Lea will be responsible for driving Token GmbH’s growth strategy, leading its Berlin operations, and expanding its presence in the region.

With more than 15 years of experience in the financial sector, Lea Siering brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to Token. Previously, Lea was Chief Risk Officer at finleap connect GmbH, a licensed open banking platform provider. Lea was also a partner at the international law firm Taylor Wessing in the regulatory/capital markets department, where she has also advised numerous payment service providers, and has served General Counsel at CrossLend GmbH.

Lea Siering has previously acted as CEO of the 2° Investing Initiative (2DII) - an independent, non-profit think tank that aims to align financial markets and regulations with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

“We are thrilled to have Lea lead our operations in Germany,” commented Todd Clyde, CEO of Token Inc. “Lea’s wealth of knowledge and experience, combined with her deep understanding of open banking and digital transformation, will be tremendous assets as she drives Token GmbH’s next phase of growth.”

Token is authorised as an Account Information Service Provider (“AISP”) and as a Payment Initiation Service Provider (“PISP”) by the FCA in the United Kingdom, and by BaFin in Germany, where its industry-leading tech hub is headquartered in Berlin.

Dr. Siering commented, “I look forward to once again serving in the role of Managing Director, and am excited to be rejoining an industry I am passionate about: open banking, and in particular, account-to-account payments. Not only are account-to-account payments cheaper, faster, more secure, and more reliable than cards, they are also the payment method with the lowest carbon footprint.”

Analysts predict the German open banking market will undergo significant growth over the coming four years, with the total value of open banking payments anticipated to soar from $4 billion in 2022 to $60 billion by 2027. During the same period, the value of open banking payments are projected to exceed $334 billion globally.

“I am eager to contribute my energy, passion, and experience to help Token grow in the German and broader European market, and look forward to working with Token’s experienced team to disrupt the payments industry,” Dr. Siering added. “In light of forthcoming PSD3 developments, I believe that open banking is still in its infancy, and I see great potential in the future. Through open banking, so much can and will be done better.”

Token is the leading infrastructure provider enabling a blue-chip portfolio of payment service providers to launch and scale their own account-to-account payment propositions. Token is the only provider offering open banking connectivity for data access and payment initiation with API-based integrations to over 80% of bank accounts in its 16 supported markets. Its customers can plug and play, white-label or use Token’s unique platform to earn greater revenues and higher margins with their own account-to-account payment solutions, while strengthening their own customer loyalty and stickiness.

In addition to serving as Managing Director of Token GmbH, Lea is also a supervisory board member, a member of the Digital Finance Forum at the German Federal Ministry of Finance, and serves on the board of Bitkom in the areas of digital banking and fintech.

Lea is the author of numerous publications related to digitalisation and regulatory matters. She also co-edits the magazine "Recht Digital," and is also a podcast host. Lea advocates for diverse corporate governance, and is committed to advocating for sustainability and for increasing the number of women pursuing careers in finance.