The room was quiet, carrying an unspoken weight that could only be felt by those who truly paid attention. Savas Manyasli had spent years honing his craft, immersing himself in code and systems. While his journey had its challenges, one particular event stood out—not just as a moment in his life, but as an experience that reshaped his perspective and approach.

At eight years old, he had fallen in love with programming, sparking a journey that eventually led to a successful career in software engineering and cybersecurity. He built his reputation on attentiveness and resilience, responding to clients’ needs with the kind of agility that large corporations often lost as they scaled.

But now, as he moved forward, Savas focused on channeling his dedication and passion into his work. He became a fierce advocate for security, protecting systems with the same commitment he applied to his craft, ensuring that clients’ systems were resilient against every threat.

Let us learn more about his journey:

From Childhood Programmer to Industry Leader

Savas was born in Istanbul with a foundation in mathematics, but his journey in software engineering and computer science began at an incredibly young age. Now 44, he fondly recalls starting to program at just eight years old, back in 1986. What began as a hobby soon transformed into a lifelong profession. Throughout his career, he considers himself fortunate to have never had to “leave home to make money”—his passion for creating software and technology has been both his calling and his career, and he feels deeply grateful for being paid to do what he loves.

While studying mathematics at university, Savas was already working, advancing through various ranks and positions in the software industry. By his early twenties, he was involved in enterprise computing and enterprise software projects, gaining valuable experience across diverse technologies, many of which are now legacy systems. Witnessing the evolution of technology over nearly three decades, he’s amassed a rich professional history.

Savas’s path eventually led him and his cousin, who is also his business partner, to Finance Incorporated Limited in Malta, which was previously known as Paymix. Originally focused on card processing services, the company was undergoing a change in ownership when Savas and his cousin joined as executives. Before this venture, he had served as an IT director for a bank in Malta and worked as a software engineer and architect at Ericsson, consulting for telecom companies. Although his expertise was initially rooted outside the financial sector, Savas brought a wealth of technical and operational insight that has propelled his success in finance.

Decade of Innovation and Growth at Finance Incorporated

Savas’s journey into the payments and finance industry began with a solid foundation in telecoms, where he spent the early part of his career about 20 years ago. Before entering finance, he worked on large-scale enterprise projects for reputable software houses in Turkey, refining his expertise and technical vision. Around a decade ago, he and his cousin joined Finance Incorporated (then known as Paymix), which at the time operated under a specialized, narrowly focused business model centred on card processing.

Recognizing the potential for broader impact, Savas and his team made sweeping changes, both to the company’s business model and its technology infrastructure. They shifted from outsourcing services to developing an extensive range of in-house software and technology solutions.

Today, Finance Incorporated has expanded well beyond card processing, offering a variety of payment solutions, digital banking services, and infrastructure support for other financial institutions. With a diverse array of products, including soft POS and multiple payment platforms, Savas has guided the company through a decade of innovation and growth, positioning it as a dynamic player in the financial services sector.

From Telecom to Fintech

Savas’s journey into the financial technology sector was shaped largely by circumstance and his diverse background in enterprise software. Originally, his expertise lay in telecommunications and large-scale enterprise software, where he led teams for top-tier software houses in Turkey.

His projects spanned various industries, including manufacturing and the early days of e-commerce, where he gained his first insights into payment processing. His early career exposed him to a wide range of enterprise-level solutions, from ERP systems for manufacturing giants to early e-commerce platforms.

Despite this breadth of experience, he remained focused on enterprise computing and architecture, avoiding lower-level fields like embedded systems, gaming, or graphic processing. This focus on enterprise-level challenges led him to an IT director role at a bank, setting the stage for his eventual transition into financial technology.

Today, as the CTO at Finance Incorporated, Savas leverages his extensive experience in digital infrastructure, telecom, and enterprise software to drive the company’s growth. Alongside this, he continues to run his own software venture focused on KYC and AML solutions, further broadening his impact within the tech landscape.

Innovation and Growth

Finance Incorporated has a unique edge in the market, thanks largely to a combination of strong customer focus, a commitment to in-house technology, and an organically grown team culture. When the company first started, there were only 5-6 people, but in less than a decade, it’s grown to nearly 80.

This growth was fuelled by a strong customer relations and support team, which the tech side actively listens to, ensuring clients’ needs are met and even exceeded. This commitment to going “above and beyond” has created a snowball effect, particularly with corporate clients, helping Finance Incorporated stand out in the multi-region market.

A key turning point was the decision to move from an outsourced model to fully in-house technology development. This allowed the team to be more responsive, agile, and innovative, resulting in a range of disruptive and customized solutions for clients. By bringing technology development in-house, the team not only had more ownership over their projects but also greater inspiration, fostering a culture where they felt empowered to share and pursue their ideas.

The shift also allowed Savas to adopt a new leadership style. Rather than “managing” the team in a traditional sense, he focuses on coaching and mentoring, inspiring team members to feel invested in their work. This approach has been essential, especially given the competitive IT talent market in the EU. By nurturing talent organically and providing more than just a salary or benefits, Finance Incorporated has built a strong, motivated team that’s deeply aligned with the company’s mission.

Balancing Agility and Security

The customer-centric approach at Finance Incorporated plays a crucial role in the technology development process, albeit with its challenges. As the company has grown, Savas notes that maintaining agility to respond to customer feedback, especially with quick responses to requests, becomes a bit of a “double-edged sword.”

While large corporations often develop products aimed at satisfying the majority of a market segment, Finance Incorporated has strived to remain flexible, listening to and acting on direct customer feedback. This nimble approach has been a defining feature of the company’s success, though Savas acknowledges that, as the company scales, it might eventually be challenging to sustain this level of responsiveness fully.

When it comes to data security, Savas approaches it with a clear respect for the complexity and specialization it requires. Rather than attempting to develop in-house solutions for everything, he emphasizes relying on reputable, industry-leading security vendors for components like authentication, recognizing that these vendors continuously invest in keeping their solutions updated and secure.

With a background in software engineering, he understands the risks of “rolling your own” security solutions, so he prioritizes using proven tools and listening to security experts. This strategy balances risk and resource investment, ensuring Finance Incorporated maintains strong, reliable security without diverting excessive internal resources.

Driving Innovation in Fintech

At Finance Incorporated Limited, fostering innovation is deeply woven into the company culture and operational strategy. Savas notes that, as a fintech company, they are part of a collaborative ecosystem that drives constant innovation.

Unlike traditional banks, fintech is a close-knit community, sharing ideas and collaborating through integration. These interactions across the fintech space fuel creativity and provide inspiration for cutting-edge solutions that enhance customer experiences. Operating in Europe, a hub for fintech innovation, further energizes Finance Incorporated’s commitment to staying ahead of industry trends.

Overcoming Compatibility Challenges

One unique initiative within the company is its annual training program, which encourages team members to explore any area of interest, whether directly related to technology or not. This approach, Savas explains, helps spark creativity and injects fresh perspectives into their technological development process. By giving employees freedom in their learning choices, ranging from tech-related skills to hobbies like glider flying, Finance Incorporated promotes a culture where employees are not only skilled but also passionate, bringing a renewed sense of creativity into their work.

In terms of future-shaping technologies, Savas highlights two key areas: virtualization and containerization and generative AI. Virtualization and containerization, enabled by advancements in cloud computing, have transformed software development and deployment, allowing fintech companies to create more with less effort.

Generative AI and large language models (LLMs) represent the next frontier, with the potential to redefine customer interactions, streamline operations, and create more personalized financial services. Savas believes that these technologies will set the stage for the fintech industry over the next 20 to 30 years.

One of the significant challenges Savas faced in his career as a tech entrepreneur, particularly within enterprise software, was the issue of compatibility and standardization across systems. In the early days of enterprise software development, standards were controlled by a few major players, like Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, and Oracle.

Each company established its own specifications, which created barriers to interoperability. Developing software for complex enterprise environments, where systems needed to communicate seamlessly, became difficult due to these inconsistencies.

However, with advancements like containerization, open-source technologies, and the growth of Linux, the tech industry has moved toward a more standardized and interoperable environment. This “democratization” of standards has eased software development, allowing systems to interact more effectively and paving the way for smaller players to thrive in the enterprise space. Now, there’s more alignment in the industry, with broader compatibility and increased efficiency for developers building solutions for interconnected systems.

Building People Skills Over Technical Expertise

When asked about advice for aspiring young entrepreneurs and tech leaders looking to enter the financial services industry, Savas emphasized the importance of developing “people skills” and emotional intelligence (EQ) over simply focusing on technical upskilling. He pointed out that while gaining technical knowledge has become more accessible and affordable, understanding and working well with people is crucial in financial services, as this industry revolves entirely around human interactions.

Savas explained that today’s workforce spans multiple generations, often with Gen X, Gen Y, and Gen Z working side-by-side, which was uncommon in the past. This diversity brings generational gaps, unique perspectives, and different communication styles. He highlighted the importance of investing in psychology and sociology to better navigate these dynamics, understand various perspectives, and turn generational differences into strengths.

He believes that good software comes from good people, and even as AI advances, human insights and interactions remain at the core of meaningful software development and innovation. Therefore, he encourages future leaders to focus on developing their interpersonal skills, which are essential for creating collaborative and successful work environments.

These shifts have not only reduced friction in software development but have also made it easier for entrepreneurs and smaller companies to compete and innovate without being hindered by proprietary standards.