Fintech Pioneer Railsr Announces Sale to Consortium led by D Squared Capital

Company
COMPANY
Empowering a new generation of embedded finance experiences
We’ve been pioneering innovations and pushing boundaries ever since we were founded. Today we’re leading the way in making financial products and services digital and embeddable, enabling deeper and richer customer experiences with the brands people love.
ABOUT US
Pioneering embedded finance. Powering amazing experiences.
Working in fintech since the 1990s, our founders gained valuable experience of building successful companies and identifying new opportunities. In 2016 they created Railsbank (now Railsr), assembled a talented team and began building our world-class platform. Together we’re committed to realising our ambition of embedding financial services for brands who want to build deeper engagement with their customers.

TIMELINE

MISSION & VISION
We use embedded finance to enable a world of richer finance experiences with the brands people love.
To enable any business or brand to rapidly prototype, launch and scale financial products that are directly embedded within their own user experience.
We will achieve this by democratising access to finance through replacing legacy industry infrastructure and being a simple to use turnkey platform.
OUR TEAM
We work with some of the world’s most adventurous brands to deliver the richest experiences for their customers.
Meet our Senior Leadership Team and discover how their commitment and experience are shaping our company today.
Before co-founding Railsr, Nigel was already a successful fintech entrepreneur, having previously founded Evolution and Currency Cloud, which were both sold to well-known publicly listed companies. He brings a wealth of capital markets experience gained at Nomura, Swiss Bank Corp and Dresdner Kleinwort Investment Bank.
Nigel's ambition for Railsr is to enable the world’s most ambitious brands to deliver exceptional embedded finance experiences for their customers. His taste for adventure has taken him to many places, from 17,769 feet up in the Himalayas, to sailing across the world’s oceans and flying paragliders over the skies of the UK.
Stuart was formerly Managing Director of Wise Business and Wise Platform, where he built, launched and scaled their business propositions to represent 20% of their £9bn listing. He was also previously at Paysafe Group, where he was responsible for all consumer products representing £100m of revenue, and at another stage of his career was a VP Product at Visa Europe.
A keen cyclist, Stuart swapped mountain biking for road cycling when he abandoned his northern roots and settled in SE London with his husband.
An Economics and History graduate from the University of Leeds, Steve is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. His extensive career in finance has included roles at KPMG, as CFO and COO at Mizuho International and Fox-Pitt Kelton investment banks, and as CEO for RAB Capital plc.
Steve knows the importance of exemplary financial management but is also keen to bring a more human face to finance within Railsr, both for his colleagues and their partners and customers.
Rick Haythornthwaite
Chairman

Nigel Verdon
Co-Founder & CEO

Steve Couttie
Chief Financial Officer

Stuart Gregory
Chief Operating Officer

Walter Hogg is the Global Head of Compliance & Risk at Railsr, having joined the company in November 2021. Prior to this, Mr Hogg worked in a number of senior Compliance & Risk roles, most notably at S&P Global, the leading provider of ratings, benchmarks, analytics and data, as the global Chief Compliance Officer in the Market Intelligence division. Mr Hogg also held the title of Executive Director at Nomura, the Japanese bank, where he led the central compliance function covering monitoring, surveillance and leading various global projects. Mr Hogg has also held a number of consulting roles, including with PwC. Mr Hogg is a qualified Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Accounting Science. Overall, Mr Hogg has 25 years of business experience focused on regulatory and Anti-Financial Crime compliance, engagement with many key global regulators and the Operational Risk and Audit disciplines within complex global financial institutions.
Jenny has been instrumental in developing and instilling operational culture, implementing talent attraction programmes, transforming employee engagement and driving continued improvement.
She is a subject matter expert in coaching, resource planning, reward and recognition, restructure and talent management and has particularly enjoyed championing innovation, collaboration and momentum which have been paramount to her success to date.
Jenny Trist
Chief People Officer

Louisa Murray
SVP, Global Head of Enterprise Customers & Partners

Walter Hogg
Head of Compliance & Risk

A financial services pioneer, Louisa was one of CIBC and Barclays Bank’s first female traders. Now a highly experienced cryptocurrency specialist, she was named on the 2020 ‘Rising Women in Crypto’ list published by Wirex and The Fintech Times. Louisa combines her keen eye for profitability with a commitment to nurturing and supporting the Railsr team through our rapid growth.
She strongly believes in good communication, learning to prioritise, and helping every individual recognise and develop their own special talents. When not encouraging our team to reach for the stars, Louisa’s competitive nature finds her hitting aces on the tennis court or hiking along the Suffolk Coast.

CAREERS
Come and join an amazing team…
At Railsbank we’re the global banking and compliance platform on which the world’s most innovative brands build their business. Our people are the ones who make it happen. We’re passionate about creating an inclusive and rewarding environment where everyone can bring their true selves to work. We’re all striving towards a common goal, yet we value everyone’s uniqueness and give everyone a voice. In fact, our truly global team speaks more than 39 different native languages, and represents humanity in all its richness and diversity.
Come and show us what a Railsbank person can be.