Former Revolut UK CEO James Radford has taken over as CEO of Volopa, a foreign exchange, international payments, and expense management company incubated by Quantum Group.
As CEO of Volopa, Radford will lead the development of the business, alongside a senior management team, which was strengthened in 2023 when Volopa acquired the UK branch of the American Express FX team.
Radford spent over 15 years at American Express and subsequently held senior roles at HBOS and Lloyds Banking Group where he was head of banking operations; business, commercial and wholesale banking.
Radford has held a number of fintech leadership roles including COO of Aldermore bank and CEO of the Cheque Clearing business where he was accountable for delivering the digital imaging of cheques to the UK banking industry.
He joins Volopa from Lycamobile, where he was CEO, following a three-year stint as CEO of Revolut UK.
Volopa is one four companies within the Quantum Group, alongside cashback and rewards platform, Verve, and boutique security consultancy, Valkyrie, and cyber security specialist Forensic Control. Radford will join the board of Quantum as director of fintech and banking, helping with its plan to list on the London Stock Exchange in 2026.
Volopa is the largest division in the group measured by revenues and, is looking to secure e-money licences in the UK, Europe, and the equivalent permissions in the Middle East and Africa. in the 12 months to June 2024, the firm grew its client base threefold with over 70 new corporate accounts currently being signed up each month.
Customers get access to global payments from the UK and EEA to 180 countries combined with multi-currency pre-paid cards for employee expense mmnagement.
Says Radford: “In a market often plagued by opaque solutions, excessive charges, and inadequate AI driven customer service, Volopa stands out by leveraging cutting-edge technology and real world human interaction to meet and exceed its customer expectations. This is an exciting time for the sector, as more businesses are realising there are alternatives to the big banks and are seeking the agility and capabilities that modern, customer-focused, and ambitious fintechs like Volopa offer.”