Miguel Armaza interviews Mikhail Lomtadze, CEO of Kaspi.kz (NASDAQ:KSPI), one of the largest publicly traded fintechs in the world and the leading tech platform in Kazakhstan. Kaspi is traded on the Nasdaq and has a current market cap of $24 billion dollars.

They also have incredible numbers. They serve 15 million customers, in a country with a population of 20 million; 2/3 of their clients use them daily; 2023 revenue was $4.2B with net income margin of 45%, and they’re growing at ~50% YoY.

We discuss:

• Transforming the company from a bank to leading tech giant
• Kaspi’s obsession around product, customer service, and Net Promoter Score
• Mikhail’s background from humble beginnings in Georgia to Harvard Business School, to CEO of Kaspi
• The amazing story of Kazakhstan’s digital transformation and how digital payments replaced cash from 15% to 85% market-share in just eight years… and a lot more!

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Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder and General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.

Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4Z

Miguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBc

Fintech Leaders Newsletter: bit.ly/3jWIp

Miguel Armaza interviews Blake Hall is the CEO & Co-Founder of ID.me, one of the leading US companies in identity verification with over 130 million users. Founded in 2011, ID.me has raised around $300 million in equity from BoxGroup, Blu Venture, Moonshots Capital, Capital G, Morgan Stanley, Viking Global, and a long list of impressive funds and angels.

Blake is also a decorated war veteran and he was awarded 2 Bronze Star medals from the US Army for his service in Iraq.

We discuss:

• Leadership lessons from his days of combat in Iraq with the US Army
• Transition from military service to entrepreneurship
• What he's learned from building a friendship with Elon Musk
• Importance of feedback, learning, and decision-making in the entrepreneurial journey
• Early challenges, the growing threat of identity theft and fraud… lots more!

Want more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today’s global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond.

Do you prefer a written summary? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join 65,000+ readers and listeners worldwide!

Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder and General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.

Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4Z

Miguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBc

Fintech Leaders Newsletter: bit.ly/3jWIp

Miguel Armaza interviews Vishal Garg, CEO & Founder of Better.com (NASDAQ: BETR), a publicly traded online mortgage lender that has funded more than $100 billion in mortgage volume in the last decade. Prior to going public in 2023, they raised capital from a long list of VCs, including Activant, Softbank, AmEx, Citi, and Goldman among others.

We discuss:

• How Better’s business volume exploded in 2020 & 2021, but later dropped 99% in a matter of months
• Going from 1,500 to 10,000 employees within almost a year and then having to layoff most of them
• An inside look into Vishal’s controversial decision to let go 900 people over zoom
• Better’s latest product innovations, the state of the residential real estate market… lots more!

Want more podcast episodes? Join me and follow Fintech Leaders today on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app for weekly conversations with today’s global leaders that will dominate the 21st century in fintech, business, and beyond.

Do you prefer a written summary? Check out the Fintech Leaders newsletter and join 65,000+ readers and listeners worldwide!

Miguel Armaza is Co-Founder and General Partner of Gilgamesh Ventures, a seed-stage investment fund focused on fintech in the Americas. He also hosts and writes the Fintech Leaders podcast and newsletter.

Miguel on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nKha4Z

Miguel on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Jb5oBc

Fintech Leaders Newsletter: bit.ly/3jWIp