What does it take to scale a regulated fintech across eight countries and build toward a $1B valuation — profitably?

In this episode of Startup Scaleup People, we talk to Benjamin Wong, CEO & co-founder of Transwap, a cross-border payments and FX platform licensed in 6+ countries, supporting 24 currencies and over 180 markets.

🎧 Hosted by Mario Rivas and Tiffany Shown, this conversation covers embedded finance, building payment infrastructure, managing a global team, profitability vs. valuation, and what it really takes to become a unicorn.

📢 About Startup Scaleup PeopleReal stories from startup, scaleup & enterprise leaders. From boardrooms to founder garages — we bring you insights on growth, leadership, funding, exits, and everything in between.New episodes every Sunday at 4PM UK time.

🧭 Chapters

00:00 Intro & Founding Transwap

04:00 The 3 Pain Points Solved by Transwap

08:00 Resilience, Mistakes & Lessons from 3 Startups

12:00 Building a Global Org with Local Compliance

17:00 Embedded Payments & Real-Time Infrastructure

22:00 Fraud Prevention, Speed & Stablecoin Plans

26:00 Fundraising, IPO Strategy & Unicorn Path

31:00 Advice for Founders & Entrepreneurial Mindset

💬 Key Highlights▸ Operating in 180+ countries with embedded payment rails▸ Built a profitable fintech with 100+ employees, 24-currency business accounts▸ Connecting 11,000+ banks and enabling peer-to-peer + fiat payments▸ Preparing for IPO with strong board & regulatory focus▸ Insights on fintech compliance, founder mindset & hiring globally

👥 Who Should ListenFintech founders • Global operators • Scaleup teams • Banking & payment leaders • Board advisors • Investors

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🧠 Keywordsstartup, scaleup, entrepreneurship, business podcast, leadership, business growth, founder mindset, startup stories, scaleup journey, entrepreneur advice, business strategy, innovation, venture capital, startup founders, startup funding, executive leadership, enterprise leadership, enterprise strategy, business transformation, board of directors, fractional leadership, NEDs, startup scaleup people, fintech, payments, cross-border, compliance

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