Quotes from Taavet Hinrikus

I was pretty vocal about being anti-Brexit before the referendum vote.

Companies that are natively technology-focused I would trust more than a bank.

Banks are really bad when it comes to building consumer-centred products.

If the U.K. leaves the E.U., we'll have to consider whether it makes business sense to stay headquartered here.

We're living in a world where international governance is failing to overcome borders, but technology is succeeding in removing them.

People need the financial sector to be safe; people also need the financial sector to go through a massive phase of innovation. That means delivering on the positive rhetoric, like around settlement accounts, not allowing Open Banking to be diluted, and leading the way on AML.

Maybe I think too highly of myself, but I think maybe sometimes I can give some good advice - sometimes bad advice, I'm sure - and I think that's a way of giving back.

Sometimes, companies are better placed than politicians and governments to make change happen. That doesn't mean that they should not be held to account and follow international rules. But with the right motivation, they can be the force for change.

There's most definitely a Davos bubble. You're in a small Alpine town that, for just four days in January, sees its population tripled with world leaders, CEOs, media, police, the army... and a whole bunch of people who aren't invited but just come to hang out.

For Estonia, joining Europe meant our potential as a country increased - not decreased - because of that connectedness.

As a consumer, I'm definitely waiting for what's going to come after banks.

There's one thing a CEO should always keep at the front of their mind, and that's customer needs.

I think that's the beauty of being a private company: you get to choose when you disclose something. You can play it in a strategic way or in a tactical way.

Talent is the lifeblood of a fast-growing company.

Costs should always be presented up front so that consumers can make informed choices and get a fairer deal.

Bitcoin, I think we can say, is dead.

I think that if Britain does decide to leave the E.U., that would be a disaster for the technology sector here and probably also for the broader economy.

There's always been a lot of interest in the tech community about how to foster innovation and creativity - both within a company but also in the ecosystem of a tech cluster. In both cases, creating opportunities for people who don't encounter each other normally to meet and talk is key.

Securing and attracting the best talent is an obsession in the tech industry for good reason. It's your main asset; it's your edge.

If the hard Brexit happens, I would assume that London wouldn't be the centre of the tech world in Europe.

As technology progresses, I believe that fintech will fundamentally change finance.

The financial crisis of 2008 created a seismic shift in the dynamics of trust in financial services. FinTech would have happened without the global financial crisis - but it would have taken much longer.

I was in my early 20s when Estonia joined the E.U. For a kid who'd grown up in the Soviet Union, it seemed like my country had come of age. For a country that had been isolated and cut off from the rest of the world, it seemed like we were becoming part of the global community. It opened a whole new world of possibility.

The world is getting smaller thanks to technology.