A conversation with Alex Tsalkitzidis
Tell us a little about yourself!
I work as a consultant in the FinTech industry for the last 12 years. I am specialized in Treasury applications with many years of experience in Fusion Capital Kondor. I live in Athens, Greece and I speak Greek and English. I like to spend time with my family, good friends and travelling.
You have recently joined us, what did you do before joining Step forward Partners?
I was working as a Treasury and Capital Markets consultant for Finastra. My main role was to implement Finastra’s Treasury solution with specialization in Kondor. I used to work with clients based around the world, from India to Mexico.
What made you take the leap from the 3rd largest FinTech to a start up consultancy. What are your plans for Step Forward in Greece?
Well, in my opinion, Step Forward is not a typical start-up. The management team has huge experience in the FinTech space. I plan to gain a lot of new things working with them. In Greece, we would like to present a valuable alternative offer covering consultancy services around banking and financial technology industry. Our vision is to focus on clients and offer them tailor made solutions that will add value to them.
You have worked with Fusion Kondor for many years, with probably the largets customer base of any system – what is it that makes it such a popular system with bankers?
Fusion Kondor has been in the market for many years. Kondor is a very reliable and powerful application covering almost any instrument that is trading in the market. Furthermore, Finastra who owns the product is investing a lot of resources to keep the product modern and innovative.
With the pandemic, how has this changeD how banks are working today and what does that look like over the next 18-36 months?
Pandemic is an accelerator of changes. Banks are investing a lot to support virtual business operations, like from remote working from home to digital mobile transactions. I believe in 2-3 years we will see next generation banking based heavily on technology. The banks already look like a technology factory.
How is banking in Greece coping with the changes and how do we as a consultancy need to change to meet the new environments?
The new economy, that is evolving from the pandemic, has two main pillars. It wants to be eco-friendly and sustainable. The Greek banks have realized it and they are already moving to the next generation. Compare to 10 years ago, today almost 95% of the operations can be done via web or mobile banking. Obviously, the Greek banks rely heavily on technology services. The consultant firms that are flexible to scale up and modify their offerings fast and efficiently will be preferred providers by the banks.
If you want to know more about Fusion Kondor, treasury systems, banking in Greece and how we can help you click here to start a conversation with Alex.