In this episode of Cards Against Complexity, Jan speaks with Katharina Lueth, Chief Client Officer at Raisin, a leading international savings and investment marketplace. With over a decade at Raisin, Katharina reflects on how growing a fintech from a 25-person startup in Berlin to a 750-employee global platform has felt like working for multiple companies in one—and what it takes to navigate that kind of transformation.

Key Takeaways:

• Scaling Financial Services Through Complexity:From manual onboarding processes to integrating hundreds of partner banks, Katharina shares how Raisin balanced early-stage flexibility with the need for long-term scalability. Her team’s focus on trust, regulatory clarity, and consistent customer service has been key to expansion across ten markets, including the US and UK.

• Navigating Growth: One Company, Multiple Transitions:Over 11 years, Katharina has seen Raisin evolve from a single-product startup to a multi-market fintech. Each growth phase—going international, acquiring a bank, merging with Deposit Solutions—brought new challenges, making the journey feel like working across several distinct companies.

• Perspective on Female Leadership in Fintech:As one of the few long-tenured female leaders in financial services, Katharina offers practical advice on resilience, career planning, and choosing the right company culture. Her message: Successful leadership includes adjusting to change while building environments where people are supported through all stages of life and work.

This conversation is great for anyone navigating growth in financial services or leading teams through transformation—especially in regulated, multi-stakeholder environments.