Panagiotis Kriaris, Director and Head of Business & Corporate Development at Unzer: The Blueprint for Fintech Partnerships and Sustainable Growth

How do you shift from being set up purely for growth to being set up for sustainable, profitable success?

It’s one of the biggest challenges facing fintechs today—and it’s at the heart of my latest Scalepoint Podcast with Panagiotis Kriaris, Director and Head of Business & Corporate Development at Unzer.

We talk about how fintech partnerships have evolved—moving beyond quick distribution deals to become a critical part of building sustainable, scalable businesses. Partnerships today aren’t just about reach; they’re about operational execution, regulatory readiness, and long-term value creation.

Panagiotis shares why fintechs must now move past the old “growth at all costs” mentality and rethink how they approach strategy, compliance, and collaboration—especially in a market where funding is tighter and the cost of failure is higher.

In this episode, we cover:
→ How fintech partnerships are shifting from competition to collaboration
→ Why the execution gap, not the idea gap, defines success
→ Lessons from the BaaS model under increasing regulatory scrutiny
→ The growing role of embedded finance and vertical SaaS in SME banking
→ Why adaptability, compliance, and AI will separate the next generation of fintech winners

It’s a candid conversation packed with hard-won insights for anyone building or scaling in today’s fintech landscape.