International transactions have continued to be a challenge. But Incard is looking to change that, offering 100% tailor-made solutions for online entrepreneurs in the French and UK markets.
Today’s guest, Théo Cesarini, Co-Founder and CEO at Incard, discusses the Incard brand and how the French landscape will evolve over the next couple of years.
In this episode, we’ll discuss:
- Problems faced by Incard customers and Fintech in general
- What makes Incard unique
- How the French Fintech landscape is evolving
- Choosing France & the UK to launch Incard
Let’s explore the French/ UK Fintech situation further with our fascinating guest.
“I was really shocked by the lack of financial offers in line with clients’ needs.” — Théo Cesarini
Tailoring to the needs of ecommerce
Théo has always been driven to entrepreneurship, especially for those innovating through an online shop or through social media. He realized that unfortunately, they were often underserved by their financial institutions, which inhibited growth.
Blocks, freezes, and inability to access vital business data was the norm. Ecommerce owners weren’t treated seriously, and his global clients were especially having serious issues with international transactions.
With the help of a partnership with Currencycloud, Théo can now offer a competitive financial solution that makes worldwide transfers and favorable, automatic currency conversion a breeze.
“The French market is really full of solo entrepreneurs and SMEs.” — Théo Cesarini
A shift in customer expectations
Incard will be a financial super app for creators, ecommerce entrepreneurs, and social media influencers. Through a robust ecosystem, Théo will provide a dashboard with real-time insights and key metrics.
Fintech customer expectations have evolved rapidly. Instead of a generic service, brands now want niche service, a unique custom solution for their specific needs.
Théo aspires that Incard will go far beyond traditional banking, and enable eMerchants to grow their businesses exponentially.
Solopreneurs will especially appreciate Incard’s one-stop-shop functionality.
“One of the main reasons we chose the UK is because everyone is using multi-currency accounts.” — Théo Cesarini
Evolution of the EU market
Due to both Brexit and the pandemic, the UK and EU markets are changing constantly. Théo believes that the UK departure from the European Union will open up vast new opportunities in both France and the United Kingdom.
Many small businesses are becoming more digitized and want to manage their business entirely online as a result of the pandemic and its aftermath. Travel through Europe is coming back, ecommerce is growing rapidly in that region, and owners need more financial options.
Now is the perfect time for Théo and Incard to deliver a product built for the specific needs of the global digital economy.
“France is still the next step for us. It’s a growing market for Fintech. There is a huge gap for B2B, and all SMEs and solo entrepreneurs. More and more are online, so they have more and more issues with their financial partners.” — Théo Cesarini
Fintech future
In France, there’s currently a lack of rapid multi-currency transaction capability. So Théo chose to launch first in the UK, Fintech’s most advanced market. Bureaucracy is a little easier to navigate there than it is across the Channel.
VCs and even traditional, old-school French bank institutions are now looking at Fintech with an eye toward investment. The Swedish scene is also waking up and realizing the opportunities for growth in this specialized market.
Théo is poised to take the European ecommerce services world by storm, after creating a promising Fintech solution for online entrepreneurs in less than a year. Stay tuned for more developments from this vibrant young innovator.
To ensure that you never miss an episode of Payments Innovation, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or here — and don’t forget to check out our YouTube!
