When most people think about building a bank, they imagine decades of tradition, cautious growth, and heavy bureaucracy. Today, OpenPayd is not only redefining the future of financial services but also processing over €130 billion every year. But what really lies behind this success?
In our latest podcast, Alex Rud (CEO of Xpaid) spoke with Dr. Ozan Özerk (founder of OpenPayd, Bitpace, and EMBank): uncovering the principles behind the success, the strategic approach that drives growth, and the values shaping his vision for the future of financial solutions.
Key Takeaways from the Podcast:
- Failure before success. How early mistakes became the foundation for OpenPayd’s success.
- The first customers: Winning trust in a world where credibility is everything.
- Why taking the “biggest risk” was the only path forward.
- The turning point: The single decision that gave OpenPayd its strongest push for growth.
- Beating competitors: How innovation and agility helped outperform traditional players.
- How Özerk transitioned from being a doctor to launching startups in social media, e-commerce, and payments.
- The origins of OpenPayd and why regulation, licensing, and compliance became central to its strategy.
- The launch of Bitpace and the challenges of bridging crypto and traditional finance.
- Why fintech must complement, not replace banks, and how cooperation creates opportunities.
- Thoughts on competition, ego, stress management, and the reality of being a founder.
- The future of embedded finance and OpenPayd’s expansion.
Watch the full interview on YouTube
