We spoke with Bianca Zwart about the evolving financial sector and her advice for career-goers beginning their professional journey.
The working landscape has changed irrevocably in the advent of technology, with virtually every career touched in a way by modernity. From healthcare and education, to IT and the life sciences, the list of STEM and STEM adjacent roles that have been transformed by tech could go on and on, but perhaps one of the more impressive and indeed exciting evolutions, is that of the fintech career.
For Bianca Zwart, the chief strategy officer at neobank Bunq, the Irish market in particular, is at a turning point, in that it is being underserved by the traditional banking systems and while there is a great deal of potential in fintech solutions, more innovation is needed.
Not least because we are fast becoming a society that responds to the idea that the elements that make up our lives, such as our home, careers and ambitions are outwardly mobile. For Zwart, banking on a global scale, is perhaps the most perfect example of how life simply isn’t linear anymore.
“People don’t stay in one job, one country, or even pay with just one currency,” she told SiliconRepublic.com. “But most banks are still built for a world where everything happens in one place, under one name, with one salary. What if banking was built for how people actually live today?”
And that is the key for Zwart, it isn’t about being a high-tech, advanced or ultra-modern system, that is novel for the sake of it. Rather, it is about finding the niche in the market, understanding where the mistakes are being made and innovating for a constantly growing sector.
“The players that will crack the market focus on specific user needs and solve real, everyday problems,” she explained. “Irish consumers are clear about what they want, simple, smart ways to put their money to work. The solutions that thrive here will be the ones that truly listen and build with that in mind.”
A fintech foundation
To get there and to be the person driving change in a sector that moves as rapidly as fintech does, Zwart explained you don’t have to be miles ahead of the crowd. But you do need to find a passion for engineering your own wins and personal successes.
“I’ve never believed in career planning. It always felt too externally motivated, like chasing titles, ticking boxes, doing what looks good on paper. That’s never been me. I’m intrinsically motivated. I want to do things because they interest me, not because they fit some career ladder,” she said.
Having joined the banking space via a large, traditional bank based in the Netherlands, simply because she was skilled in a number of languages, specifically Dutch, English and Spanish, she knew there was career potential here, but just didn’t quite see the route she needed to take.
But one morning in a meeting, a colleague mentioned the launch of a new bank, founded by a “group of techies”, with modern ideas. “Everyone burst out laughing. ‘That’ll never work’, [they said], but it stuck with me.”
And by the end of the meeting, Zwart knew she wanted to have a part in the future of fintech, which meant moving away from what could be considered the more traditional. While the rest is history, she emphasised, you don’t have to have it all figured out. In fact hardly anyone ever does.
What really matters is that “you’re willing to put in the work and do what’s needed, when it’s needed. Don’t be afraid to question how things are done. Growth isn’t supposed to feel easy, that’s kind of the whole point. If it does, you’re probably standing still.
“We are constantly bombarded by best practices”, she explained, but by choosing your own path and seeking out the unexpected, you can find your way through the noise and instead focus on the problems you want to solve. “Dig deep and don’t get distracted.”
“But most importantly, question yourself. Where can I grow? What’s getting in my way? Am I in my own way? nine out of 10 times, it’s you. And if it’s you, that’s great, because that means you can fix it.
“And honestly, even me giving this interview is just another voice telling you what to do. In the end, you have to figure it out yourself. And that’s the best news I can give you today.”
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