Behind every fast-scaling startup is often a founder who's already been through a few reinventions. In this episode, Greg Krasnov, Founder and CEO of Tonik Bank, shares how his early hustles in finance and tech carried him through private equity and into founding a bank in Ukraine, shaping his approach to risk-taking, leadership, and building financial institutions from the ground up. 

Dive into how Greg’s journey through fintech and emerging markets shaped his approach to building Tonik—from earning customer trust to taking a bold bet on digital banking in the Philippines, which quickly reached 1 billion pesos in retail deposits and raised $17 million in Pre-Series B funding.

00:00:38 - The sacrifices and long hours of Greg’s early career

00:05:37 - How coding and technology helped Greg pay his way through college

00:10:26 - Investment banking and private equity as career path

00:14:59 - Transition into private equity in Central Europe

00:18:09 - Why scaling consumer lending required a banking license

00:21:29 - Finding purpose and a new direction after a major business exit

00:27:16 - Identifying opportunities by combining existing technologies to solve major problems

00:31:34 - What Greg saw in the Philippines that led him to build a digital bank

00:36:23 - Building an international team to launch Tonic in the Philippines

00:40:09 - How Tonik integrates its values into hiring and employee development

00:45:24 - Greg’s six P’s framework for building a winning product

00:49:38 - Creating a more approachable and customer-friendly banking brand

00:55:12 - The importance of resilience and reliability in digital banking

00:58:36 - Why passion and commitment are essential to building a successful business

01:00:05 - What’s next for Tonik and where listeners can connect with him

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