Telum caught up with Francisca Adinda on her shift to the FinTech sector and the challenges she's facing as a FinTech communicator.

Can you tell us about you and your role?
Yes, I have been with WadzPay for six months. I used to work for sports media property, ONE Championship & Esports, before I made a brave switch to embark on a FinTech journey. My role in WadzPay is to communicate the company's vision and mission to stakeholders effectively, and the part WadzPay intends to play in the increasingly innovative FinTech, especially blockchain-based payment platforms.

What attracted you to WadzPay?
Aside from WadzPay's vision and mission, I see this industry as a fascinating space that drives a digital economy relying on technology and innovation, and that supports financial inclusion for everyone; it's so hard for me to ignore for better or for worse!

And it's also a move that brings together two of my loves, PR and Communications.

What has been the biggest challenge for you as a FinTech communicator?
It will be different if you are a communicator in an industry that creates new things, a blockchain-based payment platform is not something that we hear about every day. Payment giants such as Mastercard and VISA and many other corporations are adopting digital currencies while also looking for novel applications of blockchain technology.

The blockchain-based approach is critical and relevant, as it can pave the way for safety, security, efficiency, and low-cost data organisation. Some businesses have remodelled themselves and put blockchain at their core (not only for payment infrastructure, but also the media, agriculture sector or electronic voting system). If I can put it in a short answer, the biggest challenge is still educating stakeholders about the role of blockchain and what problem we are trying to solve.

What is the biggest misconception about doing communications for FinTech?
In the WadzPay industry, the common perception I still get now is "blockchain is crypto." Some people would think WadzPay is a crypto company. We build an interoperable blockchain-based payments ecosystem to enable digital asset-based transaction processing and settlement (including remittance and Buy Now Pay Later). And what does it mean for society? Faster payments, improvement in security and cost efficiency with optionality. 

Do you have any tips for PRs who want to enter the FinTech scene?
I believe in PR and communications by honesty, especially in FinTech, where trust is fundamental. Make sure you understand the product and always focus on the product development, the problem in the market, and let the product quality and experience talk for themselves.