Global FinTech Awards: Praveen TM Wins Future Leader Award

Praveen TM has won the Future Leader Award at The Global FinTech Awards 2024.

Speaking after collecting his award, Praveen TM, CEO of Opus Technologies, explained how "It's an absolute pleasure to win this and it's been a great experience. This is the first time I'm winning an award in the fintech space and I've been in it [the fintech space] for almost 24 years. It's been a pleasure and I want to thank FinTech LIVE and all my colleagues for this award. It's been a great experience."

Praveen TM, CEO of Opus Technologies, has solidified his reputation as a forward-thinking leader in the FinTech sector, driving transformative change through strategic innovation and technological foresight.

With more than two decades of experience in banking and payments, Praveen has been instrumental in addressing the critical challenges financial institutions face, including the fragmented nature of legacy technology systems.

His leadership led to the development of PaysembleTM, Opus’s flagship solution designed to streamline payment technology integration.

PaysembleTM facilitates seamless data exchange for use cases such as real-time payments and anti-fraud systems, operating on a cloud-based, microservices architecture that allows rapid deployment and scalability.

The platform is adaptable to existing IT infrastructures, offering financial institutions the ability to enhance their services and integrate easily with third-party providers. This innovative solution has been tested through multiple proof-of-concept projects with Fortune 500 clients, yielding tangible benefits like reduced implementation time and improved customer satisfaction.

Beyond payment integration, Praveen is a vocal advocate for the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) across financial institutions of all sizes.

Recognising AI’s potential to level the competitive playing field, Praveen led the creation of FinGeniusAI, a platform that encourages collaboration among banks, technology partners and solution providers to develop AI-driven innovations.

His approach enables smaller institutions, such as credit unions and community banks, to offer personalised services traditionally available only from larger entities.

Praveen’s commitment to responsible AI is also noteworthy. Under his guidance, Opus has implemented a governance framework to address ethical concerns such as bias, transparency and privacy.

Through these efforts, Praveen is positioning Opus Technologies not only as an innovator in FinTech but as a company that champions ethical, inclusive technological advancements for the future.

The awards

Launched in 2024, The Global FinTech Awards 2024 debuted at FinTech LIVE London Global Summit 2024.

Across 12 categories, the awards celebrated those companies, professionals and projects that consistently ensure that excellence and innovation lie at the forefront of their work. 

The awards set a benchmark for excellence across the industry and drive innovation in payment technology, digital banking, fraud verification and more.

“It was an honour to spotlight such a wide range of incredible companies at the inaugural FinTech Awards,” said Glen White, CEO of BizClik, FinTech Magazine.

“At a time where digital inclusion and easy access to finance is crucial for fostering economic growth, reducing poverty, and promoting social equity, it is important to celebrate the success of those in the fintech industry that are revolutionising traditional financial services through the integration of technology. 

“To host the awards during FinTech LIVE London is an incredible moment for the sector to celebrate, we encourage many more companies to enter our awards for 2025. 

“Thanks to every company that entered - it's important that you stay focused, motivated and continuously innovate and I am excited to see so much more of Generative AI when we meet again in a year’s time.

And a big congratulations to every company who entered, those that are highly commended and of course to our 14 winners – we appreciate your input more than you know.”

The Future Leader Award

The Future Leader Award recognises ambitious and visionary executives who are driving transformative change and shaping the future of fintech and insurtech.

• How have you demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities in driving innovation and growth in the fintech or insurtech industry? 
• What tangible results or achievements have you accomplished in your role that showcase your potential as a future leader? 
• How have you contributed to fostering a culture of innovation, diversity, and inclusion within your organisation? 
• How do you envision shaping the future of fintech or insurtech and contributing to the industry's continued growth and development?

Shortlisted individuals included-

• Helen Vincent
• Lawrence Gilioli
• Praveen TM
• Quentin Colmant
• Sergei Astafjev

Highly Commended: Quentin Colmant & Sergei Astafjev

Quentin Colmant and Sergei Astafjev have each made significant strides in the fintech and insurtech landscapes, positioning themselves as leaders shaping the industry's future.

As the co-founder and CEO of Qover, Quentin Colmant has disrupted traditional insurance models with a focus on embedded insurance orchestration.

Drawing on his experience at Allianz, Quentin saw the opportunity to create a more flexible and customer-centric insurance platform.

Under his leadership, Qover has grown to serve over 4 million users across 32 European countries, with partners such as Revolut, Monzo and Deliveroo.

Unlike many insurtech companies that focus on a single product, Qover offers a multi-product, multi-country solution that integrates seamlessly into existing business models.

Quentin's ability to raise over USD 70 million in funding and his focus on innovation have earned Qover recognition as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer. His emphasis on sustainability and maintaining a 0% gender pay gap further underscores his commitment to responsible growth and inclusivity, aligning Qover’s success with ethical business practices.  

Sergei Astafjev, co-founder and CEO of Wallester, has also revolutionised financial services through innovation in payment solutions.

Wallester’s white-label platform allows companies to launch their own branded Visa card programmes, while Wallester Business provides advanced tools for corporate expense management.

Sergei’s leadership has driven rapid growth, expanding the company's client base from 600 to 2,500 in just one year and leading to a 400% increase in transaction volume.

Wallester has expanded its services to 37 countries and launched key innovations such as a demo portal and payroll management solutions.

Sergei’s vision for the future includes integrating AI and blockchain to enhance security and promoting financial inclusion by developing accessible financial tools for underserved populations.

His success has earned him recognition as Fintech CEO of the Year by European CEO.

Both leaders exemplify forward-thinking strategies and ethical leadership, driving transformative change in their respective sectors.

The Global FinTech Awards 2024

Thanks to our esteemed panel of industry leaders who judged the awards:

• Stephen Roche, President and Co-Founder of Saphyre
• Nick Levy, Partner at IBM Consulting
• Daniel Yubi, Chief Executive Officer at Payable
• Jaideep Pawar, Founder & CEO at GRAMePAY
• Steve Suarez, External Advisor at Bain & Company
• Georgios Samakovitis, Professor of FinTech at University of Greenwich
• David Palmer, Blockchain Lead Vodafone Business IoT at Vodafone Business 
• Russell Fisher, COO Admiral Pioneer at Admiral Group
• Jsmeet Narang, Chief Transformation Officer and Director of Financial Crime at Santander

The full list of awards categories for 2024 is:

• Digital Banking Award
• Payment Technology Award
• Financial Services Award
• AI in FinTech Award
• Fraud & ID Verification Award
• Sustainable FinTech Award
• Finance Technology Award
• FinTech Consultancy Award
• Future Leader Award
• Executive of the Year Award
• Project of the Year Award
• Lifetime Achievement Award
• Social Enterprise Award
• Start-Up Award

Essential diary dates for 2025

FinTech LIVE continues to expand its LIVE events with more to come in 2025 - discover the essential diary dates below.

2025:

• FinTech LIVE Singapore | 25 February 
• InsurTech LIVE | 1 May
• FinTech LIVE Dubai | 6 May
• FinTech LIVE New York | 17 June
• FinTech LIVE London | 7-8 October
• FinTech Awards | 7 October

Make sure you check out the latest edition of FinTech Magazine and also sign up to our global conference series – FinTech LIVE 2024.

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