Creating Inclusive Financial Products for a Diverse World

Creating Inclusive Impact in FinTech

In this special live episode of FinTech’s DEI Discussions, host Nadia sits down with Lana Hoffman, Founding Partner and COO at epta-x, during the PAY360 Conference. With a background that traverses humanitarian aid, environmental protection, and pharmaceuticals, Lana’s path into the FinTech industry is a remarkable example of the kind of diverse and unconventional talent that makes this sector so unique.

As the financial services industry continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, conversations about inclusion, representation, and accessibility are becoming more crucial than ever. At Harrington Starr, a FinTech recruitment business operating across global markets, we know that attracting the best talent isn’t just about technical expertise—it’s about people, purpose, and perspective. Lana’s story, and her work at epta-x and ENGAGE, provide powerful insights into how companies can combine business success with inclusive practice.

This episode isn’t just about discussing DEI—it’s about walking the talk, exploring practical strategies, and recognising the shared responsibility we all hold to make the FinTech space more open, inclusive, and impactful.

A Journey Like No Other: From Humanitarian Aid to FinTech Innovation

Lana begins the episode by reflecting on her unconventional route into the financial services space. Her early career was shaped by meaningful work with Care International in humanitarian aid, followed by roles in environmental advocacy and the pharmaceutical industry. These experiences, rich with purpose, equipped her with a deep sense of empathy and systems thinking that would later prove invaluable in FinTech.

It was during her time in Germany that Lana’s journey into financial technology began. There, she discovered the rewarding nature of product innovation—particularly the process of developing and re-engineering solutions that ultimately change how people interact with money and services.

One of her proudest moments was collaborating with Visa, Vodafone, Wirecard, and TFL to create a phone-based payment solution for London’s underground network. The moment that gate opened at Sloane Square, using a mobile phone, signified more than a technical achievement. It was the culmination of over a year of collective work, and for Lana, it marked the true beginning of her FinTech calling.

This anecdote resonates strongly in the context of FinTech recruitment. At Harrington Starr, we often work with candidates from diverse professional backgrounds who bring fresh insight and resilience to technical roles. Lana’s story reminds us that the future of financial technology will be built not just by coders and analysts, but by people who’ve walked many paths.

Why epta-x Was Founded: Building Better Businesses Through Experience

Through her career, Lana observed a critical pattern: brilliant products often fail not because of the technology, but because the teams behind them lack the operational foundation to turn ideas into scalable businesses. This realisation led her to co-found epta-x, a consultancy built on seven essential elements needed to create and sustain a business: vision, operations, finance, technology, marketing, product, and leadership.

“epta” means “seven” in Greek, and each of these seven pillars works in harmony to support businesses at various stages of growth. At epta-x, Lana and her partners—who collectively bring over a century of experience—aim to make executive-level support more affordable and accessible. Contrary to the assumption that experienced consultants come with unmanageable costs, Lana advocates for smart engagement with subject matter experts who can deliver maximum impact with strategic input.

This perspective aligns with what we see across our FinTech recruitment work. Building successful companies requires not just bold ideas but structured execution. Whether it’s placing a Head of Product at a start-up or a COO at a scale-up, we understand that hiring the right leaders can unlock growth, stability, and innovation.

ENGAGE: Driving Collective Change in DEI

In addition to her operational leadership at epta-x, Lana is also deeply involved in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion across the financial services industry. She is part of ENGAGE—Enabling Network for Global Alliance Growth and Equality—a collaborative initiative designed to accelerate DEI action within financial technology.

ENGAGE’s flagship programme, Knowledge Is My Superpower, seeks to democratise financial education and showcase inclusive learning practices. Hosted at Barclays Rise, this initiative provides accessible financial literacy training in environments designed to accommodate individuals with and without disabilities. Lana speaks passionately about ensuring people with different learning styles, cognitive differences, and physical abilities can learn together and equally benefit from financial knowledge.

This kind of work is particularly vital to the FinTech recruitment ecosystem. Hiring underrepresented talent starts with early access to opportunity. At Harrington Starr, we recognise that true inclusion begins before the CV is even written. ENGAGE addresses the root of this by offering education that is inclusive by design—empowering individuals to engage with financial systems that have historically excluded them.

Tackling Today’s FinTech Challenges: AI, Security, and Inclusion

Lana and Nadia then shift their conversation to explore the critical challenges facing the FinTech and payments sectors today. Lana outlines three dominant areas of focus: artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and financial inclusion.

The integration of AI offers immense potential, from personalising services to detecting fraud more effectively. However, it also brings complex ethical considerations. Companies must not only implement AI tools but ensure those tools are designed and deployed in a way that respects data privacy, bias mitigation, and fairness.

Security, too, remains a major concern. As financial systems become more connected, they also become more vulnerable. Sophisticated threats, including state-sponsored cyberattacks, now target infrastructure alongside criminal activity. Lana stresses that organisations must invest not only in technical defences but in human training and awareness, as people are often the weakest link in any security protocol.

But perhaps most pressing of all is the issue of inclusivity. Despite advancements in technology, a significant portion of the global population remains underserved. Individuals with disabilities face inaccessible digital platforms. Unbanked communities lack even the most basic services. For Lana, addressing these gaps is more than a moral responsibility—it’s a strategic business opportunity. Inclusion, she asserts, is good business.

This message echoes the broader mission of Harrington Starr. In the FinTech recruitment world, we see every day how inclusive companies outperform their competitors. They retain talent, reach wider markets, and build better products. The firms that prioritise accessibility—from their hiring practices to their product design—are the ones shaping the future of financial technology.

A Busy Day at PAY360: Panels, Podcasts, and Purpose

As a featured speaker at PAY360, Lana had a packed agenda. She moderated a panel titled Data Mining for Gold, discussing how financial institutions can leverage data to drive decision-making and innovation. She also hosted a fireside chat with the CEO of Boku, examining how alternative payment methods can promote financial inclusion, especially in emerging markets.

Lana expressed her excitement about engaging with companies interested in supporting the ENGAGE initiative and looked forward to the upcoming Knowledge Is My Superpower event scheduled for 16th April. In addition, she gave a teaser for the new epta-x podcast, which she described as potentially “the shortest podcast in the world.” The format, she hinted, would be highly practical, centred around the themes of Connect, Conquer, and Capitalise—providing leaders with immediately actionable insights.

At Harrington Starr, we love seeing industry leaders launch new platforms for sharing knowledge. Whether it's a panel, workshop, or podcast, what matters is that the information is useful and accessible. Lana’s work stands as a reminder that complex problems often require simple, consistent solutions—and that content rooted in real-world experience always resonates.

Breaking into Financial Services: A Call for More Inclusive Career Pathways

When asked about career opportunities in today’s FinTech space, Lana acknowledges the challenges. The market has been tough, particularly over the past year, and for many jobseekers, it’s easy to internalise rejection or feel disheartened. But Lana is clear: the problem isn’t you—it’s the market.

She also raises an important point about the lack of basic financial education in schools. Young people often leave education with advanced academic knowledge but little understanding of how money, mortgages, pensions, or credit work. This gap creates systemic exclusion, making it difficult for people to pursue careers in financial services or even navigate financial products as consumers.

She highlights that almost one in four people in the UK are classified as disabled, in some form—whether visibly or invisibly. If we’re serious about improving financial inclusion and diversifying FinTech workforces, we need to start with education, representation, and systemic support.

At Harrington Starr, we champion this message. FinTech recruitment must be more than CV screening and interviews—it’s about creating pipelines of talent that reflect the diversity of the real world. Whether it’s supporting returners to work, career changers, or professionals with disabilities, we believe in equitable access to opportunity.

What Inclusion Really Means—and Who’s Responsible

As the episode moves to its final stages, Lana offers her definition of inclusion. It’s not just about being present; it’s about participating fully, contributing meaningfully, and benefiting equally. Equality, she explains, means removing the barriers that prevent people from having a fair chance—whether those are social, physical, educational, or systemic.

Lana draws a powerful link between her humanitarian past and her FinTech present. She recalls working on a project funded by UNICEF to support refugees from the Balkan conflicts. The goal was to identify individuals with entrepreneurial potential, help them develop business plans, and access funding. Two decades later, she still visits three of her former students who are now successful business owners in Serbia. One of them runs a crisp business using dried fruit—an idea born from that programme. This experience reaffirmed for Lana that when you remove barriers and provide the right support, incredible things happen.

She closes the discussion with one of the most critical messages of all: inclusion is everyone’s responsibility. Whether you’re a leader, marketer, developer, or recruiter, the decisions you make each day have the power to drive—or derail—inclusive outcomes. Lana encourages us all to start where we are, use what we have, and commit to taking action. Even small, consistent efforts can create real change over time.

Why This Episode Matters to FinTech Recruitment and Beyond

This episode of FinTech’s DEI Discussions is a compelling blend of personal insight and professional expertise. Lana Hoffman brings clarity, compassion, and conviction to her advocacy for inclusion in financial services—and in doing so, she gives us all a blueprint for action.

At Harrington Starr, we are proud to amplify conversations like these. As a FinTech recruitment business, we know that people drive innovation. The future of our industry depends on how well we can attract, support, and elevate diverse talent. From the C-suite to the coding floor, inclusion isn’t optional—it’s strategic, it’s smart, and it’s essential.

Whether you’re building a start-up, scaling a FinTech business, or seeking your next role in the sector, this episode offers practical, inspiring takeaways. Tune in to discover how knowledge really is your superpower—and how you can use it to shape a more inclusive, innovative future for financial technology.