Meryem Habibi is the CRO of Bitpace, a global fintech company headquartered in the UK that has been making the world of digital payments simpler since opening its doors in 2016. In the complex cryptocurrency landscape, Bitpace seeks to empower businesses worldwide, something it does by expertly guiding them through this dynamic setting and making streamlined digital payment solutions available to all. Recognised as the Chief Revenue Officer of the Year: the United Kingdom/Financial Services, Meryem Habibi’s role in this operation is critical, as we explore in further detail below.
Taking the ‘cryptic’ out of cryptocurrency, Bitpace allows for cross-border payments using stablecoins, something made possible by its suite of excellent solutions. From its user-friendly crypto payment gateway and wallet through to robust crypto white-label solutions, each of the company’s offerings is underpinned by its customer-centric approach, which is reflected across both the 485% increase in volume and 200% increase in clients seen over the past 12 months alone, as well as the monthly highs achieved consistently since summer.
With these industry-leading solutions and a hardworking, agile team to boot, Bitpace is a company built on its values, and it is thanks to the living of these on a daily basis that the business has emerged as a global frontrunner in this space over the past eight years. These values comprise truth, transparency, trust, results over process, unity, thinking like an owner, and humility, with CRO Meryem Habibi herself explaining: “There are no egos at Bitpace, only teammates. We care about our work, our people, and our culture.”
Nobody embodies this commitment quite like Meryem, whose role as CRO entails overseeing every revenue-generating function of Bitpace. Be it sales, marketing, revenue operations, or strategic partnerships, Meryem is the person responsible for setting the wheels in motion for the strategies which grow the business, help it to exceed its targets, and align every department with its wider vision for growth. “I work in close collaboration with different departments, such as product, finance, compliance, and legal”, Meryem adds.
Boasting experience in a variety of roles spanning marketing, business development, strategic partnerships, and sales over her career, Meryem’s collaborations with Bitpace’s departments benefit immeasurably from these previous positions. Initially starting out in pharmaceuticals, Meryem quickly came to recognise the importance of compliance and strategic positioning, before her time working in consumer electronics – where she spent more than three years at Samsung – gave her insight concerning product-driven markets and rapid innovation.
Making waves in the field of fintech and digital payments shortly after, Meryem was afforded countless opportunities to hone her business development and marketing strategy skillsets, both of which she has utilised to build a robust sales pipeline and improve relationships between Bitpace staff and customers. For Meryem: “These experiences have not only given me deep functional expertise but also the ability to create a cohesive, revenue-driven strategy by aligning marketing, sales, and partnership efforts to achieve sustainable growth.”
As she made the leap to fintech leadership roles, Meryem leveraged a growth mindset and this wealth of experience to drive success in an industry that can shift massively overnight, making adaptability a crucial skill for those keen to succeed. Beyond this mindset, Meryem also utilises her prowess with data-driven insights and market intuition to navigate challenges, as well as taking advantage of her proven strategic foresight to look beyond the here and now and focus on the future of the ever-evolving Bitpace brand.
Like-minded excellence can be found in Meryem’s approach to leadership, which she describes as being largely defined by a “vision-first mindset.” Meryem elaborates, “I provide a clear and ambitious vision of what we want to achieve and empower each team member to contribute to that goal. Initially, my leadership style was more hands-on, but over the years, I’ve learned the value of delegation and trust. As a leader, I now see my role as guiding rather than directing, allowing team members the autonomy to make decisions and innovate.”
A big part of this autonomy revolves around creating an open environment where staff members feel comfortable and empowered, whether to share their ideas or challenge the company’s existing methods when they believe there is a better way. Unsurprisingly, this lends itself to a culture defined by its dynamic, innovative, and highly collaborative nature. Such openness throughout Bitpace leads to almost endless creativity, with the company’s ‘dream team’ pushing the needle when it comes to crypto payments.
Of course, it is important to note that crypto is still a relatively new field, and it is for this reason that there is a keen emphasis placed on continuous learning throughout the company, which provides its workforce with the means to gain expertise in a space still deep in the maturing process. As the sector continues to ripen, Meryem and the team also have to navigate constant changes in regulation. This includes the recent European MiCA framework, which, although difficult, will create endless growth opportunities for Bitpace.
Beyond this, educating customers on the likes of digital assets and blockchain technology remains a challenge, but one that Bitpace welcomes. The company successfully drives knowledge building in this space by making its messaging simple and creating educational content that is accessible to all. As something that has been undertaken across five continents, Bitpace has proven itself more than capable of striking the balance between demonstrating a uniform global excellence whilst still developing tailored local strategies.
“Our partnerships with leading financial institutions have allowed us to both strengthen our industry presence and enhance our offerings. These collaborations have been instrumental in building our brand credibility and opening doors to diversify our target clients’ segments.”
Asked about the future of Bitpace, Meryem tells us that the company is keen to carry on maximising the momentum it has achieved over the past year, and it aims to exceed the incredibly impressive growth results achieved in 2024 – mentioned at the top of the piece – as we move into 2025 and beyond. Aside from doubling down on its current solutions and locations, Bitpace will also realise its vision by expanding its service offerings and branching out into new global markets.
Meryem continues: “As we expand our product offerings and geographical presence, we’ll also be growing our team to support these initiatives.” This has been seen through several recent senior-level hires, which have taken place across the sales, marketing, and customer success departments. Adding new talent across all of the departments will inject the business with a newfound ability to innovate further, sustain its current growth trajectory, and enhance the client experience as new markets are conquered and new solutions launched.
Finally, as for her own career, Meryem’s focus remains on expanding her expertise concerning global growth strategies, as well as further understanding how to thrive in emerging markets. Committed to Bitpace, Meryem is planning to, “explore new ways of positioning crypto payment solutions in diverse markets, adapting our approach to address specific regional needs, regulatory landscapes, and customer behaviours.” Alongside this, Meryem’s dedication is just as strong when it comes to the future of the crypto sector.
“I’m equally committed to mentorship and nurturing the next generation of leaders, both within my team and across the wider industry”, Meryem explains. “I plan to invest time in sharing insights, coaching, and creating pathways for others to excel within the industry.” This all feeds into Meryem’s long-term goal of fostering a demonstrable impact in the crypto space, something she will achieve by leading successful revenue initiatives and contributing to industry-wide resilience and innovation.
In closing, Meryem Habibi, the individual recognised as the Chief Revenue Officer of the Year: the United Kingdom/Financial Services, tells us: “I look forward to expanding my influence in a way that not only supports my team and company but also contributes to the broader evolution and acceptance of crypto payments worldwide.” As she builds lasting trust through transparency and education in an industry that is often misunderstood, we celebrate Meryem’s successes and wish both her and Bitpace all the best for the future.
Company: Bitpace
Web Address: https://www.bitpace.com/