“I’ve always been one to embrace the next big challenge," says Jean Paul Borg, as we discuss his motivation for stepping into the position of Business Development Manager for Finductive, in early 2025.
Armed with 15 years’ experience in both B2C and B2B sales and business development, Mr Borg was drawn to Finductive by the payment service provider’s appetite for innovation and calculated risk. Tasked with establishing a roadmap for growing the organisation’s 1,000-strong customer portfolio, he has built an understanding of Finductive’s product set and market dynamics – and is well-placed to help the company expand beyond its original niche.
“The act of selling features in so many roles, if you think about it,” Mr Borg explains, looking back at his early employment – and that included upselling bruschetta as a student waiter! Joining Vodafone Malta in its sales call centre, Mr Borg later transferred to a front-facing position in the retail store, before maturing in B2B sales, selling bulk SMS routes to giants like Google and Visa. His subsequent move to Trust Payments solidified his fintech and ecommerce sales experience.
Despite this training ground in patience, resilience and adaptability, Mr Borg is candid about the challenges ahead of him in discharging his Finductive responsibilities. One such challenge is the shift from selling visible, easily demonstrable solutions (like POS terminals), to promoting a broader and more extensive range of payment solutions . “SEPA, SWIFT, IBANs, and payment currency conversion aren’t typically physical products that people can immediately see functioning. We are effectively selling the assurance that these services will work effectively when transacting, and we require the prospective client’s trust that we can provide certainty and reliability,” he clarifies.

This domain of more complex infrastructure-based services involves getting comfortable with the longer sales cycle. “It takes a lot of groundwork and an understanding a clients requirements to onboard one client,” Mr Borg attests. Having embraced the necessary learning curve, he uses a two-pronged approach for developing new business. Referrals from the professional services community and consultants are a key conduit, and building strong and deep relationships within the community can provide highly effective.
Regular attendance at conferences serving Finductive’s various sectors complement this strategy and remain essential to visibility and initiating lead generation. Moreover, as Mr Borg highlights, leveraging old and new business contacts is especially instrumental in gaining access to critical decision-makers. “Existing clients play a major role in getting our foot in the door to reach the right people and the power of referrals in aiding organic growth cannot be overstated.”
These front-facing efforts are matched by continuous behind-the-scenes technological investment. Blending innovation and service assurance, the payment services provider is significantly upgrading its core system to meet the expectations of “clients seeking even more robust tech, including seamless API integration.”
Citing increased reliability, improved transparency, and swifter, secure payments among the primary shifts in customers’ service needs, Mr Borg reveals Finductive is not only bolstering its backend infrastructure but also broadening its product offering. The next few months will see the rollout of a corporate debit card as well as SEPA Instant, promising enhanced convenience and client trust.
As for operating procedures, the company’s rapid client onboarding is a standout feature, especially for companies at setup stage who require prompt access to financial services solutions. “Depending on the complexity of the client’s requirements, we can have an account up and running within a few days and can support 26 different currencies – a major advantage providing clients with greater flexibility,” Mr Borg states.
And yet, this efficiency and speed – superior to the level offered by most traditional payment providers – by no means indicates compromised due diligence standards. Mr Borg reaffirms the company’s rigorous KYC philosophy, “we don’t adopt a one-size-fits-all attitude when it comes to vetting new clients, and this prudence is a reassuring reminder of our staying power and credibility.”

Despite its strong fintech credentials, Finductive observes a careful balance between digital and personal delivery. “While solid tech infrastructure matters, so does the human connection,” he says. In a differentiating move to entirely digital chatbot-first platforms, Finductive assigns each client a relationship manager. One-to-one service may carry higher costs, but Mr Borg emphasises that this reflects the high value the organisation places on maintaining the human touch in an automated world. “We pride ourselves on this added dimension which also gives peace of mind that clients’ service remains our top priority,” he highlights.
Relationship management does not stop here. Finductive conducts health checks to gather feedback and ensure continued satisfaction, also organising events such as wine tastings and padel tournaments as informal avenues for reconnecting with key clients and strengthening loyalty. It is an extension of the company’s own internal collaborative and human-centred culture.
This culture is reflected in Mr Borg’s own human-first approach, as our conversation turns to personal principles. “No matter how compelling your product offering, you first have to sell your own ‘brand’ before you can sell your company’s brand because people will remember you first.”
Going back to events and personal referrals, Mr Borg suggests these are even more important in today’s context of the (primarily post-COVID) transition from in-person meetings to virtual formats. “Web call platforms undeniably help people fit in more meetings now by eliminating time-consuming travel etc. But I think there’s a risk of quantity impacting quality. When it comes to having a constructive conversation with a new business prospect, there’s no match for a face-to-face conversation,” he believes.
Offering advice for aspiring business development managers, Mr Borg prioritises honesty and “even willingness to admit you’re still learning and not an expert,” he shares, adding that mental resilience is vital in a field that involves repeated rejection and significant persistence. Finally, work-life balance is also critical to sustaining performance, he insists, “as burning out serves neither the employee nor employer well.”
As Finductive looks beyond its gaming roots to pursue growth across aviation, maritime, technology industries, and more, its business development manager is confident that the organisation will continue to place reliable service, meaningful innovation, and long-term client relationships at the heart of its offering. “A base of over 1,000 clients shows the company has been on the right track since launching six years ago,” Mr Borg asserts. “We intend to continue growing with purpose and trust.”
Disclaimer:
Finductive Ltd (C 89272) is a limited liability company incorporated in Malta, regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority of Triq l-Imdina, Zone 1, Central Business District, Birkirkara, CBD 3020, Malta, and licensed to operate as a financial institution carrying out the activities of payment services in accordance with the Second Schedule of the Financial Institutions Act (Ch. 376 of the Laws of Malta).
Finductive Ltd is not a credit institution and the Depositor Compensation Scheme is not applicable.
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