Our software and services have great potential
Blog
5/26/2026
On January 1, 2026, Finstar AG became an independent company. Andrea Dankert has been with the Lenzburg-based banking software firm since that date. In this interview, the new COO shares her background, where she and the company stand today, and what challenges she expects to face as they move forward.
A varied job in an exciting environment
Andrea Dankert, who are you?
I was born and raised in Kiel, a city in northern Germany on the Baltic Sea. I have been living in Switzerland since 2009 and have held a Swiss passport with the white cross since 2021. As Chief Operating Officer of Finstar AG, I have been the point of contact for all questions regarding organization, security governance, risk, and compliance since January 1, 2026. In this role, I work closely with Human Resources, Logistics, and Marketing. I also teach a course on money laundering at the ZHAW.
What appealed to you most about the role at Finstar?
It’s a multifaceted role in an exciting environment with a startup vibe. What’s exciting is balancing the freedoms of an IT company with the bank’s relevant regulatory requirements. In recent years, I’ve become increasingly interested in IT security governance, which is why I completed a CAS in Cyber Security. The issues surrounding security align perfectly with my expertise and extensive experience in compliance.
Establishing a regulatory radar
How was your welcome at Finstar?
I was really pleased by how openly my colleagues welcomed me, their willingness to help me as a newcomer, and their efforts to explain the background. That motivates me, because there is still a lot to do—not just because of Finstar AG’s new status as an independent subsidiary of Hypothekarbank Lenzburg AG.
What tasks took priority as the company became independent?
Essentially, we had to meet the standard requirements for establishing an organizational structure. The Board of Directors and the Executive Board were formed. The organizational and business regulations were updated, initial regulations and guidelines were adopted from HBL, our own forms were created, and so on. At the same time, we began setting up our regulatory radar. Personally, I also completed the CAS in Art & Law during this period.
That's the perfect match
What have been your first impressions since you started at the beginning of the year?
Finstar is a really exciting company. The Finstar comprehensive banking platform holds its own against other systems in terms of functionality, system openness, and usability—we have nothing to be ashamed of there. Our software and services have great potential, which we are continuously expanding. This creates market opportunities that we need to communicate and capitalize on.
Can you tell us more specifically about these opportunities?
On the one hand, our integrated banking IT solutions—comprising software and services—are designed for traditional universal and private banks. In addition, as part of Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS), we offer future-oriented solutions for fintechs, neobanks, and in the context of embedded finance in collaboration with Hypothekarbank Lenzburg. These companies benefit from Hypi’s banking license and our software, while the customer relationship remains with Hypi—we think this is the perfect match.
People matter
What can you tell us about collaboration within the Executive Board?
We meet every two weeks with a specific, rolling agenda that addresses all current issues. In the interest of maximum transparency, we’ve decided to publish the minutes for our employees to keep everyone in the loop—this information is the perfect complement to our team meetings. At the moment, in addition to our day-to-day business, we are also busy preparing our input for the 2027–2031 strategy phase.
You are the only woman on a four-person board…
Without having checked, the composition of the Executive Board likely reflects the quantitative gender distribution within Finstar. For me, it’s not about who speaks up, but that we bring everyone along on our journey and support them. Every person matters, regardless of gender or nationality. It’s also worth noting that Marianne Wildi, a woman, holds the position of Chair of the Board of Directors at Finstar AG.
Innovative, efficient, modular services
What issues are you focusing on most right now?
We need to clarify and address various audit points. We have to establish our specific internal control system so that we are well prepared for all audits—those by SIC and SWIFT in the summer and those by ISAE in the fall. At the same time, we’re grappling with issues related to European regulation, such as the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) and the EU AI Act. Regulatory developments in Switzerland and issues surrounding the use of AI also present exciting challenges. They will all have an impact on us, and we need to be prepared for our clients. Additionally, Finstar will soon surpass the 100-employee mark—which brings further challenges regarding organization and infrastructure.
What does your outlook for the future look like?
The topic of fintech will continue to be a major focus. Account opening, account management, and transactions remain central as our core pillars—we already excel at these, and we will offer innovative, efficient, and modular additional services around them. The already high regulatory and security requirements will continue to rise. Processes must run end-to-end, even faster and more efficiently. So, for the foreseeable future, we won’t be running out of work or ideas.
(Translation with deepl.com; the German version is authoritative).