Meet Christina Mokone, Banking Partnerships Manager at BVNK

In this edition of Life at BVNK, Christina, who's based in Cape Town, explains why she made the move from traditional finance and what BVNK's culture means to her.

By
March 30, 2023
min read

Tell us what you do. 

I onboard banking partners that help BVNK facilitate payments in different currencies, and I manage these relationships to help the business grow.

A typical day starts with a team catch up where we review potential new partners. If it's a good match I’ll start the process of opening an account, set up demos with partners and carry out meetings with BVNK’s Compliance, Finance and Product teams.

Why did you decide to join BVNK?

During the pandemic I read an incredible book called The Truth Machine by Michael J Casey, which completely changed my perspective about money. No disrespect to traditional banks (where I was working at the time) but I couldn't understand why we were repeatedly practising archaic methods, when there was a new world of opportunities to move money. Soon after, I came across BVNK and never looked back.

What keeps me here is my belief that BVNK has only scratched the surface of what we can do for payments, plus the group of rockstars I get to work with and learn from every day. 

How has your first year been?

I started BVNK in Customer Success, before joining the Core Banking team – a new team created to grow and manage our portfolio of banking partners across the globe. I was really excited to get a behind-the-scenes view on how we choose partners and the challenges they help us solve.

A few months before, I’d said to my manager how awesome it would be if we had a team that could do this. Almost as if I was manifesting my next role! When it came to it, she fully supported my transition.

Since joining the Core Banking team, I’ve learnt an incredible amount about the payments industry – every day there’s an interesting lesson. I love it. 

Describe BVNK culture in one word.

Dynamic. We’re constantly evolving and in this fast-paced world of fintech, we recognise the importance of adapting to stay ahead. BVNK has built a culture of collaboration where people learn from each other's unique skills and perspectives.

That’s the type of culture you need to achieve an audacious goal. 

What's different about working at BVNK?

The inclusive culture, where different teams support each other constantly. For example, our Product and Engineering teams host regular demos where anyone can join to get a sneak peak of new rollouts and give their feedback in a space where it’s openly welcomed. You can even test new products to get a feel for it yourself.  

Your favourite thing about working here?

I have the freedom to design my career. And I’ve been fortunate to have managers that keep me accountable about how I want to grow in the business. Questions like: “Which teams do you want to collaborate with more? What projects would you like to be more involved in? What other team responsibilities do you want to take ownership of?” show the level of trust and support I get, not just for the team's goals, but for my own too.

At BVNK, we also have the freedom to design our own way of working. Whether that's in our office with awesome views, a villa in the Philippines or the comfort of your own home.

Lastly, the regular office lunches and treats are a win – who doesn’t love free food! 

Any books, films or podcasts you recommend?

The Tim Ferriss Show with Chris Dixon and Naval Ravikant is a great introduction to decentralisation and distribution in payments and assets.

I’d also recommend episode 260 of Founders podcast (One from Many: VISA and the rise of Chaordic Organisation). It's fascinating to learn how one of the biggest payments companies in the world rose from near disaster. 

Any advice for someone considering joining BVNK?

If the idea of working at the cutting edge of finance resonates with you, look no further. We’re sinking our teeth into meaty problems, so get ready to work with like-minded superstars that will change the future of payments.

You can get in touch with Christina on LinkedIn.

Visit Careers to search jobs and join us in building the future of payments.

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