BAKU FINTECH SECTORAL TRADE DELEGATION PROGRAM

Murat Kastan brings over 19 years of experience in the financial institutions sector. He joined UPT in March 2019 as EVP of International Partnerships, later being appointed as Chief Commercial Officer. In October 2023, he was appointed CEO of UPT, Turkey's first licensed payment company, and he also serves as a board member of TURKFIN (Turkic States Fintech Cooperation Platform).

Since joining UPT, Kastan has built a global payment network of 200 partners, offering services from cash payouts and account transfers to virtual TRY IBANs. In the digital space, he spearheaded UPTION Wallet, an all-in-one multicurrency app providing direct SEPA access, QR payments, and cards for daily financial needs.

Serhat Şener is an Board Member of the Turkic States Fintech Alliance (TURKFIN), a regional platform founded by fintech associations from the Turkic States to enhance cooperation in financial technologies, promote interoperable payment systems, and support cross-border innovation across the region. He served on the Board of Directors of the Payment and Electronic Money Institutions Association of Türkiye (TÖDEB) for two and a half years and currently serves as an Alternate Member of its Supervisory Board. He is also the Founder of Fintechium Consultancy and a Board Member of Sender Payment Services. With 20 years of experience across payments, financial services, technology risk, and management consulting, he began his career at Deloitte Türkiye and later joined PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Türkiye, advising clients primarily in the financial services and technology sectors. Serhat advises banks, payment and electronic money institutions, crypto-asset service providers, fintech companies, and technology providers on strategy, market entry, licensing, regulatory compliance, governance, internal control, and payment infrastructure. His current work focuses on advancing regional cooperation through interoperable payment systems, cross-border payments, and remittance connectivity across Türkiye, Central Asia, and the wider Turkic region.