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In the highly competitive world of fintech, entrepreneur Jon Santillan's company is making his mark by providing cheaper, faster and safer solutions to its customers
In the What Matters To Me series, a Generation T honouree describes what they do, why they do it, and why it matters.
Jon Edward Santillan is making it easier for overseas Filipino workers to send money home. His company, Denarii, uses blockchain technology to provide a peer-to-peer, no-fee service that has become a remittance lifeline between these workers and their families. The company's AP solution Denarii Pay also helps businesses simplify the way they pay their vendors and contractors locally and internationally.
Here, he shares more about what sets Denarii apart from its peers and how he personally deals with stress.
See also: How This Entrepreneur’s New Agri-Fintech Startup Is Helping Underserved Farmers To Stay Competitive
Denarii is different from other platforms because we make use of the latest technology to provide cheaper, faster and safer solutions. Before Denarii, consumers and businesses spent a lot of time and paid a huge amount of transaction fees when sending money internationally. [Our solutions] are built based on the feedback of our customers; we build what people want.
When we started Denarii, we saw that in order to build the best international money transfer services, you'd need to link to several fintech stacks across the product's lifecycle. This is why we decided to make our infrastructure via an API (application programming interface) to be available publicly. This way, if anyone wants to offer a similar service to ours, they can do it quickly. We do the heavy lifting from the technology side of the business for them.
Above Jon Edward Santillan is the co-founder and CEO of Denarii, a fintech company that makes overseas money transfers safe, simple and accessible
Jon Edward Santillan is the co-founder and CEO of Denarii, a fintech company that makes overseas money transfers safe, simple and accessible
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Not many people know that I'm an introvert. Most of the time, I prefer to process information internally. I believe everyone needs that dose of steadiness [to survive in] the chaotic business world.
The best advice I’ve ever received is to learn from your mistakes as quickly as possible. I see mistakes as my best teacher—they help to bring me closer to what I want to achieve with my company, they make me reflect and they push me to be the best that I can be.
I manage my stress levels by making sure to take breaks. I also find that connecting with people who understand what I'm going through helps; being able to be vulnerable about your struggles is very powerful, and I wish I knew that earlier.
See other honourees from the Finance category of the Gen.T List 2021.
About
Isabel loves to learn, and see things from different perspectives. Connecting with people and engaging in new experiences to broaden her horizons is what inspires this storyteller, keeping her constantly curious, and excited for what's to come. An absolute love for all things F&B ignited a hunger to devour content from this world and keeps her jumping into tasty adventures around the globe. From the beauty of simple bites, to nuanced fine dining tasting menus, street food, and the art of entertaining, the multi-faceted nature of the dining experience is something she can't get enough of. A good cup of coffee or a glass of wine paired with a dash of witty conversation is a quick way to win her over. This editor loves travelling, food, music, skincare, fitness, and is only friends with people who love dogs. Guilty pleasure?: Binge-watching TV shows and movies she has already seen.
Work
Concept creation is the name of the game and branding takes centre stage in Isabel's day-to-day schedule. From producing shoots, conceptualising bespoke projects for our partners, relationship management, to cooking up features and events for Tatler Dining, this editor is a tried and tested foodie at heart. She mainly writes content for Tatler Dining, engaging in captivating discussions with restaurateurs, chefs, producers, and food enthusiasts to tell must-know stories. Aside from that Isabel manages Tatler Dining's flagship events like Off Menu, or Cocktail Festival and puts together the Tatler Dining Guide, our annual listing of the best eats around town.
Follow her on Instagram @isabelvmf.
