4 Women Who Disrupted the Fintech Industry
It's Women's History Month, and the fintech world is about to get a serious dose of girl power! In an industry traditionally dominated by men, these remarkable women have shattered glass ceilings, rewritten the rules, and left an unforgettable mark on the world of finance.
1. Maxine Ryan
Maxine is the co-founder and COO of Bitspark, a Hong Kong-based blockchain-based remittance platform. The platform allows users to send money abroad without needing a bank account or the fees that come along with it. Maxine, who had no formal tech education, was on Forbes’ list of 30 under 30 - Asia - Finance & Venture Capital in 2018.
in advance
In 2009, Kathryn and Rob Frohwein co-founded and launched the online small business lender Kabbage. It’s a fully automated platform that enables users to apply in minutes. Kabbage has since given more than $5 billion to small businesses. In 2022, alongside Frohwein, Kathryn started a new fintech company called Keep Financial Technologies. The fintech provides a platform that businesses can use to pay employees in advance bonuses that vest over time. The goal is to offer a tempting benefit to attract highly qualified workers who require cash to pay off debt, purchase a home, or save for retirement. Additionally, these new employees are encouraged to stay a while because they are essentially zero-interest loans that the company repays over time.
3. Angela Strange
“Every Company Will Be a Fintech Company," you’ve heard this saying before, now meet the woman who coined it. Angela is a General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz where she focuses on FinTech & Insurance. She is also a member of the Advisory Council on Economic Growth for Canada and a Board member at the C100 - a non-profit company made up of notable Canadian expat tech executives, entrepreneurs, and investors residing and working in Silicon Valley.
4. Anne Boden
Anne with an E is the CEO of Starling Bank, a British neobank. Through its mobile app, the bank helps people to effectively manage their personal finances. It also gained the “Unicorn” title in 2021. She has been a trailblazer in the fintech sector and worked to develop a more inclusive and diverse workforce. She even published a tell-all about the beginning and rise of Starling.
So here's to a future where fintech isn't just a boys' club but a vibrant melting pot of diverse talents and ideas. Cheers to the badass women shaking up the scene – may their awesomeness rub off on the next gen!