Kicking Off Season 4 with a Fintech Bang!
At Europe's first fintech festival, FIBE, we had the pleasure of speaking to Miriam Wohlfarth, one of Germany's leading fintech founders and a pioneer in the industry internationally.
FIBE's mission is to bring together the traditional banking and fintech industries to showcase the latest trends, developments and innovations in finance through congresses, expos, workshops and mini-events with guest speakers such as the German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection and the former Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin.
Having started her career in the travel industry, Miriam co-founded RatePAY and Banxware, transforming Europe's digital payments landscape. Her interest in online payments was sparked back in 2000, when Amazon was just starting out (imagine buying a book in a real bookstore!) and online bookings were becoming more common, fueling her belief that change was just around the corner.
"If you fail, what is the worst thing that can happen to you if this isn’t working out?"
After talking to friends, colleagues and peers, Miriam made the brave decision to jump from the world of travel sales into the fast-growing and massively underdeveloped universe of online payments. Now, with nearly twenty years' experience in online banking and fintech, Miriam has deep insights into the challenges and opportunities facing the industry.
Throughout the conversation, Miriam went onto discuss the looming skills shortage and her approach to attracting top talent, whilst speaking passionately about her advisory roles and volunteering with numerous projects such as hackathons and Startup Teens, a project close to her heart as a mother with a teenage daughter navigating the world of technology.
“If schools aren’t teaching it, I think that we as entrepreneurs need to fulfill a different role.”
The event drew to a close with Miriam opening up about her approach to leadership, her tips for maintaining balance in a fast-paced environment, and the invaluable lessons she has learned throughout her entrepreneurial journey.
Thank you to the FIBE conference for hosting us and for Miriam for starting off the new season with such inspirational insights!