Meet The Swapin Team: Marge Simo, Finance Specialist

Thus far, we’ve introduced top public-facing Swapin leadership teammates and integral technical team members, but we have yet to touch on the financial experts helping the company thrive.

In this latest blog post, as part of our Meet The Swapin Team series, we are going to provide a short biography about another key operational employee of the company: Marge Simo, Finance Specialist.

Introducing Marge Simo, Swapin’s Finance Specialist

Meet The Swapin Team: Marge Simo, Finance Specialist
Marge Simo, Finance Specialist at Swapin

Marge Simo is Swapin’s primary Finance Specialist, responsible for updating the overarching business plan and model across all facets of the organization. Marge is also in charge of the company’s finances, including preparing financial reports monthly, quarterly, and annual.

Marge holds a position concurrently at the Estonian Marine Institute of the University of Tartu as a Senior Specialist for Project Funding, where she has found much success throughout her career.

How Marge Simo Got Started In The Finance Industry

The cryptocurrency industry is entirely new to Marge Simo, making it a “very intense challenge.” However, Simo is well-equipped for the role, given her prior work as the CFO for the Environmental Investment Center in Estonia.

Simo has worked in the finance industry for more than 20 years, with a master’s degree in Finance and Financial Management Services from the University of Tartu. She brings this extensive expertise to everything she works on at Swapin.

Stay Tuned To Swapin Updates And Learn More

The Swapin team continues to grow following a €1.88M funding round that attracted top industry talents, which we’ll continue to introduce as part of the Meet The Swapin Team blog series. In addition, swapin executives are working hard to establish significant partnerships, such as RE/MAX and E-Jewels.

Stay tuned to the Swapin blog for more updates on additional partnerships, as well as a closer look at additional Swapin team members in the weeks ahead. You can also follow Swapin on Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, or LinkedIn.

Be sure also to try Swapin and make your first deposit today and access the future of finance. Swapin is a pioneer in crypto-to-payment solutions, catering to both B2C and B2B segments with a wide range of proprietary products and services. Click here for more information about Swapin or to join the Swapin team!

Meet The Swapin Team: Joonas Honga, Chief Technical Officer (CTO)

With many Swapin team members’ introductions behind us, next, we are introducing a key executive crucial to the core development of Swapin products and services. 

In this latest blog post, as part of our Meet The Swapin Team series, we are going to provide a short biography about another integral employee of the company: Chief Technical Officer (CTO) Joonas Honga.

Introducing Joonas Honga, Swapin’s Chief Technical Officer

Joonas Honga is in charge of leading all development teams across front and backend systems while modernizing core Swapin infrastructure to be more scalable. Honga is also a blockchain enthusiast with over 15 years of CTO experience in engineering and the custom development of complex software solutions in fintech and e-commerce with scalability.

Joonas Honga, Chief Technical Officer (CTO) at Swapin

Honga’s contributions have been instrumental in designing the Swapin front and back end, as well as working directly on the e-commerce widget, given his vast experience in the e-commerce industry.

His skill set includes proficiency in Linux/Cloud Computing, PHP, JS, SQL/NoSQL, Redis, CI/CD, and many other popular development frameworks. 

Looking Back At The Career Of The Swapin CTO

Joonas Honga’s CTO experience reaches across Swapin and Chilli.ee – a leading Baltic e-commerce platform offering activities, travel, and everyday services. At Chilli.ee, Honga leads server system administration and architecture, building both the front and back end of the e-commerce platform. 

Honga also served as CTO of Dreamcom Solutions, which built custom e-commerce websites for clients across various industries. Honga also created a CMS in PHP that is used on more than 500 different websites.

In addition, Honga has more than two decades of real-world development experience, creating custom CRM systems for clients in essential sectors like finance, logistics, and tourism. 

Stay Tuned To Swapin Updates And Learn More

The Swapin team continues to grow following a €1.88 funding round that attracted top industry talents, which we’ll continue to introduce as part of the Meet The Swapin Team blog series. Swapin executives are working hard to establish significant partnerships, such as RE/MAX and E-Jewels.

Stay tuned to the Swapin blog for more updates on additional partnerships, as well as a closer look at additional Swapin team members in the weeks ahead. You can also follow Swapin on Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, or LinkedIn.

Be sure to also try Swapin, make your first deposit today, and access the future of finance. Swapin is a pioneer in crypto-to-payment solutions, catering to both B2C and B2B segments with a wide range of proprietary products and services. Click here for more information about Swapin or to join the Swapin team!

Meet The Swapin Team: Head of System Department, Märt Varatu

Swapin crypto payment solutions are beginning to take over the globe. Customers in both the consumer and business sectors are rapidly realizing the value and convenience of Swapin tools.

As we continue our Meet the Swapin team blog series, we are pleased to present the head of the Swapin System Department, Märt Varatu, who plays an integral part of the Swapin team.

How Märt Varatu Joined The Swapin Team

Märt Varatu graduated from Tallinn polytechnic school with a degree specializing in IT systems. After graduating, he worked for more than ten years at Metrotec, a telecommunications company that specializes in vehicle fleet monitoring and tracking. There, he served as a system administrator for the customer service solutions team.

Märt Varatu Head of System Department swapin.com

Following his first decade in IT excellence, Märt moved to onuraiu.tv, a company specializing in producing travel documentaries for television. There, he served as both the cameraman and motion designer. 

Märt started his work with Swapin in 2018, and since then he has become one of the most important Swapin team members. Märt Varatu works as the Head of the System Department, whose responsibilities include servicing and attracting customers, as well as system administration. He has many years of experience in product development and technical support. 

It was also around 2018 when Märt joined Swapin that he became deeply fascinated by the blockchain industry, and has since become a passionate crypto enthusiast. “The combination of futuristic cryptocurrencies and the traditional world of finance needed a connection,” said Märt Varatu. “Swapin is the solution, and I am proud to take the lead in overseeing the System Department for the company,” he added.

Märt Varatu is truly a jack-of-all-trades, possessing a variety of valuable skills such as graphic design, video editing, system administration, IT, and much more. He is a crucial component of the customer success journey who focuses on user experience and retention.

Stay Tuned To Swapin Updates And Learn More

Recently, Swapin also announced it has raised €1.88 in investments, and it is thanks to the talented individuals and innovations going on behind the scenes, which we’ll continue to introduce as part of the Meet The Swapin Team blog series. Swapin executives are working hard to establish significant partnerships, such as working with RE/MAX and E-Jewels.

Stay tuned to the Swapin blog for more updates on additional partnerships, as well as a closer look at additional Swapin team members in the weeks ahead. You can also follow Swapin on Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, or LinkedIn.

Be sure to also try Swapin and make your first deposit today and access the future of finance. Swapin is a pioneer in crypto-to-payment solutions, catering to both B2C and B2B segments with a wide range of proprietary products and services. Click here for more information about Swapin or to join the Swapin team!

Meet The Swapin Team: Chief Product Officer Edward Rebane

Previously, we introduced the Meet The Swapin Team series with an interview featuring Swapin Founder and CEO Evald-Hannes Kree. Kree shared the story of his early beginnings in crypto and where the idea for Swapin came from.

In this latest iteration of the blog series, we are pleased to introduce Swapin’s Chief Product Officer, Edward Rebane. 

swapin com team CPOEdward Rebane

How Swapin CPO Edward Rebane Joined The Swapin Team 

Edward Rebane worked previously on the Swapin team as Product Owner, joining in 2022, and quickly emerged as a clear innovator in the crypto field. Much like other Swapin team members, Rebane is a long-time crypto enthusiast since 2018.

“It’s a great motivation to be part of the ambitious crypto fintech project as I have also been a crypto enthusiast since 2018,” Rebane explained. “I have a generally good feeling about crypto adoption in upcoming years, which makes the Swapin challenge even more enjoyable and exciting,” he added.

Rebane is now joined by executives such as CTO Joonas Honga, Head of System Operations Märt Varatu, AML & Legal Officer Julia Tarmisto, and Founder and CEO Evald-Hannes Kree. Advisors include Covesting CEO Dimitrij Pruglo, Estateguru CEO Marek Pärtel, Angel Investor Toomas Römer, and Bankish CXO Ian Kalla.

The Career And Impact Of Edward Rebane, Swapin Chief Product Officer

Prior to his work at Swapin, Rebane worked as a software development team leader, focused on corporate clients and building startups in the e-commerce business category. Rebane’s experience in this area and excellence in creating complex web-based solutions has been critical to successfully building Swapin B2B solutions such as SwapinCheckout.

The Swapin CPO also in the past co-founded Chilli, the Baltic region’s largest discount website and booking platform, adored by over two million loyal customers. There, Rebane helped propel the company’s early success, especially during the earliest stages as a Product Owner and Business Developer.

As Swapin’s CPO, Edward Rebane has led several key developments related to Swapin’s B2B and B2C solutions and was an integral part of the recent application refresh to better align with the company’s rebranding and ambitious company roadmap. 

Stay Tuned To Swapin Updates And Learn More

Recently, Swapin also announced it has raised €1.88 in investments, and it is thanks to the talented individuals and innovations going on behind the scenes, which we’ll continue to introduce as part of the Meet The Swapin Team blog series. Swapin executives are working hard to establish significant partnerships, such as working with RE/MAX and E-Jewels.

Stay tuned to the Swapin blog for more updates on additional partnerships, as well as a closer look at additional Swapin team members in the weeks ahead. You can also follow Swapin on Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, or LinkedIn.

Be sure to also try Swapin and make your first deposit today and access the future of finance. Swapin is a pioneer in crypto-to-payment solutions, catering to both B2C and B2B segments with a wide range of proprietary products and services. Click here for more information about Swapin or to join the Swapin team!

Meet The Swapin Team: Darbi-Julia Tarmisto

We have already introduced several key members of the Swapin team: the company CEO and Founder, as well as his team of executives. We also went into great length about the origin story behind the first stages of creating Swapin and the early challenges the company faced that led to its inception. 

In this latest blog post as part of our Meet The Swapin Team series, we are going to provide a short biography about another integral employee of the company: Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) Darbi-Julia Tarmisto. 

How did the Swapin CCO get into the crypto industry?

Darbi-Julia Tarmisto was first introduced to digital assets in 2017. At the time, she became interested in the Dash cryptocurrency, which she subsequently began mining. From there forward she began to get acquainted with other coins and the industry in general.

Female Swapin employee

“I believe crypto will be our future and with our innovative technology at Swapin we can make finance better. This is the main reason why I was excited about the opportunity to join the awesome Swapin team.” –  Darbi-Julia Tarmisto

What does Darbi-Julia Tarmisto do at Swapin?

Julia holds the position of Chief Compliance Officer (CCO). She is responsible for the fight against money laundering, resolving legal issues, general oversight, and Swapin Compliance Program management.

Before joining the Swapin team, Julia had worked in the financial services industry for over a decade. Her last position was Chief Legal Officer and Data Protection Officer (DPO). Extensive experience in finance is extremely important and useful to the rapidly-growing company.

In addition, in 2010, Julia received her master’s degree in law from the Tallinn University of Technology, but she did not stop there. In 2019, she completed a DPO advanced training course at the TalTech Open University.

Julia is a truly valuable employee with vast experience and a wealth of knowledge.

Stay Tuned To Swapin Updates And Learn More

Recently, Swapin also announced it had raised €1.88 in investments, and it is thanks to the talented individuals and innovations going on behind the scenes, which we’ll continue to introduce as part of the Meet The Swapin Team blog series. Swapin executives are working hard to establish significant partnerships, such as working with RE/MAX and E-Jewels.

Stay tuned to the Swapin blog for more updates on additional partnerships, as well as a closer look at additional Swapin team members in the weeks ahead. You can also follow Swapin on Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, or LinkedIn.

Be sure to also try Swapin, make your first deposit today, and access the future of finance. Swapin is a pioneer in crypto-to-payment solutions, catering to both B2C and B2B segments with a wide range of proprietary products and services. Click here for more information about Swapin or to join the Swapin team!

Meet The Swapin Team: Co-Founder & CEO Evald-Hannes Kree

Following the exciting reintroduction of the company under the new Swapin brand name and ambitious updated roadmap, we are turning the spotlight toward the team behind the brand itself. 

We are pleased to introduce Swapin co-founder and CEO Evald-Hannes Kree as part of this closer look at the Swapin team.

How Swapin CEO Evald-Hannes Kree Changed The Crypto Industry

At an early age, Evald-Hannes Kree became interested in the business world. After completing high school, Kree went on to study Business Management at the Estonian Business School from 2002 to 2005. Later, Kree obtained his Master’s Degree in International Business Administration from TalTech.

Prior to Swapin, Kree spent his time learning the intricacies of the automotive and electrical tool industry before shifting to E-com in the Nordic region. Kree first got into the cryptocurrency market as a hobbyist miner around as early as 2013. Even then, as an early adopter, Kree noticed the lack of solutions that were designed to make sending and receiving crypto payments easy. You could buy Bitcoin, hold it, or trade it, but there was no way to actually use it.

Co-Founder & CEO Evald-Hannes Kree

“There were many crypto businesses on the market for selling, investing, and trading crypto. But there was no proper solution for spending crypto in your daily life,” Kree explained. “As an early adopter, I realized that services like Swapin would ultimately become a missing link in the industry,” he continued.

It was then that Kree made it his personal mission to fill the void and bridge the gap that makes crypto payments as common as cash. Kree set out to change the world of crypto and sought to build the company that today is called Swapin (formerly Piixpay). 

Kree faced several challenges when getting started on his mission. For one, big banks rarely supported such business ventures, the crypto market was not regulated, nor was it easy to convince investors that crypto was here to stay. The common belief was that crypto was nothing more than a niche for tech enthusiasts and coders. Kree and the crypto industry have since proven that this market and its growth are only just beginning.

The Swapin Vision And Ambitious Company Roadmap Ahead

The next phase of challenges that Kree is eager and excited to face is expanding Swapin’s B2C and B2B products and services. In particular, Kree aims to target the private sector with proprietary retail solutions that make accepting crypto payments simple. All data shows that a trend in spending crypto is on the rise as more businesses and merchants accept crypto. Users are ready to use crypto for its intended purpose, and Swapin is the missing link.

Kree says this year’s goals include offering easy crypto-accepting solutions for e-commerce and traditional invoice-based businesses like real estate, the automotive industry, or luxury goods and services. These products include SwapinCollect and SwapinCheckout on the B2B front.

Swapin also has several B2C products designed for consumers that make everyday needs like paying bills online possible with crypto payments. The company has already launched SwapinPay and SwapinGet, and will soon introduce a crypto purchasing tool called SwapinBuy.

In the future, as a regulated financial entity, Swapin, led by Evald-Hannes Kree, is seeking to obtain its Electronic Money Institute license and is developing a virtual IBAN implementation. 

Evald-Hannes Kree: Personal Reflections And Passion Points

On a personal level, Kree is regularly inspired by the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity he sees within the crypto industry to do something both great and needed for real-life adoption to continue. 

When asked to share some of his most memorable moments from the crypto journey, Kree recalls an experience when he met a man with a Bitcoin tie at a conference and immediately explained the benefits of crypto-to-fiat payments. After looking at the man’s business card, Kree had, unbeknownst to him, been talking to Tim Draper.

Co-Founder & CEO Evald-Hannes Kree

For me, it was no barrier to grab his hand and guide him to our booth. Later, friends asked me if I knew who it was. I gave an honest answer: No, I don’t. But the business card revealed his name afterward,” Kree recalled.

Today, Kree works closely with the Swapin team and other industry figures such as Estonian tech visionary Taavi Kotka, former Plumbr CEO Ivo Mägi, EveryPay founder Kristjan Novitski, and Covesting founder Dmitrij Pruglo who recently joined the Swapin board as part of a €1.68m investment round.

Swapin aims to use the funding for an aggressive marketing campaign across Europe, with advanced website localization and a multilingual mobile application planned for the near future.

Stay Tuned To Swapin Updates And Learn More

Stay tuned to the Swapin blog for more updates on upcoming Swapin roadmap milestones, as well as a closer look at additional Swapin team members in the weeks ahead. You can also follow Swapin on Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, or LinkedIn.

Be sure to also try Swapin and make your first deposit today and access the future of finance. Swapin is a pioneer in crypto-to-payment solutions, catering to both B2C and B2B segments with a wide range of proprietary products and services. Join the Swapin team!