Pavel Fedorov (Salmon) on building a challenger bank in the Philippines, the Tinkoff Playbook and why credit first – The Enthusiast podcast

In this episode, I shared insights into scaling Salmon. We discussed how Salmon tackles the untapped market for flexible credit solutions, catering to the 107 million Filipinos who lack credit cards. Here’s a glimpse:

Why the Philippines?

The Philippines’ unsecured consumer lending market is booming, projected to exceed $80 billion by 2028, with a robust $500 billion GDP, making it ripe for fintech innovation and potential market dominance.

Solving Key Challenges

We address barriers like fragmented ID systems by using AI-powered facial recognition to streamline onboarding and improve accessibility. Our approach focuses on financial inclusion in a country where traditional banking has left many underserved.

Pavel conversing with Pat Alex on The Enthusiast podcast

Our Unique Strategy

We employ a dual-channel approach:

  • Offline onboarding through in-store agents.
  • Online cross-selling with products like revolving credit lines, allowing customers to seamlessly transition between credit and debit solutions.

Smarter Credit Scoring

Our AI-driven models rely on alternative data sources like mobile usage and retail partnerships, enabling us to deliver profitable loans in data-scarce environments. This method surpasses traditional credit scoring, empowering Salmon to serve even the hardest-to-reach segments.

See or hear the full episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4aO7Bojx0nyDdvROewHq2U?si=a9fc8d77b87440bc

Or here: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/operator-stories-pavel-fedorov-salmon-on-building-a/id1539272932?i=1000678275321&l=en-GB

Or here: https://theenthusiast.buzzsprout.com/