Lilija Galajeva, Account Management Team Lead, Exactly.com

Today we're delighted to speak with Lilija Galajeva, Account Management Team Lead at Exactly.com, a UK-based direct card acquirer and Principal Member of Visa and Mastercard. Lilija shares her unconventional journey into fintech, why smaller businesses deserve better treatment from payment providers, and how combining technology with genuine human support is reshaping the payments landscape.

My questions are in bold - over to you Lilija:

Who are you and what's your background?

My career path into fintech wasn't a conventional one. I began in marketing, PR and client facing roles - working across communications, events and relationship management. Early in my career, I was involved in organising an international e-commerce forum, which provided my first real exposure to the world of digital commerce and payments.

It was during that time that I became fascinated by the technology and infrastructure that sits behind online transactions and enables businesses to operate globally.

That interest led me into the payments industry, where I spent more than seven years working across acquiring and issuing. During this time, I worked closely with merchants, payment providers and partners, helping businesses navigate everything from payment acceptance and onboarding to compliance and growth. It gave me a comprehensive understanding of the payments ecosystem and how rapidly customer expectations continue to evolve. Today, I work closely with merchants to help them access the payment solutions they need to grow both locally and internationally. What I enjoy most about fintech is that it's always changing, creating new opportunities to improve the way businesses manage and move money. Throughout my career, my focus has always remained the same: building strong relationships and helping clients achieve long-term success.

What is your job title and what are your general responsibilities?

I'm Account Management Team Lead at Exactly.com. My role involves overseeing client managers and ensuring merchants receive the highest level of service and support throughout their journey with us. I work closely with our team to build strong, long-term relationships with our clients, helping them get the most value from our payment solutions. A key part of my role is ensuring every client receives responsive, personalised support from dedicated professionals who understand their business and act quickly to address their needs.

At Exactly.com, we pride ourselves on combining technology with a human approach. We adapt our communication to each merchant, whether that's by phone, email or messaging. Most importantly, our support goes beyond resolving day-to-day queries. We take the time to understand performance and identify opportunities that can help their business move forward. We believe every business should receive the same high standard of service, regardless of its size. My responsibility is to ensure our team delivers that level of service consistently, helping merchants feel supported, valued and confident in their payments partner.

Can you give us an overview of your business?

Exactly.com is a UK-based payment provider and Principal Member of Visa and Mastercard, helping businesses convert more, operate more efficiently and scale with confidence. We provide a full commerce ecosystem that combines global acquiring, recurring billing, one-click payments and mass payouts through a single platform, giving businesses the infrastructure they need to support growth both in the UK and internationally.

As a Principal Member of Visa and Mastercard, we offer access to a wide range of checkout options, including Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Open Banking and alternative payment options. Our platform supports more than 100 currencies and 40+ languages, helping businesses deliver seamless checkout experiences to customers around the world.

We also believe transactions are about people as much as technology. We know our clients by name, not by ticket number, and provide direct, human support when it matters most. Instead of relying on automated communication, we work closely with businesses to understand their needs. Every payment challenge is different and getting it right can have a real impact on revenue and growth.

What sets us apart is our focus on transparency, fairness and hands-on support. Alongside secure and reliable payment solutions, we provide real-time performance monitoring, instant conversion alerts and personalised guidance to help merchants identify opportunities, address challenges and maximise revenue. Most importantly, our clients have direct access to real people who know their business and are committed to helping them succeed.

Our mission is simple: to give businesses of all sizes the technology, insight and support they need to grow sustainably, without the added complexity that often comes with payments.

Tell us how you are funded?

As an independently owned company, Exactly.com is free from outside investor influence. This means every decision we make, from pricing to product development, is driven by what's best for our customers.

What's the origin story? Why did you start the company? To solve what problems?

Exactly.com was founded because we saw that many smaller UK businesses weren't getting the service they needed from larger payment providers. High fees, slow onboarding processes and a lack of personalised support often left SMEs with limited options.

Our aim is to make payments simpler and fairer for businesses of all sizes. We offer transparent pricing and hands-on support, helping businesses grow without unnecessary barriers. We believe loyalty should be earned through great service and genuine support.

Who are your target customers? What's your revenue model?

Our target customers are businesses operating in e-commerce, travel, hospitality, car rental and fintech sectors, ranging from growing SMEs to established online retailers looking to optimise their payment performance and scale efficiently. We work particularly well with businesses by offering our clients tailored support, moving away from one-size-fits-all packages.

We collaborate closely with our clients from the outset, including micro businesses at the beginning of their growth journey, helping them grow without adding unnecessary costs.

By analysing transaction data, payment flows and performance trends, we help businesses improve acceptance rates, reduce costs and create a smoother customer experience. This partnership-led approach builds long-term relationships, with many clients choosing to stay with us as they grow because, when we commit to a business, we're committed for the long run.

If you had a magic wand, what one thing would you change in the banking and/or FinTech sector?

If I had a magic wand, I would remove the turnover based discrimination that still exists in parts of the banking and FinTech sector. Too often, smaller businesses struggle to access the same opportunities, pricing and support as larger merchants.

I would also like to see a more individual approach to merchant assessment, particularly in sectors such as travel, which are often viewed as higher risk. While industry specific risks should always be considered, businesses should not be assessed solely on the sector they operate in. Every merchant has its own performance history, business model and growth trajectory, and these factors should carry equal weight during the assessment process.

At Exactly.com, we invest time in understanding each business individually, analysing its performance and risk profile to make fair and competitive offers. This not only creates better outcomes for merchants but also helps build stable, long-term partnerships based on trust and mutual success.

Ultimately, businesses should be judged on their individual circumstances, with technology helping to make the process fairer and more transparent.

What is your message for the larger players in the Financial Services marketplace?

My message to the larger players in the financial services sector is simple: don't lose sight of SMEs. They are the businesses keeping the economy moving everyday. While scale and technology are important, they should never come at the expense of service, transparency or fairness.

Too often, smaller businesses face higher costs, less personalised support or are judged primarily on their size, turnover or sector. I believe every merchant deserves to be assessed on their own merits and given access to the support they need to grow.

Technology has made payments faster and smarter, but the human element remains just as important. The businesses that will stand out in the future are those that combine innovation with genuine partnership, providing merchants with not only great technology, but also real people who understand their challenges and can help them succeed.

Where do you get your Financial Services/FinTech industry news from?

I keep up with a range of FinTech, payments and retail publications to stay informed about industry developments and changing merchant needs. Resources such as The Payments Association, alongside leading FinTech publications such as The Paypers, The Fintech Times, Finextra and Financial IT, are valuable for tracking innovation, regulation and trends across the payments sector.

I also keep up with retail and e-commerce publications such as A1 Retail, Retail Week, Retail Touchpoints. It's important to me to understand the challenges merchants are facing, not just the technology behind their payments. I also follow wider business and sector news to stay informed about the markets our clients operate in, including Business Reporter, Entrepreneur and ABTA.

Can you list 3 people you rate from the FinTech and/or Financial Services sector that we should be following on LinkedIn, and why?

There are many interesting voices across the FinTech and payments sector, but three people I particularly value following are Simon Taylor, Panagiotis Kriaris and Gijs Boudewijn.

Simon has a great ability to take complex topics in payments and make them understandable and relevant from a business perspective. His insights into payment infrastructure, card schemes and fraud are particularly valuable because he connects what is happening behind the technology with the challenges and opportunities merchants experience in practice.

At the same time, Panagiotis is an excellent source of insight into European payments, acquiring and regulation.

I particularly value his perspective on developments such as PSD3, SCA and changes within the card schemes, and what these developments actually mean for merchants in terms of costs, conversion and the way they manage payments across Europe.

Meanwhile, Gijs brings a valuable perspective on the bigger changes taking place across the European payments landscape. His experience in payment policy and regulation makes him particularly interesting to follow for understanding how areas such as instant payments, international card schemes and European regulation are evolving and what those changes could mean for the future of the industry.

What FinTech services (and/or apps) do you personally use?

Revolut is one of the FinTech services I use regularly and a good example of how technology can make financial services both simpler and more secure.

What I particularly value is the way security features are integrated into the user experience without creating unnecessary friction. Features such as location-based security and single-use disposable virtual cards give users greater control and protection while keeping everyday payments straightforward.

At the same time, instant transfers, easy multi-currency conversion and intuitive card management make it a practical financial hub, particularly for people who regularly travel or operate across different markets.

For me, Revolut demonstrates how good FinTech should work: using technology to solve complexity in the background while keeping the experience for the customer as simple as possible.

What's the best new FinTech product or service you've seen recently?

Wero is one of the new FinTech services that has particularly caught my attention. Building a pan-European account-to-account payment network is an important step towards addressing the fragmentation that still exists across the European payments landscape.

From an acquiring perspective, the opportunity to reduce reliance on traditional card schemes while offering merchants faster access to their funds is particularly interesting. Bringing different European markets together within a single payment ecosystem could also create significant opportunities for international merchants looking to expand across the EU.

For me, Wero is a good example of how new payment infrastructure can simplify cross-border commerce while creating more choice for both merchants and consumers.

Finally, let's talk predictions. What trends do you think are going to define the next few years in the FinTech sector?

I think the biggest trend over the next few years will be the move towards more intelligent and personalised payment experiences. AI and data analytics will play an increasingly important role in helping businesses optimise payment performance, reduce fraud and identify opportunities for growth in real time.

I also expect to see greater demand for flexible payment solutions, alternative payment methods and seamless cross-border capabilities as business continues to expand internationally.

At the same time, I believe the human side of FinTech will grow in importance. As technology advances, merchants will still value having dedicated people they can speak to for advice, support and guidance. The companies that succeed will be those that combine innovative technology with genuine customer relationships.

Ultimately, I see the industry moving towards smarter, more transparent and more personalised payment services that helps businesses of all sizes grow with confidence.

Many thanks to Lilija for taking the time to share her insights with FinTech Profile. You can learn more about Exactly.com on their website.