Alex: Hi everybody and welcome to the Curiosity Code podcast. I'm Alex, founder and CEO of Productera. And today we're talking about value—how software agencies demonstrate it, deliver it, and stand out by providing it in the world of fintech. Our guest today is Vyacheslav Kostin, CEO and founder of WislaCode Solutions. Slava knows quite a thing or two about building valuable solutions, to say the least.

Alex: His company focuses on secure, scalable software tailor-made for fintech clients. With over 24 years of experience, including leading digital transformation at AlphaBank, he has seen how the right agency can make all the difference. We'll explore how agencies can showcase their security expertise, communicate the benefits of agile development, and help clients navigate the sea of trendy tech to find solutions that truly last. Welcome, Slava.

Slava: Thank you. Thank you for inviting me. And I hope I will be able to answer those questions.

Alex: Sure. So today is a special episode as it happens to be. I also have here Ilya, Director of Growth at ProductEra. Hi, Ilya.

Ilya: Hi there, Alex.

Alex: And we also have Brendan, CMO of Productera.

Brendan: Hey everyone. Yeah, I'm in Europe for this special podcast.

Alex: Hahaha. Yeah, so we're going to have a bit of a panel discussion here. And to kick things off, Slava, tell us a bit about Visla Code. What's the goal of the company? What do you guys do? What's the philosophy?

Slava: Yeah, with pleasure. What we do is software development in fintech and banking. These are my areas of expertise. I worked for banks for more than 20 years already. I was a strategy director, an e-commerce director, and responsible for IT, delivery, and projects. So all my experience from my previous roles, I have put into this company.

Slava: We are focused on fintech and banking solutions. You asked about the purpose of the company. We help our clients navigate the VUCA world of fintech, digital services, and digital transformation. I'm also a graduate of an Executive MBA from Switzerland, and I apply that knowledge through consulting projects for customers. So our digital transformation expertise spans both the business strategy side and the technology implementation side. That’s the essence of what we do.

Alex: Awesome. I feel like we're in the same business, so I can relate a lot to what you just said. Let’s talk a bit about how agencies like ours balance secure, scalable applications with service quality and customer experience. How do you guys balance these sometimes competing priorities? Is it about finding the right clients, having a specific project management style, or something else entirely?

Slava: First of all, we work in fintech, banking, and insurance. This means that our customers are mature enough to require us to comply with security best practices. But at the same time, I can tell you that in most projects, security and user experience are not trade-offs. For example, if you use facial recognition, it enhances both convenience and security. If you use encryption, it’s a must-have, and we don't compromise on these principles.

Slava: In most cases, we don’t even need to discuss these aspects with customers—it’s expected. But we do educate them about security approaches because, at the end of the day, they are investing in it and should understand the value of their investment. That said, I’d emphasize that in 90% of cases, security and a seamless user experience go hand in hand. A strong security implementation enables great customer experience.

Alex: Right.

Slava: Let me give you an example. One of our recent projects involved facial recognition and video-based authentication combined with geolocation in physical stores. This enables customers to make seamless, bearer-less payments. From one side, this system is extremely secure because we authenticate users through multiple factors—facial recognition, geolocation, mobile devices, and secure keys. But from the other side, the process remains effortless for the end user.

Alex: Right, technology is at the core of everything we do as software development companies. But I think understanding business goals and translating them into software solutions is just as important. Can you share an example of how you bridge this gap between business needs, security concerns, and technological execution?

Slava: That’s a very good question. You mentioned the term "agencies." I don’t really like that term, to be honest.

Alex: Me neither.

Slava: When people hear "agency," they often think of outsourcing firms that just provide workforce rather than intellectual property or high-value consulting. That’s why we differentiate ourselves. We are a small company, but we bring deep experience. I’ve worked across IT, banking, fintech, payments, and and mobile operators. Sometimes when we start talking with our customers, I can anticipate their business priorities even before they explicitly state them. That ability comes from experience. Understanding how a client thinks about business—beyond just the tech—is critical.

Slava: I remember a time when I moved from an IT company to a bank as a business executive. Shortly after, my previous company approached me to sell their services. But as I listened, I realized I didn’t even understand what they were pitching anymore. My mindset had shifted completely to business priorities, not technical details. This experience taught me how essential it is to speak the client’s language—not just in tech terms, but in business terms.

Slava: From a technology and project management standpoint, we always start by asking our clients about their pain points. What is the single most important business problem they need solved? We focus the architecture, UX/UI, and development effort on that. The idea is to minimize time and cost while achieving the biggest impact for the business.

Slava: For example, if a bank wants to become the market leader in mobile lending, we design the user interface with that goal in mind. If a different bank’s priority is increasing transactional activity, the application will be completely different. We focus on one major goal at a time, and this approach helps us manage project scope efficiently while delivering real business impact.

Alex: Makes sense. So in summary, it’s a combination of professional experience, asking the right questions at the right moment, and ensuring that the solution is aligned with the client’s business objectives.

Slava: Yeah, exactly.

Slava: And I’d like to add something. I’ve been talking about myself, but the team is just as—if not more—important in this process. If your developers don’t ask about business goals and objectives, the project won’t succeed. Too often, I’ve seen tech vendors come in and simply ask, “What do you want us to build?” instead of “What are you trying to achieve?”

Alex: That’s a great point.

Ilya: Right, you’re not building technology for technology’s sake.

Alex: Exactly. How do you instill that mindset in your organization? How is Visla Code structured?

Slava: Our structure is fairly standard, but the difference is in how we communicate and operate. We are very open and transparent with both our customers and our internal team. We encourage our developers and project managers to ask questions, to challenge assumptions, and to raise concerns if something doesn’t seem right.

Slava: For example, in one of our current projects, we noticed that the client’s risk management team was pushing for overly conservative security measures. While security is critical, we knew that these measures would negatively impact the user experience and, ultimately, customer adoption.

Slava: Instead of just accepting the decision, our team brought this up with me, and I raised the concern in our regular stakeholder meetings. To support our argument, we even conducted an internal competitive analysis of similar products—without charging the client for it—so that we could provide data-backed recommendations. Our goal is not just to deliver what’s asked, but to help the client succeed in their market.

Alex: That’s a great approach.

Alex: Before I pass it over to Ilya and Brendan, I have a question I can’t resist asking. You mentioned earlier that you don’t like the term “agency.” I feel the same way. So, what do you call yourselves?

Slava: We call ourselves an IT company or a software development company.

Alex: Spot on. I do the same. I think we even had this conversation internally at some point—none of us liked the term “agency.”

Slava: Exactly. Differentiation is key. If you introduce yourself as an agency at a networking event, the first thing people will ask you about is your rates. But if you present yourself as a specialized fintech development company with deep expertise, the conversation shifts to value, outcomes, and business goals.

Alex: That’s a great point. Guys, Ilya, Brendan—passing the stage to you.

Ilya: Sure. Let’s go a little deeper on this topic. Many companies start as broad-service agencies before narrowing their focus. You came from banking, so you already had that specialization. How important do you think it is to focus on one industry versus offering a wider range of services?

Slava: That’s a great question. I talk to a lot of potential clients and industry peers. What I consistently hear is that companies are looking for highly specialized expertise. No one expects a boutique software company like ours to provide 200 developers overnight. What they do expect is deep, domain-specific knowledge.

Slava: That specialization is what gets you in the door. But once you’re in, clients expect you to be able to handle adjacent areas as well. For example, if we develop a mobile banking app, the client also needs backend development, integrations with microservices, AI features, and so on. So while our entry point is a specialized service, we have to be able to support the entire ecosystem.

Slava: The key is having a narrow enough focus to attract decision-makers, but a broad enough understanding to deliver the full solution.

Ilya: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. It’s the idea of having a T-shaped skill set—where you have deep expertise in one or two areas, but broad knowledge across multiple disciplines.

Slava: Exactly. That’s why I mentioned earlier that I may not have answers to every question. When you specialize, it’s hard to be an expert in everything. But without focus, it’s nearly impossible to get meaningful conversations with decision-makers. After that initial engagement, though, clients do expect you to help them navigate the bigger picture.

Slava: If you position yourself as a generalist, the only thing left to compete on is price. And we don’t want to go down that road. We have a team of senior engineers with 10+ years of experience. That level of expertise doesn’t come cheap, so we need to focus on delivering business value rather than competing on cost.

Ilya: That’s a great insight.

Brendan: Slava, I was looking through your LinkedIn and saw your post about the concept of a 30-day MVP. What do you think can realistically be built in that timeline, and how do you ensure that it delivers value?

Slava: That’s a great question. First, let’s define what an MVP really is. It’s not just a minimal product—it has to be viable. It should allow the client to test a hypothesis with real users and gather meaningful feedback.

Slava: The scope of what can be built in 30 days depends on the project. Sometimes, we build an interactive prototype in just a week. For other projects, a functional MVP can be done in a month. The key is focusing on a single core function that directly addresses a business problem.

Slava: For example, if a bank wants to increase loan applications through its mobile app, we can develop and launch a simple, fast loan request flow in 30 days. But if the goal is something more complex—like full automation of risk assessment—then the MVP will be more about testing key components rather than delivering a fully operational solution.

Alex: That makes sense. It sounds like you use MVPs to validate hypotheses rather than just building a stripped-down product.

Slava: Exactly. And we don’t just launch the MVP and call it done. We gather data, analyze user behavior, and refine the product based on what we learn.

Brandon: I also saw your post about building trust between internal and external development teams. You mentioned a case where a company’s COO wanted an external audit, which could have hurt team morale. How do you recommend companies build trust in these situations?

Slava: Transparency is key. One of the first things we do in any project is establish full visibility for the client. We work directly in their repositories, use their project management tools, and ensure they can see every piece of work being done in real time.

Slava: If a company is considering an external audit, that often means there’s already a trust issue. Instead of hiding things, we proactively raise concerns, share risks, and suggest solutions. When clients see that we’re on their side, trust builds naturally.

Alex: That’s a solid approach.

Ilya: Let’s shift gears a bit. You’ve posted a lot about AI in fintech. We all know AI is going through a hype cycle right now. How do you separate the real, practical applications from the marketing buzz?

Slava: That’s a big challenge. Many companies just slap “AI-powered” onto their product, even when the AI is barely functional. We’ve done deep research on this, testing dozens of AI solutions in fintech. What we found is that only a small percentage truly provide value. Most are just using AI as a marketing gimmick.

Slava: The key is to focus on AI use cases that solve real business problems. One area where AI is already making an impact is automated software testing. AI-driven tools can generate and execute test cases much faster than traditional methods, improving efficiency and accuracy.

Slava: Another example is AI-powered financial insights. But the real breakthrough will come from AI agents—systems that can autonomously perform tasks, make decisions, and interact with users in meaningful ways.

Alex: That’s an interesting take. You’re saying AI agents will be more transformative than just large language models?

Slava: Yes. Everyone is already familiar with ChatGPT and other LLMs, but the real power of AI will come from integrating these models with structured data and real-world workflows. AI agents that can actually execute tasks—whether that’s automating compliance checks, processing transactions, or managing financial portfolios—will create much more value than just chatbots answering questions.

Alex: That makes a lot of sense. AI needs to move beyond just generating text—it needs to take action.

Slava: Exactly. And another trend we’re seeing is companies wanting to run AI models in-house rather than relying on cloud-based solutions. This is especially important in fintech, where data privacy and security are critical.

Alex: I agree. AI is definitely going to reshape fintech, but there’s a lot of noise right now.

Slava: Yes, and companies need to be careful not to get caught up in the hype. AI for the sake of AI doesn’t add value. But when used strategically, it can be a game-changer.

Brandon: So, let’s talk about the business side. You’ve built Visla Code as a boutique company rather than a large-scale development shop. How do you attract and retain top talent in such a competitive market?

Slava: The most important factor is culture. We maintain a flat organizational structure where everyone has direct access to leadership. We encourage open communication, and we make sure our developers understand the business impact of their work.

Slava: Developers don’t just want to write code—they want to build meaningful products. We give them the opportunity to work on cutting-edge fintech projects, solve real-world problems, and see the results of their work.

Slava: Another key factor is project variety. A lot of companies struggle to retain talent because developers get stuck doing the same type of work for years. At Visla Code, our engineers get to work on different markets, technologies, and challenges. One day they might be building a payment system for the Middle East, and the next they’re working on a lending platform for Mexico.

Alex: That’s a great approach. Keeping things fresh keeps people engaged.

Slava: Exactly. And finally, we focus on work-life balance. Burnout is a real issue in tech, so we make sure our team has a sustainable workload and a supportive environment.

Alex: That’s fantastic. Alright, before we wrap up, any final advice for fintech founders and software leaders?

Slava: Focus on delivering business value, not just technology. Too many companies get caught up in building fancy features without thinking about the impact. If you understand your customers’ problems and build solutions that truly help them, you’ll always have a competitive edge.

Alex: That’s a great note to end on. Slava, thank you so much for joining us today. And thanks to Ilya and Brendan as well for this great discussion.

Slava: Thank you! It was a pleasure.

Alex: And to our listeners, thanks for tuning in. Don’t forget to subscribe and share. See you next time!