Women in Payments

The fintech universe has shaken up the payments landscape and opens to female talent more than ever.

In recent years there has been a change in the role of women, especially in the fintech and payments ecosystem, creating an environment of equality and betting more on talent and not on gender.

Women are breaking the gender barriers and are building successful careers within the financial services and technology industries. They represent start-ups, investors, retailers, banks, and payment networks from across the globe. In a few words, women are disrupting the Fintech industry.

PayXpert strongly supports gender diversity and contributes to women’s rise to the top. We believe that women must feel inspired by as many female role models positively impacting the industry as possible.

Therefore, in commemoration of the International Women's Day, our Chief Legal and Compliance Officer Corinna Scatena shares her perspective on the fintech industry, and what it takes to be a woman in the payments sector. We talked about the challenges she has faced, the opportunities in the industry, and her hopes for a gender-neutral future in financial services.

With a background in legal, compliance, and Fintech companies' experiences, Corinna is a specialist in payment regulations, including the latest PSD2 implementation and related regulatory challenges of the Open Banking. She was one of the members of the APIs Implementation Group in Malta, being the only lawyer in a group of professionals with a Tech background: she is Fintech passionate and fascinated about challenges beyond Innovation.

She strongly believes in the ‘can do’ approach and her adventurous spirit drove her through different experiences and roles in Europe.

Her career in the Fintech industry started with PayXpert almost ten years ago, when she first met the CEO in Barcelona. From there she worked and moved all around Europe taking over roles in International companies which made her grow in experience and responsibilities.

After her last role as Head of Legal and Strategic Partnerships in a European digital bank, she re-joined PayXpert as she strongly believes in the company’s mission of offering a uniquely enriched payment experience to its clients. She enjoys her everyday life at PayXpert, where she leads the Legal & Compliance unit fully embracing Fintech values and women empowerment: she proudly says that PayXpert and her team boasts of brilliant young Fintech women.

Part of her professional development and strong support in women's careers also comes from the influence of her mother, who was the first and only woman elected as Major of a small Italian city in the 90s. During her College times, she has been for a few years a Referee in local Football Men leagues: it made her stronger and comfortable in being a woman in a “men driven” space while enjoying the sport experience. She also dedicated twelve years to Athletics, competing in 400mt, a discipline that requires focus and tenacity.

Corinna is also Director of the Regulatory module at LUMSA University Master in ´Finance, Technology and Digital transformation´, often guest lecturer in Italian universities and founder of MissFintech, a European educational fintech platform dedicated to teenagers.

She says Fintech companies are looking for talented people and out of the box thinkers able to bring added value to the company’s journey and all the talented professional women can drive Fintech companies toward excellence. All the contribution given today by women in Fintech is opening the doors for the next generation of females in financial services who will be sitting at gender-natural Boards of the future.

“The financial sector is going through a revolution, the future lies in collaborative and open ecosystems and this innovative journey is presenting new successful models of leadership, inclusive in genders and minorities, giving the chance to make the financial sector a better and equal place” she states.