Revolut's Path to 50 Million Customers

By Dexter Cousins on 07/02/2025

Matt Baxby - Revolut

Dexter welcomes back friend of the show, Matt Baxby, CEO of Revolut Australia, to talk about their remarkable growth to 50 million customers globally.

It’s been five years since Tier One People placed Matt into the Country CEO role at Revolut. Matt shares his journey over the last five years, discusses the challenges and strategies involved in building a digital bank in Australia, the importance of reaching profitability, and the unique approach Revolut has taken to integrate technology with consumer needs.

Matt shares his insights on leadership, team building, and the future of consumer banking with Dexter.

About Revolut

Launched in 2015. Revolut's global mission is for every person and business to handle their money in just a few taps, removing the friction that gets in the way of your money goals. 

Revolut delivers faster, better, smarter products to lover 50 million customers across the globe.

The Revolut platform gives you access to investments and your money effortlessly and across borders.

About Matt Baxby

Matt is a strategic and people-oriented leader with diverse experience across consumer-facing businesses facing disruption or significant regulatory change.

He has broad finance services sector experience - particularly consumer banking - from start-ups to an ASX-listed company with an established market position.

Matt embodies the entrepreneurial spirit from a decade with the Virgin Group combined with the discipline and scaled leadership as the Group Executive - Retail Banking and then Group CFO of the Bank of Queensland.

Key Takeaways

  • Revolut aims to be a single place for managing financial life.
  • The company has grown to over 800,000 customers in Australia.
  • Revolut has achieved profitability at both group and local levels.
  • Building a strong local team is crucial for success in new markets.
  • The fintech landscape is maturing, with significant challenges for startups.
  • Australia's remittance market presents a unique opportunity for Revolut.
  • A strong focus on technology and innovation is essential for differentiation.
  • Leadership qualities include action orientation and adaptability.
  • The importance of a clear strategy in a fast-paced environment.
  • Talent acquisition is critical for long-term success.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

00:41 Revolut's growth over the past decade

02:28 Profitability and Financial Milestones

05:14 Building a Digital Bank: Lessons Learned

09:58 Opportunities in the Australian Market

10:53 Remittance Flows and Market Disruption

12:19 Future Product Offerings with a Banking License

17:29 Matt's Unique Journey in Fintech

24:31 Building a Cohesive and Effective Team

29:30 What is the BIG Opportunity for Fintech in 2025?

32:13 Looking Ahead: Revolut's Future in Australia

Links & Resources:


Article written by Dexter Cousins
Founder of Tier One People and host of the Fintech Chatter Podcast.

Latest Episodes

10/08/2026
World first bank migration: Move Bank on Constantinople.

Move Bank has become the first bank in the world to shift its entire operation, technology, product, operations and compliance, onto Constantinople's platform. Dexter Cousins sits down with Move Bank CEO Mike Currie and Constantinople co-CEOs Macgregor Duncan and Di Challenor to unpack a migration that cut cost to income by around 30 percent and […]

28/07/2026
Sam Everington - Engine by Starling: Why banks are renting Starling's core instead of building their own.

In 2016, Sam Everington joined Starling Bank as one of its first twenty employees. Starling did not have a banking licence yet. It had no product, no brand, and no customers. What it had was a room full of engineers who believed a bank could be built from the customer support desk backwards, rather than […]

17/07/2026
Peter Jones - Nimo Industries: Breaking Into Mutual Banks.

Peter Jones used to be the CEO he now sells to. It's helped him bootstrap a core banking platform that now holds 20% market share in Australia's mutual banking sector, without a dollar of outside capital. We are celebrating the World Credit Union Conference coming to Sydney. Dexter Cousins will be bringing you interviews from […]

14/07/2026
Andy Taylor - Stakk: The ten year overnight success.

Andy Taylor is Co-Founder of Stakk an embedded finance infrastructure solution. On 6 July 2026, ASX-listed Stakk Limited signed a definitive agreement to acquire US document intelligence firm ParaScript for US$63 million. I've interviewed Andy more than once over the past decade, way back when he was just starting to build Douugh out of Tank […]

Find your Favourite episode

"Dex does a great job at bringing FinTech founders and thought leaders onto the podcast while providing valuable insights into the industry. An informal atmosphere allows genuine chats."
Wagner Camarao
"My No1 go-to podcast to get access to an amazing roll call of Founders and Fintech leaders. Dexter does a great job getting his interviewees to share frank points of view and great insights."
Alt Bankin for all
"What I love about this show is the breadth of people and their experience that Dexter is able to tap into. Not so long ago people paid to hear for this kind of advice- now you can get it for free!"
Rob Hoxton
"The definitive Fintech podcast in Australia. Top insights and always current on the challenges and thinking in the Fintech industry. Subscribe for anyone interested in tech and entrepreneurialism."
Boscoe Tan
cross