Global Expansion for a FinTech Unicorn; Built on Speed, Compliance & Localization
Client Overview
Industry: Financial Technology (Digital Payments)\
Size: Unicorn ($1.3B valuation) with 500+ employees\
Markets Launched: US, UAE, Singapore\
IBU’s Role: Product Engineering + Regulatory Compliance + Cloud Migration + Talent Ramp-up
- The Challenge: Hyper-Growth Needs with Regulatory Complexity
After a successful Series C round, this FinTech disruptor needed to expand fast into new markets. But their internal engineering team couldn’t handle localization, compliance, and platform security for regions with complex legal frameworks.
Each country had a different financial regulator. Each had unique data laws. Each needed infrastructure deployed quickly and securely.
And every delay was millions in opportunity cost.
“We needed a partner that understood speed and compliance — equally.”
- Why IBU? FinTech Meets Global Engineering DNA
IBU’s dual strength in digital product engineering and cross-border regulatory execution made us the ideal growth partner.
Our edge:
- Experience with 20+ FinTech platforms
- In-region experts for US (SEC), UAE (ADGM), Singapore (MAS)
- Cloud-native architecture team with ISO/GDPR readiness
- Scalable tech hiring engine
“IBU turned a roadmap into reality. Fast, secure, and enterprise-grade. They weren’t just a vendor. They were our global CTO.”
— Co-founder & CTO
Why IBU? FinTech Meets Global Engineering DNA
IBU’s dual strength in digital product engineering and cross-border regulatory execution made us the ideal growth partner.
Our edge:
- Experience with 20+ FinTech platforms
- In-region experts for US (SEC), UAE (ADGM), Singapore (MAS)
- Cloud-native architecture team with ISO/GDPR readiness
- Scalable tech hiring engine
“What amazed us was their understanding of not just product delivery — but how regulation, language, and customer behavior differ country to country.”
— Head of Expansion
The Solution: End-to-End Product Expansion Model
Phase 1: Regulatory Compliance & Data Governance
- Mapped compliance requirements for each target market
- Embedded KYC, AML, PCI-DSS into architecture
- Set up regional legal data walls to protect user privacy
Phase 2: Infrastructure & Engineering Execution
- Migrated legacy backend to AWS (US) and Azure (EMEA)
- Launched sandbox environments for regulator testing
- Built APIs for regional bank integrations
Phase 3: Talent Ramp-Up & Localization
- Hired 80+ product and engineering experts in 6 months
- Localized UI/UX for Arabic, English, and Mandarin
- Launched bilingual onboarding flows and chatbot for UAE & Singapore
The Metrics: What We Delivered
KPI | Target | Achieved |
Time to Launch (US/UAE/SG) | 9 months | 5.5 months |
Security Incidents | <2/year | 0 |
Regulatory Readiness | 80% | 100% |
Local Engineering Hires | 50 | 82 |
App Store Ratings | 4.0 | 4.7 avg |
Certifications Delivered: ISO/IEC 27001, GDPR, PCI-DSS, MAS TRM
Final thoughts and something more
Business Impact
- 240,000+ new customers onboarded in the first 3 months
- Partnered with 7 regional banks and 2 FX providers
- Secured a strategic JV offer from a Middle East investment group
IBU helped the client leapfrog into markets where other competitors took years.
What’s Next: Embedded Finance & New Product Lines
IBU is now leading:
- Development of an embedded finance platform for partner apps
- Launch of a crypto-payment wallet in pilot stage
- Hiring and onboarding of 60+ new engineers in LATAM
