How Nikolay Storonsky Built a $45B+ Fintech Empire

Most fintechs die trying to fit into a system designed to keep them out.

Revolut took the opposite approach: It scaled by ignoring convention, challenging legacy banking models, and building its systems from the ground up.

Nikolay Storonsky, CEO and Co-founder of Revolut, shares with us two fundamental truths: systems can be hacked, and endurance beats talent.

This mindset shaped Revolut, which went from a niche FX product to a global financial super app, challenging banks at their own game.

In this conversation, we unpack:
• why Nik stopped relying on VCs, even after raising $2 billion,
• how Revolut scaled past regulators and legacy banks, and
• why blitzscaling isn’t enough when margins are thin and compliance costs are high.

ABOUT US:

We’re proudly sponsored by Brex—a brand I co-founded, now supporting over 30,000 businesses like Anthropic, DoorDash, and Scale AI, helping them make every dollar count.

I’m grateful for their continued support as I bring you all conversations with some of the most exceptional founders of our generation. For more information, please go to: https://www.brex.com/?ref_code=bmk_au...

Connect with us:

1. Revolut - https://x.com/RevolutApp
2. Brex - https://x.com/brexHQ
3. Henrique Dubugras- https://x.com/hdubugras

This episode was produced and distributed by our friends at Atomik Growth: https://atomikgrowth.com/

00:00 Trailer
00:49 Introduction
01:52 Nik's Early Life and Education
11:50 Transition to Finance and Trading
14:19 The Collapse of Lehman Brothers
25:15 Starting Revolut
36:28 YC Combinator and Fundraising Challenges
41:24 Product Development and Market Fit
44:23 Company Culture and Hiring Philosophy
47:01 Management Style and Systems
59:52 Expansion and Systematizing Processes
01:06:30 Reflections on Success and Challenges
01:09:00 Closing Thoughts