Meet The Team - Fintech Bulgaria

Founded in 2017, BFA is a non-governmental organization, aiming at bringing together all FinTech companies in Bulgaria. The BFA community consists of specialists, with proven track in Financial Technologies, who want to further develop the FinTech industry in the region.

The goal of the organization is to represent and safeguard the shared values of its members before regulators, investors, financial institutions, foreign associations, partners and any other party.

Connect tradition &
innovation

Represent the industry's interests

Improve the awareness
about the sector

Stimulate financial
innovation

Serve as a platform for knowledge sharing

Establish Bulgaria as a Fintech centre

Build a Fintech community

Meet our Team

Valeri Valtchev

Valeri is a serial entrepreneur and investor. During the last 15 years he has invested in over 15 companies in Bulgaria, some of which made it from start-ups to well established ventures. Valeri built successful businesses in IT, financial services, professional services, energy, automotive, real estate, telecoms and entertainment. In the last couple of years, he’s been focusing on redefining payments by building several fintech companies among which Paynetics, Phyre and Phos. He is also Chairman of the Bulgarian Fintech Association.

He was previously an international lawyer with White & Case in Brussels and Washington D.C.

VALERI VALTCHEV

CO-FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN

Svetoslav Dimitrov

Svetoslav Dimitrov has an experience as a Managing Partner of one of the biggest Bulgarian Law Offices – Penkov, Markov & Partners, as well as extensive experience as litigator, especially in the area of IT, TMT and FinTech. He is currently one of the partners at Innimmo and the Paynetics group.

SVETOSLAV DIMITROV

CO-FOUNDER & BOD MEMBER

Kaloyan Rachev

Kaloyan is a co-founder and advisor in the Bulgarian Fintech Association. He is also the founder and CEO of Vangalis Ltd – an international innovation company focused on future industries, supporting the internationalization and growth of start-ups and growing companies and ecosystems. He is a partner in Trending Topics – a European media company focused on business and technology, based in Austria and Bulgaria.
Kaloyan is also the initiator and organizer of the Fintech Ecosystem Summit in Vienna in 2017. Before that, he has more than 15 years of professional experience in the field of ancillary services and corporations such as A1 Telekom Austria and GfK Austria.

KALOYAN RATCHEV

CO-FOUNDER & ADVISOR

Galya Dimitrova

Over the past 3 years, Galya Dimitrova has transformed from a successful banker into a fintech entrepreneur-innovator. After successively heading Allianz Bank, Credit Agricole, TB “Victoria” as executive director and member of the Board of Directors, she accepted a new challenge – founded the startup IRIS Solutions. This is a natural progression for someone whose professional path has been largely connected to the digitization of banking services.
The fintech startup IRIS Solutions, founded by Galya and associates, is among the first to receive a license from the BNB as a third-party provider under PSD2.
Today, IRIS Solutions is a leading provider of open banking solutions and services in Southeast Europe. The startup’s mission is to create a single, common, secure, open platform for sharing financial data. Galya is one of the biggest enthusiasts regarding the introduction of open banking solutions in all spheres of life. The Recursive named Galya Dimitrova as one of the strong fintech ladies in Central and Eastern Europe helping to sort out finances.
Galya Dimitrova is a member of the Board of Directors of BFA.

GALYA DIMITROVA

BOD MEMBER

Vanya Manova

VANYA MANOVA

BOD MEMBER

Filip Mutafis

Filip Mutafis is an Investor in Paysera Bulgaria and Romania. He has more than 20 years of experience in the software sector. He is a member of the Board of Directors of BASCOM – Bulgarian biggest association of software companies.

FILIP MUTAFIS

BOD MEMBER

Ivaylo Ivanov

Ivaylo Ivanov is the CEO of iuvo and a Board member of the Bulgarian Fintech Association. In the last 7 years he has designed, launched and further developed various fintech business models. He has collaborated with pan-EU regulators (EC, EIFR, ESMA, EBA) on topics of development of the EU fintech landscape. Ivaylo was also founding Board member of the first European Equity Crowdfunding Association (EECA).

IVAYLO IVANOV

BOD MEMBER

Loic Le Pichoux

Loic Le Pichoux is the CEO and a Co-Founder of Klear, a unique platform combining Peer-to-Peer Lending and Financial Education.

Loic brings in 20 years of experience in Cetelem and BNP Paribas Personal Finance, having occupied various C-Executive positions in many countries. He had been the CEO of Cetelem in Algeria and was the CEO of BNP Paribas Personal Finance in Bulgaria just before leaving this big banking group.

Gathering a team of experienced professionals from the industry having previously worked with him, Klear was created in Bulgaria with the idea to build a sustainable activity, fair and transparent.

LOIC LE PICHOUX

BOD MEMBER

Gergana Sarbova

GERGANA SARBOVA

BOD MEMBER

Georgi Penev

Georgi has a proven track in business consulting and development in the IT sector of Bulgaria. He started working in the IT sector 7 years ago after which he quickly moved to a leading role in the business development of an award-winning Fintech company in Bulgaria. Georgi holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Sciences from the UNWE-Sofia and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Management from the University of Glasgow.
He believes in the benefits of digital transformation and wants to take an active part in building the bright future of Fintech in Bulgaria and Europe.

GEORGI PENEV

DIRECTOR

Gergana Stoitchkova

Gergana is part of Eleven Ventures, one of the most active VC funds in the SEE region, where she’s heading their Visa Innovation Program. She’s also part of the fintech investment team, leveraging her experience in the field. Prior to that, she was a Strategy Manager at Paynetics, working closely with all fintech companies from the group. Previously Director, Gergana is also still very much involved with the Bulgarian Fintech Association, which she helped building from the ground up. She holds BSc in BA from LMU in Munich and MSc in Finance from Bocconi University in Milan.

GERGANA STOITCHKOVA

ADVISOR

Martin Bogdanov

Martin Bogdanov has more than 25 years of experience in the financial sector. He has held senior positions at the Bulgarian National Bank and leading commercial banks in Bulgaria and Albania. He is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of Paysera Bulgaria and Deputy CEO of Paysera LTD, co-founder and advisor to the BFA Board. He actively works for the development of the financial and fintech sectors by introducing innovative services and processes to help clients and institutions, assisting in the introduction of regulatory changes and best practices.

MARTIN BOGDANOV

ADVISOR

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