AI Magazine Issue 9 2018

6 Acquisition International - Issue 9 2018 Alpha Fintech is evolving how Fintech providers are accessed by simplifying and centralizing access through a single dynamic API while introducing unprecedented product design possibilities via vendor interoperability. Having recently awarded Oliver Rajic CEO of the Year 2018 - Asia Pacific in our prestigious 2018 CEO of the Year Awards, we invited him to talk us through how he has driven this dynamic company to the success it enjoys today. wise Bank CEO said that he “never understood why banks want to build and operate their own powerplant when they could just plug into one and shift focus and resources onto more relevant issues instead”. Today, the financial technology industry is flooded with new innovators who are focused solely on perfecting solutions that solve specific niche problems. As a result, corporates now require access to a larger set of solutions to cater for a continuously expanding number of individual business needs. Many legacy providers maintain a misguided love affair with the idea of competing with the market innovators, attempting to build these functions in- house. However, results have been so ineffective that merchants are simply shifting away from the single- vendor dependency models and instead integrating and managing dozens solution APIs in-house, marginalising legacy providers in the process. Today’s progressive CTO no longer has the luxury of being reluctant or resistant to change or attempting to go it alone, which is what Alpha aimed to solve when we launched in 2012. Alpha has been developing the world’s first multi- vendor access platform that consolidates the entire payments, risk and transaction world onto one platform, the AlphaHub. The AlphaHub is Fintech’s first end-to-end middleware, connecting the bank and payment gateway solution buyers with relevant vendor suppliers across the entire payments, risk and commerce spectrum through a single API and UI. This single ecosystem empowers vendors on the Hub to expose their solutions to Banks instantly, Company: Alpha Fintech Contact: Oliver Rajic Web Address: www.alphafin.tech Oliver Rajic: Leading A Fintech Revolution A 1809AI24 avoiding lengthy integration delays. While Banks in turn can now instantly introduce new revenue streams exposing these solutions to their Merchants to customize from. With Alpha, payment solution providers morph into digital commerce enablers by transforming the payment transaction into an information entry point, away from the solution dead- end it is today. Ultimately, via Alpha’s unparalleled vendor integration agility and vendor management capabilities, the user can confidently shift their resources towards customer interfacing value-add layers instead. It is the firm’s innovative solutions and commitment to supporting its clients that have led it to the success it enjoys today, as Oliver is keen to showcase. “We truly underestimated the inherent resistance to change, and the prevalence of the perception that the status quo represents ‘fine today’ and a sort of safety net. Today’s digital commerce market is more dynamic than ever, with new competitors either expanding globally or local ones appearing overnight. As a dollar today is worth less tomorrow, unless investment returns keep up with inflation, so too will a business’ market position unless a solution partner like Alpha is utilised to keep up with tomorrow’s requirements, today. Ultimately, innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity, not a threat and distinguish yourself as a leader versus being a follower.” “Leveraging our unique industry knowledge and morphing into quasi-consultants that act as an extension of our customer’s product teams, was an unexpected but welcome development. Sharing valuable knowledge is a key aspect of supporting our customers and overcoming a miss-guided affinity for the status-quo.” As the leader of this proactive and dynamic firm, Oliver drives Alpha’s internal culture from the top. He explains how this culture revolves around knowledge and continuous development. “Sharing valuable knowledge is a key aspect of supporting our customers and overcoming a miss-guided affinity for the status-quo.”