Entrepreneur & fintech founder
Alexander
I build companies at the intersection of technology and finance. Today, that’s Gemba.
CEO & co-founder, Gemba
London & the United States
- Years building businesses
- 25+
- Countries served by Gemba
- 60+
- Gemba co-founded
- 2017
Currently building
Explore Gemba
Financial infrastructure.
Built for builders.
Gemba
Technology companies should be able to offer financial services under their own brand. That’s the idea behind Gemba’s Fintech-in-a-Box platform.
Co-founded in 2017, Gemba is an FCA-authorised payment institution headquartered at Level39 in London’s Canary Wharf.
FCA reference number 804853
£1.33bn
Gemba gross merchandise volume · January 2026
Sifted 100
UK & Ireland’s fastest-growing companies · 2026
Gemba’s milestones
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FCA authorisation granted as Authorised Payment Institution
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Attended Abu Dhabi Finance Week
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US expansion — Money Service License acquired in New York
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Selected for Grow London Global by London & Partners
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Joined Barclays Funding Readiness Programme
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ThetaRay AML partnership; spoke at ThetaRay Fintech Event
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EY FinTech Growth Programme & Barclays Eagle Labs
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One-Click Business Banking Integration launched
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Selected for JPMorgan Chase Fintech Forward Programme
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UK Government-Recommended Banking Partner (Dept. for Business & Trade)
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Launched on Microsoft & Google Cloud Marketplaces
Inside the platform
Fintech-in-a-Box
While legacy BaaS providers require £40K–£200K in setup costs and 3–6 months of integration, Gemba enables partners to launch a fully branded, fully regulated banking app in under 7 minutes. Partners retain up to 70% of custom fees plus 20% of base transaction revenue.
Gemba's "Trust Trinity" ensures every partner operates under Gemba's FCA licence with end-to-end KYC, AML, and sanctions screening built in — underpinned by proprietary predictive and generative AI-powered Anti-Financial-Crime tools developed in-house.
A builder, from the beginning.
From a university project that became a web company to building financial infrastructure, I’ve spent more than 25 years turning ideas into businesses.
My work spans IT, digital media, international investment, and regulated financial services. The thread running through it: building the foundations that let other people do more.
Read the full biography
Early Life
Born in Russia in April 1982, Alexander's entrepreneurial instincts emerged at age nine, selling newspapers and groceries. By ten, he had already decided to build his own bank — a childhood dream that materialised decades later as Gemba.
Education
B.Sc. in Economics & English from Moscow State Institute of Radio Engineering, Electronics & Automation (MIREA), 1999–2006. His graduation project — a Content Management System — became the foundation of his first company, Webstudios.ru.
Global Mobility
Relocated from Russia to Latvia in 2014, then operated across the Netherlands and the United States. Currently based in London and the USA, with Gemba headquartered at Level39, Canary Wharf — the heart of London's fintech ecosystem.
Philosophy
"We are building a global financial marketplace where every tech founder can become a fintech founder." Alexander has never been formally employed — maintaining a continuous 25+ year track record of autonomous enterprise creation.
Built over time.
From web infrastructure to embedded finance. A career in creating companies.
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2017 – Present
CEO & Co-Founder
Gemba · London, UK
Founded and bootstrapped an FCA-authorised payment institution from personal savings. Built the "Fintech-in-a-Box" platform now listed on Microsoft and Google Cloud Marketplaces. Selected for JPMorgan Chase Fintech Forward. Recognised as UK Government-Recommended Banking Partner.
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2017 – 2019
Co-Founder & Chairman, Supervisory Board
Saifu · Prague, Czech Republic
Co-founded regulated cryptocurrency platform with Evgeny Vigovsky (ex-Kaspersky). Deployed Thales nShield HSMs for bank-grade security. Raised ~£10M via ICO. Represented Saifu at Consensus 2018. Partnered with Tangem for hardware wallet integration.
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2011 – Present
Managing Partner / Non-Executive Board Member
Metropolitan International Group · Hong Kong
Established an internationally recognised holding structure to manage expanding investments and execute cross-border M&A transactions. Provides ongoing strategic oversight.
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2010 – 2013
Managing Director
ADVERTIS RUS · Moscow
Led strategic marketing operations and client relationships. Developed comprehensive advertising strategy frameworks and retail workshop programs for top UK retailers.
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2006 – 2010
General Director & Partner
Absolut Media & Profit Media · Moscow
Ran parallel media strategy and buying agencies serving institutional clients including HSBC during their Russian market expansion. Mastered digital distribution channels and institutional-grade account management.
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2000 – 2006
Founder
Webstudios.ru · Moscow
Founded web development and CMS company while still a university student. Grew the company over six years, building foundational expertise in digital infrastructure and bootstrapped operations.
- Web & IT
- Digital Media
- International Holdings
- Crypto & Blockchain
- Embedded Banking
Ideas, in writing.
Perspectives on embedded finance, technology, and building a business.
More publications & articles (13)
Gemba Named in the 2026 Sifted Leaderboard for the UK & Ireland: 100 Fastest Growing Companies
How to Go from Idea to Regulated FinTech — Faster Than You Think
Igniting Fintech and Consumer Tech
Gemba: Launch Your Fintech Banking Brand in Minutes
Gemba Offers an Invisible Banking Solution for Fintechs from Level39
UK Fintech Gemba Chooses ThetaRay for its AML Program to Support Global Growth
UK Fintech Gemba Chooses ThetaRay for its AML Programme
Gemba Finance Partners with ThetaRay
Gemba Joins Barclays Funding Readiness Programme Powered by Capital Enterprise
Gemba Finance Announces Nomination for Tech Nation's Rising Stars Competition
Level39 Member Highlights — November 2025
Advertising Strategy and Planning
LinkedIn Thought Leadership — Cryptocurrency Risks for Banks, Fintech Innovation
Along the way.
Selected recognition for Gemba, and conversations with the fintech community.
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Sifted 100 — UK & Ireland Fastest Growing
Sifted / Financial Times — Top 100 fastest-growing startups
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EB100 — Elite Business Top 100 UK SME
Elite Business Magazine · Financial Services / FinTech
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JPMorgan Chase Fintech Forward
JPMorgan Chase / EY
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TechNation Fintech 5.0 Cohort
Tech Nation
More recognition
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Rising Stars Competition Nominee
Tech Nation
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Grow London Global Selection
London & Partners
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Barclays Funding Readiness Programme
Barclays / Capital Enterprise
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EY FinTech Growth Programme
EY
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Barclays Eagle Labs
Barclays
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ThetaRay AML Partnership
ThetaRay
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UK Government-Recommended Banking Partner
Dept. for Business & Trade
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Microsoft Commercial Marketplace
Microsoft
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Google Cloud Marketplace
Google
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£1.33 Billion GMV
Gemba — Gross Merchandise Volume milestone
Speaking & events
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ThetaRay Fintech Event
Level39, London — AI in combating financial crime
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JPMorgan Fintech Forward Showcase
JPMorgan Chase — Fintech Forward programme showcase event
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CONNECTpreneur Virtual Forum
Investor pitch — Gemba's disruptive metrics
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Consensus 2018
New York — Represented Saifu (8,500 attendees)
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Abu Dhabi Finance Week
Abu Dhabi Global Market
In the press
13 stories on Gemba & Saifu
Gemba
Gemba Ignites "Fintech-in-a-Box" Revolution: Launches on Microsoft & Google Marketplaces
Gemba Sparks a "Fintech-in-a-Box" Revolution with Marketplace Launches
Gemba's Platform Now Available on Microsoft and Google Marketplaces
Gemba Offers an Invisible Banking Solution for Fintechs from Level39
Gemba to Join JPMorgan Chase Fintech Forward Programme
UK Fintech Gemba Chooses ThetaRay for its AML Program
CEO Alexander Legoshin Speaks at ThetaRay's Fintech Event
Gemba Joins Barclays Funding Readiness Programme
Gemba — Virtual Rocket Pitch at CONNECTpreneur Forum
Saifu
Saifu Deploys Thales to Protect Cryptocurrency Holdings from Attacks
Saifu Enables Cryptocurrency Payments with Tangem's Hardware Wallet
Saifu: A Simple and Secure Cryptocurrency Solution
Consensus 2018 — Co-Founder Alexander Legoshin
Still hands-on.
The languages, platforms, and tools behind the work.
Explore my technical stack
- Languages
-
HTML · PHP · Perl / mod_perl · CSS · JavaScript · SQL · Solidity · ASM
Can read and review code in other languages
- Databases
- MySQL · PostgreSQL · Oracle
- Cloud
- AWS · Azure · GCP
- Operating Systems
- Windows · macOS · Linux (Kali, RedHat, Ubuntu) · Unix · OS/2 =)
- Design
- Adobe Photoshop · Adobe Illustrator · Figma · ImageMagick
- LLMs
- OpenAI · Anthropic · Vertex AI
- SDK & IDEs
- Android Studio · Xcode · Visual Studio · UltraEdit
- Reporting & Management
- Confluence · GitHub · GitLab · Miro
What are you building?
For partnerships, speaking, or a conversation about fintech.
Connect on LinkedInMessage sent.
Thanks for getting in touch. I’ll get back to you soon.