Building the €8 Billion neobank, with Bunq CEO Ali Niknam

Jul 15, 2025

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Lex speaks with Ali Niknam, CEO and founder of Bunq, a leading European neobank. Ali shares Bunq’s journey from its founding during the financial crisis to becoming Europe’s second-largest neobank. The conversation explores Bunq’s user-centric philosophy, innovative products, and unique organizational design. Ali discusses overcoming regulatory challenges, prioritizing cultural values, and fostering accountability within teams. The episode also examines the complexities of the European fintech landscape and Bunq’s mission to revolutionize banking by focusing on user needs and continuous improvement.

MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION

Topics: Bunq, ING, Revolut, Betterment, Synapse, TransIP, Fintech, banking, crypto, neobank, challenger bank, culture, Europe, VC

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TIMESTAMPS

1’09: Bunq’s Bold Mission: Ali Niknam on Reinventing Banking for the Modern User

6’27: Building from the Core: Why Bunq Chose the Hard Road to Reinvent Banking

10’08: Bootstrapped Banking: Building Bunq Without External Capital or Compromise

13’56: Launching the Future: Bringing Innovation to Market with Bunq’s First 45-Person Team

17’35: From Payments to Personalization: How Users Drove a Decade of Product Innovation

19’52: Designing for Eva: How Bunq Rebuilt Its Organization Around the User, Not the Org Chart

22’02: Beyond Titles: How Bunq’s Ownership-Driven Culture Redefines Teams, KPIs, and Hierarchy

28’14: Culture Over Compensation: How Bunq Attracts Mission-Aligned Talent Without Relying on Equity

35’06: Europe’s Tech Paradox: Why Innovation Thrives Despite Fragmentation—and What Must Change

39’11: The channels used to connect with Ali & learn more about Bunq

43’07: The channels used to connect with Edward & learn more about Zerohash

Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH BLUEPRINT LTD.

Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, Daniella

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