TheFullPicture.
I've spent 17 years in Europe's payments and banking industry. As Head of Baltics at Western Union, I own the P&L and lead market strategy across the Baltic region.
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. Today, I build production AI solutions and ship real products — Oskarmind, MapTheGap, and custom tools for clients through my agency vacalocalabs.com.
At a Glance
From compliance analyst to digital banking leader — with production code at every step.
How I Work
I don't just understand the business problem — I build the solution. 17 years of running deals, products, and P&L in payments gives me context most engineers lack. Writing production code gives me clarity most executives never get.
Payments & Banking
17+ years across compliance, enterprise sales, digital product, and country leadership in Europe’s payments industry.
Full Stack Development
Production applications in React, Next.js, TypeScript, and Python. Architecture through deployment — not prototypes, real products.
Data Science & AI
Building AI-powered solutions with LLMs, machine learning, and data analytics. From internal dashboards to client-facing products.
Tech Stack
What I build with
Founder Track
Founder & AI Engineer
2023 — Presentvacalocalabs.com
Boutique AI solutions agency delivering production applications for fintech and mid-market companies. Architecting, designing, and shipping custom AI tools — from LLM integrations to full stack web platforms. Active products include Oskarmind and MapTheGap.
Corporate Experience
Head of Baltic States
2025 — PresentWestern Union • Warsaw
Full P&L ownership across Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania — retail, digital, and B2B channels. Pricing strategy, agent network management, and regulatory compliance across three EU jurisdictions. Negotiated multimillion-dollar contracts with Tier-1 financial institutions.
Go-To-Market Lead, Digital Bank Poland & Romania
2023 — 2025Western Union • Warsaw
Led go-to-market strategy for Western Union's digital banking product across Poland and Romania. Established strategic partnerships with payment providers and KYC vendors. Led global strategic initiatives including quarterly CEO presentations. Built internal analytical dashboard for geographical data visualization using Next.js/React.
Head of Sales & Integrations, Financial Institutions — Central Europe
2021 — 2023Western Union • Warsaw
Signed and executed 3 major contracts with Tier-1 banks in Germany and Switzerland — multimillion-dollar incremental revenue. Developed 3-year omnichannel strategy approved by executive leadership. Owned full deal cycle from opportunity identification through technical integration and go-to-market execution.
Digital Product Manager — Strategic Partnerships
2018 — 2021Western Union • Warsaw
Signed and executed contracts with 2 primary digital payment solutions in Germany, Poland and Switzerland. Successful launch of 8-country WU mobile applications. Implementation of new ID verification methods. Coordinating compliance requirements adoption (4th AML Directive, PSD2).
Business Development Manager, CEE
2014 — 2018Western Union • Warsaw
Signed 12 WU exclusive agent contracts across Central Europe. Successfully managed Croatian and Hungarian markets. Led 14 Key Accounts including Banks, Post Offices, and Global Retail Services with 20,000+ POS.
Compliance Officer, CEE
2012 — 2014Western Union • Warsaw
Developed and updated WU Central Eastern Europe Compliance policies and procedures. Onboarded 10+ WU agents per PSD2 and 4th AML Directive 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, BENELUX
2008 — 2011Royal Bank of Scotland (NatWest Group) • Luxembourg
Led team of 4 people for extensive Due Diligence of corporate clients. Conducted onsite trainings with high-value corporate clients in Luxembourg. Contributed significantly to RBS Group Anti-money laundering manual.
Education
2019 — 2021
Master of Business Administration
Warwick Business School
Merit — Thesis on AI adoption across Financial Institutions
2003 — 2008
MSc in Banking and Finance
Warsaw School of Economics (SGH)
Languages
Let's Connect
Interested in collaboration or have a project in mind? Reach out via LinkedIn or check my work on GitHub.