80 million consumers across 190,000 merchants in 17 countries. Klarna offers direct payments, pay after delivery options and instalment plans in a smooth one-click purchase experience that lets consumers pay when and how they prefer to. When the company acquired SOFORT in 2014 the Klarna Group was formed. Klarna is backed by investors such as Sequoia Capital, Bestseller, Permira, Visa and Atomico. Klarna is a part of The Klarna Group. Shop now. Pay later. We make shopping smoooth. With Klarna you can shop at your favourite online stores and pay later, so you can get what you love today. Pay in 3 instalments Buy what you love today, and spread the cost over time in 3 equal instalments. Your chosen card will be charged automatically. No interest. No fees. Ever. Pay up to 30 days later Shop now. Pay later. Get up to 30 days to pay ensuring you love your items before you pay with no late fees or interest. Say goodbye to waiting around for refunds. Keep track in our app Track your purchases, make payments, even snooze a transaction for 10 days, all in the Klarna app. Post purchase perfection In the Klarna app you can easily manage all your purchases and repayments, report a return and get help with any questions. Make payments, report a problem, manage returns. Chat with support 24/7 - we’re always here for you. 6-36 month financing Enter the easiest and most transparent financing plans you’ve ever seen. Spread your costs over flexible payment plans when you apply at checkout and receive an instant approval decision. S W E D E N In 2005, Sebastian Siemiatkowski cofounded Klarna in order to provide safe and smooth online payments. He currently serves as its Chief Executive Officer. Over the past decade, he has overseen the company’s rapid growth across Europe and more recently into North America. Klarna is a now fully licensed bank with 60mn consumer and 170,000 merchant user base. Sebastian has received multiple awards for his leadership, including runner up in the 2015 global EY Entrepreneur of the Year award, Leader of the Year by Adecco, and European Entrepreneur of the Year Award by TechTour. He holds a master’s degree from the Stockholm School of Economics. Degree of Master of Science, M.Sc. (Economics and Business), Stockholm School of Economics, 2007 Board member since 2005 and CEO since 2010 Board assignments: Board member and CEO of Klarna Holding AB Board chair or board member of other Group companies Board member in a number of small private holding companies without any operational activities. Other assignments: Chairman of the Advisory Board at SSE Business Lab 80M Total end-customers 190K Total number of merchants 1M Number of transactions per day 2.5K Number of employees 10% E-commerce Market Share Northern Europe ABOUT KLARNA SEBASTIAN SIEMIATKOWSKI Klarna www.klarna.com/uk CONTACT 17 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM
ANNE BODEN MBE CEO, Starling Bank BEST FINTECH BANKING U N I T E D K I N G D O M IMAGE CREDIT WWW.STARLINGBANK.COM 18 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM
What is Starling Bank? Starling Bank is an award-winning and fully-licensed bank built to give people a fairer, smarter and more human alternative to the banks of the past. With four different account types – personal, business, joint and euro – and a pioneering payment services proposition for businesses, Starling’s worldclass tech reimagines banking for life today, putting the tools people need to feel good about money in the palm of their hand. All of Starling’s accounts are protected up to £85,000 by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Want to find out how to use Starling Bank? Walk this way. Where we’ve been Starling was founded in 2014 by industryleadingbankerAnneBoden,whorecognised how technology could transform the way people manage their money and serve customers in a way that traditional banks hadn’t. We’ve since raised £263 million in backing and were voted Best British Bank two years running. Our customers also rate us Excellent on Trustpilot. How many customers does Starling have? In 2019, Starling passed one million customer accounts with £1 billion in deposits. Our people Starling’s head office is in London, but our team works across offices in Southampton, Cardiff and Dublin – and it’s growing every month! From the engineers who craft it and the security experts who protect it to the customer service reps who support it, our bank brings an incredibly diverse mix of people together to solve customer’s problems and build a better bank for everyone. Why we’re different The security of the banks of the past. The heart of the bank of the future. Ethical practices Saying no to rip-off fees. Listening to customers. Committing to an ethical approach. Banks haven’t always done the right thing, but that doesn’t mean they can’t. Diversity Inclusivity isn’t just a nice idea round here. It’s built into everything we do, from who we hire to how we treat people – and it informs how we build our product, too. Using tech for good is in our DNA. Making money equal We’re here to make banking better for everyone by demystifying money – which means no jargon or financial corporatespeak. From our T&Cs to our emails, we aim to be open, transparent and easy to understand. Innovation first Because our bank’s been built from scratch, we’ve been able to design the kind of banking features people actually need in today’s world – and fast. Who owns Starling? Starling is an independent, privately-owned company and is not part of any other bank. It is 24% owned by Anne Boden, employees and ex-employees and an employee benefits trust set up for employees. Why the name Starling? The Starling bird is sociable, adaptable, friendly and supportive – all qualities we wanted from our new bank. It also works as part of a team to make something as complex as a murmuration feel beautifully simple. You see where we’re going with this. U N I T E D K I N G D O M As CEO, Anne oversees the Executive Leadership Team and focuses its vision on building the best possible customer experience. She is also a member of Starling’s Board of Directors. After graduating in computer science and chemistry, Anne started her career at Lloyds Bank, where she helped architect CHAPS, the UK’s first real-time payments system. She worked at Standard Chartered and UBS, before becoming Head of EMEA, Global Transaction Banking across 34 countries for RBS and ABN AMRO. After the financial crisis, Anne spoke to people around the world about the changes in banking and technology. She joined Allied Irish Banks Plc as Chief Operating Officer to apply these learnings but was frustrated by the restrictions still imposed by outdated technology. Anne decided the only way to solve this was to build a bank from the ground up. This idea started becoming a reality in 2014 and Starling has grown from there. Anne’s vision for Starling is to build the best bank account in the world. Anne lives and breathes Starling, but if she had to do something very different it would be something entrepreneurial in the application of machine learning to fabric and fashion design. ABOUT STARLING BANK ANNE BODEN MBE Anne Boden MBE Starling Bank www.starlingbank.com CONTACT 19 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM
U N I T E D K I N G D O M PANNOVATE Pavle Ljujic, CEO & Founder PAYTECH FIRM OF THE YEAR 20 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM
Pannovate is an established digital solution provider for the financial services sector, managing clients in 4 continents through our London, Belgrade and Podgorica offices. Pannovate is exceptional in that it takes bespoke digital challenges and transforms them in to turn-key solutions that results in significantly shorter timescales. Pannovate’s suite of digital banking-as-aservice solutions are game changers in terms of their personalisation, agnostic integration ability and speed. Pannovate’s range of “Bank in a Box” solutions are impressive and range from “Lite” applications for organisations where speed to market is the primary factor (4-6weeks) or for a fully customisable banking solution which is ready in 12-18 weeks. It is Pannovate’s innovative infrastructure and development design that facilitates this unique differentiation and quick delivery. Pannovate works with a number of best in class vendors across all verticals of the global payments, banking and alternative finance ecosystems enabling them to offer the ideal combination of suppliers for even the most complex of client’s needs with the reassurance of delivered experience. Comprehensive understanding of the impact regulatory change is having on customers has focused Pannovate on creating robust and cost-effective solutions. The digital agenda is a strategic imperative for all businesses. Pannovate’s solutions and products accelerate the development of digital capabilities for companies operating in all areas of the financial services sector. What we have been doing? Pannovate’s focus has been on its agnostic powerhouse middleware solution, Syllo. This innovative platform offers customers a single access point to the global payments and banking ecosystem. Customers have the choice of their preferred suppliers or take to advantage of wide variety of existing integrations with best-in-class providers of their own respective services. Pannovate is continually updating Syllo’s existing integrations, with new suppliers being added on a monthly basis to maintain Syllo’s relevancy and global appeal. It also perfectly complements the Launchpad range of award winning front end applications that Pannovate is known for. Pannovate’s growth continued with clients in Canada, the US and Asia, capitalising on the increased demand for Pannovate products. Pannovate’s continuous improvement of its middleware produced a step change to a modular construction to retain the level of personalisation and flexibility but effectively speed up the delivery process. This led to the launch of the existing suite of innovative challenger products and transforming Pannovate in to the tech development powerhouse, it is now. Launchpad and Syllo products are now picking up award nominations from across the financial services sector. Pannovate products are competitive, robust, future forward, secure, and compliant - positioning Pannovate as a leader in this sector. What’s New? Launchpad Corporate is Pannovate’s next generation’s business account platform for domestic and international payments. Following an extensive research and development phase, Launchpad Corporate was designed to include only the most relevant features which satisfy the most ambitious of businesses. Pannovate designed Launchpad Corporate differently. Rather than starting with the tech, we started with the user experience because today’s end user is transient and loyalty is won through effective seamless customer journeys. Features include elements such as enhanced statements with real-time notifications, multi-currency cross-border payments and transfers, multi-party pay-out and more. Our innovative Bolt-On Solutions enable clients to add functionality quickly and cost effectively to create a finance platform that works for their customers. Other attractive benefits of Launchpad Corporate is its light integration and implementation requirements, meaning less disruption and ease to market. Pavle Ljujic Pannovate www.pannovate.com U N I T E D K I N G D O M Hands-on entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in card payments, including product marketing, business development and P&L management. Key focus is on customer engagement and loyalty and lifetime value through automation and tech innovation. Creator and founder of Pannovate, a leading tech company with a competitive and innovative product portfolio and a Fortune 500 client base. Pannovate develops market leading banking and payments products for fintech, neo banks and alterative banking organisations. At Pannovate, we understand the pressure to create unique value propositions and get to market quickly while offering exceptional customer experiences. We have worked tirelessly to create a suite of solutions that answers these challenges and more. - Pavle Ljujic ABOUT PANNOVATE PAVLE LJUJIC CONTACT 21 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM
U N I T E D K I N G D O M PERSONAL FINANCE TECH KEVIN MOUNTFORD Co-Founder, Raisin UK 22 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM
Raisin is the UK’s leading cash savings service and one of Europe’s most successful technology-led financial services companies. Raisin is open to people across all EU countries, with eight dedicated country websites, and a North American savings service for banks and credit unions. The cash savings service has made it easier to apply for deposit protected savings accounts from a range of banks and building societies. Raisin UK was co-founded by Kevin Mountford in 2017, following successful negotiations with Raisin GmBH. Kevin’s business values have been consistent throughout his career. He believes that a business needs a clear vision of what it wants to achieve, the problems it aims to solve and a great team with a strong work ethic that shares these beliefs. Kevin feels that it’s vital to allow individuals to develop their skills and expand their thinking, as those who progress and grow often become the reliable backbone of a business. Kevin’s career in finance began at the Bank of Scotland in 1987. After a merger between Halifax plc and the Bank of Scotland, Kevin became theHead of Affinities and Partnerships at HBOS, where he was responsible for third party relationships; providing credit cards, loans and savings products to a portfolio of 70 brands. During his time at HBOS, Kevin held directorships in two joint ventures and was responsible for a multi-million-pound P&L. Following a successful stint at HBOS, Kevin went on to become the Head of Sales and Marketing of Savings at BirminghamMidshires, before taking on the mantle of Distribution Director for Cheshire Building Society. In 2007, Kevin became the Head of Banking at moneysupermarket.com where he was instrumental in promoting cards, mortgages and savings. During his time at moneysupermarket.com, Kevin established himself as a recognised and respected industry spokesperson and boosted their annual revenue earnings from £2.5 million to £7 million. Kevin laid the groundwork of Raisin UK in 2011, by founding a consultancy and marketing business specialising in raising retail deposits for banks in the UK and Europe called Plan B Funding (PBF). Kevin helped to raise investment capital and steered PBF to success through partnerships with United National Bank and State Bank of India. On September 2017, the news was announced that following successful negotiations between Kevin and Raisin GmbH; Raisin UK was co-founded. At raisin.co.uk, UK savers can easily apply for notice account, fixed rate bond savings accounts and easy access savings accounts, with the number of banks partnering with Raisin UK continuously increasing, the goal at raisin.co.uk is to get Britain saving. To date, Raisin has brokered 29 billion Euros across Europe and has 310,000 customers across 31 European countries on seven platforms. With 104 partner banks, Raisin offers by far the largest variety of products and partner banks of all savings platforms and allows customers a wider choice and freedom of choice. Raisin UK David Wall david.wall@raisin.co.uk 07951 284 564 www.raisin.co.uk U N I T E D K I N G D O M ABOUT RAISIN CONTACT Raisin UK (raisin.co.uk) is the UK operation of Raisin GmbH (raisin.com). A trailblazer for open banking and the leading pan-European one-stop-shop for online savings and investments, Berlinbased fintech Raisin was founded in 2013. Raisin GmbH is a Berlin-based fintech innovator that has quickly grown to become one of the largest financial technology companies in Europe. Since launch, Raisin has brokered 21 billion EUR for more than 240,000 customers in 31 European countries and 90 partner banks. Raisin was named to Europe’s top five fintech by the renowned FinTech50 awards and is backed by prestigious European and American investors such as PayPal, Goldman Sacs, Thrive Capital, Orange Digital Ventures, Index Ventures and Ribbit Capital. Raisin UK co-founder, Kevin Mountford, who brings over 20 years of experience in the sector and a track record from companies such as MoneySupermarket. com and Halifax Bank of Scotland, is overseeing Raisin’s rapid growth within the UK. Raisin UK’s partner banks and products can be found on the website’s savings marketplace: www.raisin.co.uk/marketplace. KEY FACTS: To date, Raisin has brokered 29 billion Euros across Europe and has 310,000 customers across 31 European countries on seven platforms. 23 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM
C A Y M A N I S L A N D S EXCELLENCE IN CUSTOMER SERVICE VANTAGE FX David Bily, Head of Partnerships & Marketing 24 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM
What are the things that make Vantage FX’s customer service excellent? Being a true global company it’s important that we have the capacity to support our clients from every corner of the globe, which is why we offer around the clock multilingual customer support through a variety of channels. We also value all client feedback whether positive or negative to build upon areas we can improve, whether it’s the way in which we interact with our clients, the products we offer, or any other feedback that they provide. In what ways has the pandemic affected Vantage FX and how have you navigated the challenges it’s presented you with? Luckily, we’ve been fortunate enough to not have suffered too much during the pandemic. Working from home was a relatively easy adjustment due to the nature of our work being largely digital. We were able to communicate internally with suppliers, partners and clients. In fact, there was an uptick on client onboarding, which may be down to people looking to supplement their income or seek additional income streams if their industry was affected. Additionally, markets were extremely volatile during this time, so trading volume also spiked. What do you think the wider impact of COVID-19 will be on the FinTech sector? If anything, it has encouraged companies to be more resourceful in seeking solutions and workarounds to overcome disruptions such as working remotely and communicate effectively. We’ve seen many companies expand their online presence and in many cases market more aggressively to an audience that’s now more receptive. The buy now pay later companies have pounced since COVID and we anticipate seeing that sector of FinTech continue to grow and evolve, as well as companies like Acorns and Robinhood who are disrupting the traditional investment and trading space. What does this award mean to you? We are thrilled to be recognized by FinTech Awards; the online trading industry is constantly evolving with the emergence of better technologies and we’re proud to be at the forefront of it so we can continue to not only improve our offering, but provide our clients with a superior product in terms of accessibility, performance and of course, safety. About Vantage FX Vantage FX was founded in 2009 by a highly-specialised team with backgrounds in Finance, FOREX and Technology. Created to help clients pursue their financial goals, we proudly offer transparent access to the FOREX market, powerful trading platforms (MT4 and MT5), exceptional execution speed, and award-winning customer service. Given our strong background, we have always been able to offer superior access to global FOREX markets, which is why professional and retail traders are able to notice the remarkable difference between Vantage FX and other brokers. We continually strive to evolve our offering to ensure that we deliver a service that is far superior to anything else on the market. Smart traders make smart decisions, so become a Vantage FX client today and experience the difference. Vantage FX support@vantagefx.com US - +44 2080363883 International - +61 2 8999 2046 C A Y M A N I S L A N D S AN INTERVIEW WITH VANTAGE FX CONTACT We value all client feedback whether positive or negative to build upon areas we can improve, whether it’s the way in which we interact with our clients, the products we offer, or any other feedback that they provide. 25 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM
MILKAH WACHIURI Cellulant, Group CFO PAYMENT INNOVATION P A N - A F R I C A IMAGE CREDIT: CELLULANT 26 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM
Cellulant - connecting people to what matters to them. everyday Cellulant is connecting a continent. Africa is home to 1.2Bn people which represents 16.2% of the world population. Increasingly, African consumers are getting connected to the internet with a 35.2% internet penetration rate (453Mn already connected) and growing at 20% Year on Year. The internet penetration rate is getting better with initiatives geared towards high internet proliferation like laying down of fiber cables by governments, initiatives like Facebook express Wi-Fi, Google loon project, falling data costs and a projected 26% smartphone penetration in 2018. In most of sub-Saharan Africa, nearly 90% of all payments and transactions remain cash based. As such, African consumers have limited options when it comes to making payments and merchants cannot efficiently and effectively collect payments. In 2017, online payments alone in Africa were estimated at US$ 48b. Ninety eight percent of these payments were made in cash with credit card and bank accounts standing at 1.5% and 22% respectively. This represents a latent demand for payments digitization amongst a landscape of fragmented merchants. Furthermore, in regions where financial inclusion is limited, mobile money promises a lower-cost, more scalable alternative to traditional banking. Cellulant, a leading Pan-African payments company is fixing Africa’s payments problems by connecting 700m mobile users to payments that power their daily lives. A unified payments platform which powers marketplaces that matter in local, global and value-chain payments, Cellulant’s belief in providing solutions to everyday challenges across Africa has led to digitizing payments end to end. As a result Cellulant is able to provide increased transparency and broader reach within a single digital commerce platform for financial sector players. From a dream, $3000 and a serviette... Cellulant’s co-founders, Ken Njoroge and Bolaji Akinboro from opposite ends of the continent, sat across each other at a dinner table, and on a serviette, drew a business model that became Cellulant. In 2002, they set out to establish what is today a leading multinational payments business in Africa, for Africa by Africans. The mission? To build the number 1 payments business in Africa; led by valuesdriven entrepreneurial minded people. Cellulant commenced operations in Kenya and Nigeria and has grown to operate across 11 African countries, including: Zambia, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Uganda, Botswana, Mozambique, Malawi, Rwanda and a team of more than 350 people. P A N - A F R I C A Milkah is a Certified Public Accountant, trained at Strathmore University who also holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) degree from University of Nairobi. She started her career at Deloitte as an auditor where she worked on various assignments across various industries that honed her skills in accounting. She later joined Cellulant fascinated by the big audacious goal of building a tech business in Africa for Africans and by Africans. Her role was to set up the group finance reporting structure and later rose to group finance manager and shortly thereafter to group CFO. At Cellulant, she has helped build and structure a finance function across 10 markets and raised 2 rounds of critical funding to grow the business, the latest one in May 2018 at $47.5mil (the largest of its kind in Africa for a technology business that is purely invested in Africa). She is extremely passionate about mentorship which she implements at work by transforming her team into seeing themselves as business drivers and not just number crunchers. Outside of work she dedicates her time to students mentoring ad coaching them to become believers in their ability as individuals despite their circumstances. Her mantra? “stay curious. There is a different between surviving or thriving either as an individual or as a business - and what differentiates the two is how curious and hungry you stay for information no matter how high up the the ladder you go. I’ve learnt over the years to never feel shy to ask what may seem like stupid questions just because of my position...ever!” ABOUT CELLULANT MILKAH WACHIURI Cellulant East Africa Hub: 5th floor, cavendish, 14 riverside, riverside drive. Nairobi. West Africa Hub: 9th floor Churchgate building, opposite World Trade Centre, Central Business District Abuja. Email: info@cellulant.com www.cellulant.com CONTACT 27 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM
EUROPE
B E L G I U M 30 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM UNIFIEDPOST GROUP Hans Leybaert, Founder & CEO CLOUD SOFTWARE INNOVATION
UnifiedpostGroup isa leadingEuropean Fintech company structuring complex financial ecosystems with convenient and smart digital solutions. We simplify, digitalise and optimise business processes for both B2B and B2C and provide disruptive payment and financial services. At Unifiedpost Group we believe we can do little alone but together so much more. At Unifiedpost Group, our mission is to help customers structure complex financial ecosystems by delivering convenient, smart, digital solutions. Throughout the world, businesses are digitalising their financial value chain: from contract or order, to invoice, payment and financing. For this evolution to succeed, there must be a trusted network connecting this diverse ecosystem. Our secure, cloud-based platform empowers businesses by creating a space where this network can exist and deliver streamlined, automated business functions, frome-invoicing and payments processing, to working capital financing, e-identity solutions and more. At Unifiedpost Group, we help you digitalise your financial value chain by delivering smart, integrated and accessible cloud-based solutions. We change the way people work. Our approach unlocks efficiency and added value by providing customers with real-time access to all their financial activity on one intuitive platform – a smart collaborative space where they can manage all transactions. Anytime and anywhere. Documents As businesses grow, the administrative burden usually grows with them. Managing high volumes of transactions can be a significant strain on resources– especially when it’s done the old fashioned way. We have developed our documents & communications solution specifically for enterprises that manage high volumes of financial transactions. Identity Fully certified, and compliant with all required privacy and security regulations, our Identity services provide secure platforms for online identification and onboarding. Payments As one of Europe’s leading payment service providers, we can make the entire financial supply chain simpler, whether the customer is a multi-national corporate, or a SME serving a small local market. Finance & Services Our platform and marketplace, allow for additional services to be added easily to diverse ecosystems to offer, for example, financing, credit scoring or debt management solutions. With a pedigree for technological innovation and a track record spanning over nearly 20 years, our journey tells a story of ambition, commitment and collaboration. But our journey doesn’t end here! It’s only just begun. Why choose Unifiedpost Group? Unifiedpost Group simplifies mission critical business processes, from invoicing and payments to financing solutions and valueadded apps. One Stop Shop One cloud-based platform = one secure centralised space for all your financial data. Easy Integration We design solutions that complement customers’ IT environments and integrate easily with their systems. Fast Implementation No need for hardware or onsite installations – you just need a username and password to access our cloud solutions. Compliant We follow industry standards and are compliant with all privacy and security regulations. Hans Leybaert Unifiedpost Group www.unifiedpost.com B E L G I U M 31 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM Hans founded Unifiedpost in 2001 and transformed the company from a Benelux player focused on document processing to a reputable Pan-European cloudbased services specialist with over €69m revenues. Previously, Hans was partner at Axias Belgium and an account manager at Dutch software company Baan. At Unifiedpost Group, our mission is to help customers structure complex financial ecosystems by delivering convenient, smart, digital solutions. ABOUT UNIFIEDPOST GROUP HANS LEYBAERT CONTACT
E S T O N I A 32 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM BLOCKHIVE Hikaru Kusaka, Co-Founder BLOCKCHAIN ADVISOR OF THE YEAR
What is blockhive and how it will affect the world? blockhive is a technology company based in Tallinn, Estonia. blockhive collaborates with partners and develops blockchain strategy and technology solutions with them. Its four main businesses include a digital wallet, a cryptocurrency mining facility, a venture capital fund that invests in blockchain projects, and a new crowdfunding solution built based on ethereum. We expect to expand further as we collaborate with more partners. blockhive chose Estonia as its home after seeing how the nation has successfully brought decentralized technology into the everyday lives of its citizens. Estonia has also implemented policies that are business friendly, with regulatory reform that focuses on market openness and transparency. MISSION blockhive bridging the gap Our mission is to bring users a step closer to the adaptation of the blockchain technology, bridging the gap between the present and the future. With years of experience in developing blockchain solutions for corporations, blockhive seeks to use its knowledge and expertise to help companies jump-start their next stage of growth. One vision: To make blockchain practical for everyone. Strengths What makes blockhive unique An expanding number of companies understand that the potential of blockchain technologies but are not sure where to start. That is where blockhive comes in. Our team has an in-depth understanding of the blockchain space. blockhive seeks to add value by helping companies select the best strategy to integrate blockchain into their business. That’s because our past makes us who we are today… blockhive was established in 2017 in Estonia by blockchain veterans and enthusiasts. Five years before that, So Nagasawa and Hikaru Kusaka had formed Spread Inc., a Tokyobased software company. They started developing a social capital data structure that measures credibility using blockchain in 2013. That was followed by the development of a number of trading systems using decentralized technologies including Ripple, Stellar, and Ethereum. By 2017, they decided to build a new company in Estonia and invited Kazuteru Arimura who specializes in finance to join them in this new journey. Why blockhive is using blockchain? • Transfer of value without boundaries • Data Transparency • Empowering Individuals by becoming data sovereign owners Accelerate location-independent opportunity The next era of business means transferring the hierarchy of control from a single governing force and placing it in the hands of capable individuals. Blockchain empowers the individual to seize control of their data, identify, information, value, and much more by eliminating unnecessary third party actors and placing it in secured data storage structures. blockhive uses blockchain to empower individuals by breaking barriers of standard business and investing structures today and opens the door to opportunities that were not possible with past business models. Look into our business models to explore how we use blockchain in each platforms. What can blockhive do for you? Blockhive provides solutions in four different areas of business, each catered by a different model under blockhive. Hikaru Kusaka Blockhive blockhive.ee E S T O N I A 33 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM Hikaru has provided strategic advice to both the public and private as an expert on blockchain technologies. In light of the short history of the blockchain, Hikaru’s in-depth knowledge of the industry is invaluable. He founded Estonia-based blockhive to apply his knowledge on a wider scale. Hikaru is an advisor of the Review Committee of the Estonian government. Our mission is to bring users a step closer to the adaptation of the blockchain technology, bridging the gap between the present and the future. ABOUT BLOCKHIVE HIKARU KUSAKA CONTACT
E S T O N I A 34 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM MODULARBANK Vilve Vene, Co-Founder & CEO BUSINESS BANKING
The modular platform for seamless banking. Transform your bank or offer new financial services within weeks. We have built a platform for the next generation banking experiences both in retail and business banking. Our mission Modularbank offers sophisticated and flexible modular-based banking not just to existing banks and challenger banks, but to any business wishing to quickly roll out tailored financial services to their customers. In today’s competitive market, speed to market is crucial. We are passionate about delivering an efficient and flexible premium product in a matter of weeks.Our working model is agile and nimble, allowing us to keep the time to market as low as possible – without compromising the quality of our solution. Modularbank is built on technological excellence but also a wealth of experience in banking. We always look to find solutions for our customer’s business first, we don’t just supply technology. We are trusted partners for our customers, not just platform providers. Our product Our core banking platform is designed to offer next-generation banking experiences for both retail and business banking. The keyword here is being modular, which allows you to choose the specific services (modules) you require. Just like a house built from Lego blocks, the blocks fit together perfectly and form a perfect home.However, you can always take the blocks apart, use only some of them and leave out others. The platform is an API-first for quick and easy integration with your own ecosystem. It is powered by a mighty workflow engine and while preconfigured workflows mean that you are ready to go in an instant, you can always define your own workflows to suit the way your business works. Banking Core Banking Core module is essentially the ‘heart’ of every bank. It is the back-end system that processes banking transactions and keeps track of customers’ money. Modularbank’s banking core enables a wide range of functions from opening current accounts, (both single and multi-currency) to defining the lifecycle of the account and keeping track of all transactions on the account. There are no limits in defining interest calculation, service fee or any other rules for an account type either for a specific customer segment or even for a certain customer. Unlike in other core banking systems, setting up or amending rules can be done easily by frontline bank customer service staff in mere minutes. Absolutely no coding is needed. Deposits/ Savings accounts Modularbank’s deposit module supports all types of savings accounts. Rules regarding interest rates, withdrawals and savings terms can be easily defined, allowing you to devise new types of savings accounts that best meet the needs of your customers. Assets & Collateral For every secured credit product, banks need to keep a track of assets, sureties or other types of collateral that guarantee these loans. To put it simply, the module holds the descriptions of different types of assets and collaterals and their characteristics and financial value, be it real estate, car loans, equity/stock share or something else. The module keeps track of the market value of the specific asset over time, making it possible to immediately identify and take measures if the value of the asset falls below the amount needed to cover the related loan. Payments Putting it simply, the payment module does everything required to make money move between banks and other payment providers seamlessly. We support both SEPA and SEPA instant payments as well as providing capabilities for easy integrations with different national and international payment systems. The latter include SWIFT, Bankgirot, Faster Payments, Sorbnet as well with integrators like Form3, Transferwise, and others. Vilve Vene Ayannah www.modularbank.co E S T O N I A 35 FINANCE MONHTLY FINTECH AWARDS 2021 WWW.FINANCE-MONTHLY.COM Vilve Vene is the CEO and co-founder of Modularbank. Her career in fintech spans three decades, having started devising innovative technology for the financial services sector well before the term ‘fintech’ even became a tangible concept. Vilve’s career in financial IT started when she joined Hansabank, a start-up formed by four economics graduates who wanted to modernise banking. Vilve joined the company in 1992, quickly rising to the role of Head of IT development, a position that would shape her career. With no initial capital or experience in commercial banking, and out of both necessity and ingenuity, Vilve and her IT team built a bank that was digital from the very beginning. As early as 1993, Hansabank was offering PC banking to business customers. It later became one of the first in the world to offer online banking, establishing itself as a credible player in the industry. In 2002, Vilve left Hansabank with a wealth of experience that enabled her to set up Icefire, providing transformative technologies for banks and fintechs. With Modularbank, Vilve aims to take fintech one stage further: to provide seamless banking infrastructure to any type of company. Vilve lives in the capital of Estonia, Tallinn. Her favourite pastimes include travelling and exploring the world, reading and going to the theatre. ABOUT MODULARBANK VILVE VENE CONTACT
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