Melanie Moos has been appointed country managing director in Luxembourg of the fintech startup Depowise, the company announced on 15 April 2024. Founded in Estonia in 2021, the firm uses artificial intelligence to increase automation in the asset servicing sector and boost scalability.
“We are incredibly proud to attract such caliber of talent as Melanie Moos,” commented Artur Reiter, co-founder and co-CEO of Depowise in a press release. “We’re impressed by Melanie’s ability to drive change, lead transformative projects and bring innovative tech solutions to complex challenges in the banking and financial industry. As Depowise is the only modern one-stop solution provider for the asset servicing industry, we are witnessing a huge demand for Depowise in European financial markets, including Luxembourg.”
Prior to joining Depowise, Moos worked as a partner in management consulting specialising in the banking sector at KPMG Luxembourg and as senior vice president for product management and investment funds, vice president for asset servicing in Singapore and vice president for securities lending and collateral management at Clearstream.
Delano caught up with Moos ahead of the announcement to hear about the role of artificial intelligence in the asset servicing industry, what she’s looking forward to at Depowise and plans for growth in Luxembourg.
You mention in the press release that “AI technologies are becoming increasingly powerful” and will “dramatically transform the industry.” How so?
Melanie Moos: I firmly believe that AI represents a monumental shift similar to the surge of the internet. Just as we had to adapt to the digital age, we must now learn to optimise the capabilities of artificial intelligence.
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What are you most excited about at Depowise?
I’m impressed by how Depowise has managed to achieve rapid growth in its initial years, successfully persuading top global players to adopt its solution. I’m excited about the team's ambitious vision, which aims to revolutionise the IT and operational landscape of asset servicing on a global scale.
My move to Depowise is a testament to the immense potential I see for it to become the next unicorn
Depowise team members have backgrounds in top-notch financial institutions such as Bloomberg, Blackrock, MSCI, Nasdaq, and I’m pretty sure our experiences will be complementary. While the aspirations for Depowise are substantial, I am confident that we possess all the necessary elements for success. My move to Depowise is a testament to the immense potential I see for it to become the next unicorn.
The startup was founded in Estonia. Why come to Luxembourg and what are your plans for growth here in the grand duchy?
Estonia is a great place for tech innovation thanks to its highly skilled IT workforce, tech-friendly culture and vivid startup ecosystem fostering the inception and execution of innovative ideas. Given its limited domestic market size, Estonian startups used to adopt a global mindset from day one. While Tallinn may serve as the headquarters and back office, establishing a presence where customers are located, whether in Luxembourg, London, Dublin or other financial hubs, becomes imperative. Having a solution that resonates with the global market needs makes expanding and servicing a larger scope of the world the most natural move for us.
We intend to expand our team in Luxembourg in the coming months, enabling us to foster even closer relationships with our clients
Luxembourg has been a pivotal market for Depowise since its inception. With a solid client base established there, our presence in Luxembourg has been further strengthened by our affiliation with Lhoft [the Luxembourg House of Financial Technology] and active participation in the local community. Given Luxembourg’s status as a well known fund domicile in Europe and a global hub for cross-border distribution of funds, it is imperative for us to grow our presence in the region. Looking ahead, we intend to expand our team in Luxembourg in the coming months, enabling us to foster even closer relationships with our clients and relying on the right expertise to further expand our product(s).