New markets
ASTROPAY: PLANTING OUR FLAG IN EUROPE COMPANY CEO MIKAEL LIJTENSTEIN underlines
how AstroPay will be drawing upon its experience in emerging markets to fuel further expansion across Portugal, Spain and the UK
BY ERIN GALLAGHER
O
ver the last 12 years, AstroPay has made its name known across emerging markets as a go-to provider of payment solutions. But at the end of 2021, the company announced that it would be planting
72 SBC LEADERS • MAY 2022
its flag in the European market by expanding into Portugal, Spain and the UK. Lijtenstein is confident that AstroPay can steal a march on its rivals with the right focus on the UX and innovative payment methods. Speaking to SBC Leaders, the CEO began by outlining some of the main challenges associated with the European market, before explaining how AstroPay is overcoming these hurdles. SBC: It’s been a few months now since AstroPay strengthened its presence within the European market. What have been the key challenges that you have faced during your European expansion? ML: Understanding the complexity of the region and the particularities of each market within Europe was
a challenge at first, but this is not something new to us. We know each market is different, and the payment landscape is different. For more than 12 years we have been working on developing local solutions by listening to our users to make sure we fully understand what our customers want. This is where our experience comes as an advantage.
UNDERSTANDING THE COMPLEXITY OF THE REGION AND THE PARTICULARITIES OF EACH MARKET WITHIN EUROPE WAS A CHALLENGE AT FIRST, BUT THIS IS NOT SOMETHING NEW TO US
