TRANSPARENCY AT TOQIO

Fostering a culture of openness is key to our success says the embedded finance platform

Arancha Riestra, VP of people

Toqio

Tell us a little about Toqio and its offering

Toqio is a ready-to-use, no-code, configurable software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that lets any company, not just banks, build a fintech proposition in days. Our founding team previously built and exited a startup, and with their backgrounds in SaaS and operating in the fintech space, they were given many opportunities, but they kept seeing the same problem.

Regulation has changed and bankingas-a-service provided the plumbing for new solutions, but everyone was still building solutions from scratch – rather than using one solution that could rapidly speed up the creation and delivery of new financial products.

Toqio provides customers with all the components they need, such as a configurable front end, financial features, readily integrated financial objects, and a no-code workflow configuration system, to quickly set up and deploy their own financial solutions. We also act as a distribution channel – or marketplace – so that solutions built by third parties can be shared and utilised by other customers.

What makes Toqio a great place to work?

At Toqio we really care about making our team members feel understood, valued, supported and accompanied throughout their careers with us. Our people are what makes Toqio special. At Toqio they have found a project that is challenging and interesting for them and have committed to taking the company to the next level. You can feel it when you sit in a meeting. You feel the proactivity, the energy, the collaboration, the willingness to keep improving and go beyond. Our people are making a difference in our work environment, filling it with positive vibes.

We all are building an environment in which flexibility, tolerance, openness and transparency are key. We believe in a workspace in which people can really have a proper balance between their personal and professional lives and in which they choose every day to work in because they believe in the project but also in the values and culture of the company.

Toqio has created different initiatives for them. We have designed a perks package for each of the countries in which we have headquarters, which is focused on satisfying our team member's needs.

■ We have implemented a continuous feedback system to build a culture of feedback and transparency in our daily work in parallel to our annual and 360º appraisal process and have designed a structured and objective compensation programme so all team members know what they can expect from their contribution to the company.

■ We are working on a career path process to be sure we can work on the motivations and aspirations of each of our team members and contribute to their development and professional progression.

■ We are currently starting a culture project to analyse the perceptions that our team members have regarding our culture and values and how they are put into practice. After this analysis, we will design an action plan to keep improving the experience our team members have at Toqio.

Tell us about the 4 Cs that are important to Toqio

Our culture is one of our biggest assets together with our people and of course, our product. We always have our values in mind when launching anything either externally or internally, so we are sure they are really reflecting who we are. As you say, we have four core values, our 4 Cs;

■ Considerate:We're a diverse and multicultural team that brings many perspectives into our workforce. We strive to make Toqio a place where everyone feels welcome and has a sense of belonging to a family.

■ Committed: People at Toqio don't just believe in our work - they believe in our core values of positive change. Everyone helps shape our company into a more vibrant place to do business, as well as make our society and planet better.

■ Creative: We believe there are solutions to all problems, so we're seeking out of the box thinkers who face challenges head-on and look forward to innovating their way around every obstacle.

■ Curious: In our opinion, curiosity is the lifeblood of innovation. The next big idea is out there if we're willing to dive deep enough to find it. That's why we're all naturally curious and see the value in questioning everything.

How has your workplace evolved during the pandemic era?

We saw an opportunity in the pandemic era. We were used to working from home and remotely and our company, luckily, was not impacted by it, so instead of being negatively impacted by Covid we started to grow. 2020 was special for us, we received investment and hired around 20 people for the team. We started to grow from there, giving the possibility to work remotely to our people, being flexible with the working time, caring about their motivations and professional growth.

In 2021 we established our three offices; Madrid, London and Nairobi and started to bring our team members together as the pandemic rules were removed. Last year we were part of an organised run, and we were able to have a Christmas party, where we all had fun, but most importantly, we were together. This year we have moved our Madrid office, taking on a larger and brighter space, and have plans to do the same in London. The silver lining of the pandemic was that it helped Toqio to grow, and we took advantage of the momentum to get the best of it.

Tell us about Toqio's ambitions for the next 12 months?

This year we launched in Spain, and at the end of last year, we acquired our first two customers in the US. 2022, is all about establishing our European and US commercial team, driving growth in each market, with a phased geographic expansion – US, France and then Germany.

In less than two years, we’ve secured 50 customers with more than 60 live platforms in Europe and US, and we have grown the business internally from 17 people to almost 100 people in 12 months. Our aim is to reach double our team by the end of 2022, hiring across all offices in London, Madrid and Nairobi – as well as US-based talent.

About Toqio

Toqio is a SaaS fintech platform that enables any business, not just banks, to create game changing, data driven, finance propositions that can be rapidly deployed to their customers where and when they need it.

Offices in: London, Madrid and Nairobi

Website: https://toqio.co/

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/ company/toqiofintech

Twitter: @toqio_fintech