“ Transforming Banking Industry and Micro Credit” with Bulent Tekmen Colendi’s Co-founder

At Bonova Advisory we interview C-suites , Thought leaders and Influencers in Banking and Finance.I had the pleasure of interviewing Bülent Tekmen, co-founder of Colendi.

Bülent previously led Netron Technology’s Turkish offices for about a decade before stepping into the startup world with various projects. His most successful company before Colendi was Ininal, where he created a unique product for the local market and made a successful exit with 3 million users that mostly served the unbanked population. He has received numerous awards for his accomplishments and is a very well respected leader in the fintech sector.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! What is your “backstory”?

I am a serial entrepreneur, currently the co-founder and CEO of Colendi. My prior e-money company Ininial reached more than 2 million accounts, and 1 million active digital wallet users monthly — and is still growing fast. Cheque-Dejeuner Group acquired a majority stake in Ininal in May 2016, which was one of the biggest deals in the Turkish startup ecosystem.

I have worked for years to transform the banking industry and the microcredit and credibility worlds more broadly. I’m also an active angel investor, frequently backing…