Payments & Fintech Executive · Product & Technology Builder
The Full Picture.
I've spent nearly two decades in Europe's banking and payments industry — from AML and due diligence at RBS and State Street to country P&L at Western Union. As Head of Baltic States, I own the P&L and market strategy across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Since I was 8, I have been passionate about programming and computer science. It all began with Amstrad CPC 6128 and a very simple BASIC code. That habit never left: today I design software architecture and write production code for web, data and AI products. Recent work includes Oskar, a platform built for Touchideas; FineStack, a stablecoin learning platform from Vacaloca Labs; and NewRemit, a cross-border payments analytics platform.
At a Glance
- Warwick Business School — MBA with Merit
- SGH Warsaw School of Economics — MSc Banking & Finance
Ventures & Technology
Co-founder
2025 — PresentVacaloca Labs
I co-founded Vacaloca Labs, a boutique studio building web, data and AI products. Working with my co-founder across strategy and design, I lead software architecture and hands-on development, from product definition through implementation, deployment and iteration.
Selected work
- Oskar: software architecture and development of an AI consumer research platform for Touchideas.arrow_forward
- NewRemit: a cross-border payments analytics platform I designed and built.arrow_forward
- FineStack: an interactive Ethereum and stablecoin learning platform for payments professionals, currently in beta.arrow_forward
How I Work
Nearly two decades of running deals, products and P&L in payments taught me the business. Writing production code taught me what it really takes to deliver it. Together, they make for faster, better-grounded decisions.
Payments & Banking Leadership
Nearly two decades across compliance, business development, digital product, enterprise sales and country P&L in Europe’s payments industry.
Partnerships & Go-To-Market
Bank and fintech partnerships, agent networks and digital launches — from first conversation through integration to market.
Technology & AI
Production software in TypeScript, React, Next.js and Python, plus LLM-powered products — from internal dashboards to live platforms.
Tech Stack
What I build with
Executive Experience
Head of Baltic States
2025 — PresentWestern Union • Warsaw
Lead P&L, commercial strategy and operations across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, spanning pricing, retail distribution, digital channels and B2B partnerships. Negotiate multimillion-dollar agreements with Tier-1 financial institutions and set commercial priorities balancing growth and profitability. Oversee regional regulatory compliance in collaboration with legal, compliance and operational teams.
Go-To-Market Lead, Digital Bank Poland & Romania | Head of Baltic States Omnichannel
2023 — 2025Western Union • Warsaw
Held a dual leadership mandate across five markets, combining digital-bank go-to-market in Poland and Romania with Baltic P&L ownership. Led digital-bank go-to-market strategy for Poland and Romania, covering product positioning, pricing and CRM campaigns. Established partnerships with payment providers and KYC solution vendors. Owned Baltic P&L across retail and digital channels and negotiated multimillion-dollar agreements with Tier-1 financial institutions. Led a global task force on the receiver experience, presenting progress and recommendations quarterly to the Western Union CEO. Designed and built internal analytics tools, including a geospatial dashboard used by cross-functional teams for market and performance analysis.
Head of Sales & Integrations, Financial Institutions — Central Europe
2021 — 2023Western Union • Warsaw
Led enterprise partnerships and payment-platform integrations across eight markets in DACHL and Central and Eastern Europe. Negotiated and delivered three strategic agreements with banks and fintechs in Germany and Switzerland, generating multimillion-dollar incremental revenue. Developed a three-year omnichannel strategy for Germany and Switzerland and secured executive leadership approval. Owned the partnership lifecycle from opportunity identification and negotiation through solution architecture, integration and go-to-market execution, coordinating sales, legal, compliance and engineering.
Digital Product Manager, Central Europe
2018 — 2021Western Union • Warsaw
Launched Western Union mobile applications across eight Central European markets. Implemented an identity-verification solution in Germany and developed prototypes for video verification and new payment methods. Negotiated and delivered agreements with two digital payment providers supporting services in Germany, Poland and Switzerland. Coordinated implementation of PSD2 and Fourth AML Directive requirements across products and partner integrations.
Business Development Manager / Key Account Manager
2014 — 2018Western Union • Warsaw
Held P&L responsibility for Croatia and Hungary, with revenue exceeding US$20 million. Managed 14 key accounts spanning banks, post offices and international retailers, representing more than 20,000 points of sale. Negotiated and signed 12 exclusive agent agreements across Central and Eastern Europe.
Compliance Officer, CEE
2012 — 2014Western Union • Warsaw
Developed and updated WU Central Eastern Europe Compliance policies and procedures. Onboarded 10+ WU agents in line with EU AML requirements. Built analytics tools in Python & VBA for Risk Control Teams. Consumer Protection, Compliance & Ethics Officer for CEE region.
Corporate Compliance
2011 — 2012State Street Bank Luxembourg • Luxembourg
Member of Regulatory Steering Committee and co-organizer of SSBL Group Oversight Committee. Led Due Diligence analyses on High Risk corporate and individual investors. Assisted with AML and KYC regulation assessment.
Senior AML Analyst
2008 — 2011Royal Bank of Scotland (NatWest Group) • Warsaw
Led a team of four analysts on due diligence of corporate clients in France, Belgium and Luxembourg, from RBS's Warsaw hub. Conducted on-site trainings with high-value corporate clients in Luxembourg. Contributed significantly to the RBS Group anti-money laundering manual and implemented Python automation.
Education
2019 — 2021
Master of Business Administration
Warwick Business School
Merit, scholarship awarded — thesis on AI adoption across Financial Institutions
2003 — 2009
MSc in Banking and Finance
Warsaw School of Economics (SGH)
Languages
Let's Connect
Open to leadership, board and advisory conversations in payments and fintech — and to build projects through Vacaloca Labs.