Growth Strategy: How Sends Maintains Its Leading Position in the Global Fintech Industry
Sends is a British fintech platform specializing in international payments, financial services for businesses, and digital payment solutions. The company was founded in 2025, and since then, Sends has established itself among an international audience as a reliable and reputable partner.
In the context of global competition, Sends aligns with the broader trend in the fintech industry: the company focuses on B2B, AML infrastructure, and FCA authorization. To understand the scale: Sends currently serves clients not only in the UK but also targets markets in countries such as Ukraine and Poland—regions where the demand for reliable solutions in the areas of AML and security has become particularly acute given the active digitalization of the financial sector.
At the same time, Sends is developing its own digital tools and mobile services. Users can access the platform via a mobile messenger app—available for iOS (App Store) and Android (Google Play)—which allows them to manage their finances and payments from virtually anywhere in the world.
UA.News highlights key milestones for the company that took place in the first ten days of 2026 and demonstrated its strong reputation in the global fintech industry.
On January 15, Innovate Finance invited Sends to its 2026 New Year’s reception in New York.
Innovate Finance, a leading international representative of the UK’s fintech sector, hosted the 2026 New Year’s reception at the British Consulate’s residence in New York. The event brought together leading representatives from the financial, technology, and investment communities, as well as regulatory experts, to review the year’s achievements and discuss the future of transatlantic cooperation in the fintech sector.
The reception brought together participants from financial institutions, fintech companies, venture capital funds, and regulatory bodies, highlighting the growing partnership between the UK and US innovation ecosystems. Holding the event at one of New York’s most prestigious diplomatic venues underscored the role of financial innovation in the development of the global economy.
Among the guests was Vladislav Nikulin, representing Sends.co—a British electronic money institution (EMI). Commenting on the event, he emphasized the importance of international dialogue in the fintech industry:
“Events such as the Innovate Finance New Year’s Reception are extremely important for strengthening international cooperation in the financial services sector. The discussions and networking that take place here clearly demonstrate the shared vision of the UK and US fintech ecosystems regarding innovation, compliance, and customer-centric solutions.”
Alona Shevtsova, CEO of Sends, also participated in the event and emphasized the strategic importance of such meetings for the industry’s development:
“Innovate Finance plays a key role in bringing together leaders and innovators in the global fintech market. Such discussions are essential for shaping the next phase of financial services development—from international payments to digital financial infrastructure and regulatory collaboration.”
On January 16, the organizers of the FiNext Conference officially announced Sends CEO Alona Shevtsova as a speaker at the FiNext Conference Dubai 2026—one of the leading international events dedicated to innovation in the financial sector, fintech, and the future of global finance.
The conference took place in February 2026 in Dubai and brought together financial company executives, regulators, investors, and technology leaders to discuss key trends—from digital payments and financial infrastructure to compliance and innovative development.
On January 18, Sends announced that it would showcase innovations in fintech and payments at ICE Barcelona.
The ICE Barcelona conference is a key platform for the global gaming, fintech, and payment solutions industries. The event provides companies with the opportunity to network with partners, operators, and innovators shaping the future of payments, messaging, and financial infrastructure while addressing compliance requirements.
Participants at ICE Barcelona had the opportunity to learn about Sends’ latest offerings, exchange ideas, and discuss potential collaborations in the fintech sector. It was noted that Sends focuses on creating reliable, scalable, and standards-compliant solutions that help businesses conduct financial transactions and communicate across borders quickly and securely.
On January 19, the esports organization LEO TEAM officially announced the extension of its sponsorship partnership with the fintech company SENDS.
The partnership, which will continue through 2026, is a logical extension of a shared development strategy based on trust, common values, and a long-term vision.
The continuation of the partnership allows the team to focus on key goals—the training process, participation in tournaments, and improving athletic performance. According to LEO TEAM co-founder Daria Kotul, Sends is not just a sponsor but a full-fledged partner with whom the team “shares a common vision and is building a long-term future.”
On January 29, the Sends Messenger team announced that it had reached a significant milestone: the number of registered users of this messenger exceeded 10,000.
This was made possible by the user-friendly interface, the seamless collaboration of the entire team, and the messenger’s unique message encryption. Since its founding in 2025, Sends has successfully established itself with an international audience, and the development team, led by the company’s CEO, has gained global recognition. The creators are invited to leading international tech events such as Capacity Middle East in Dubai and Innovate Finance in the U.S.
Sends positions itself as one of the most secure messengers on the market. All messages, media files, and calls in Sends undergo end-to-end encryption. Therefore, the content of correspondence is accessible only to the sender and recipient. Even the company does not have access to the correspondence, and the messenger does not collect excessive data about users.
Thanks to this approach, Sends has received positive reviews from cybersecurity experts and earned a reputation as one of the most secure in its class.
On February 11, Alona Shevtsova, founder and CEO of Sends, was honored with the Excellence in Finance Industry — Global FinTech Leadership Award at the FiNext Awards Dubai 2026.
The award was presented during the FiNext conference, which took place on February 11 in Dubai, one of the largest gatherings of the fintech community in the MENA and APAC regions. The award recognizes leaders who demonstrate consistent leadership, innovation, and the responsible implementation of artificial intelligence in regulated environments.
“Dubai continues to affirm its role as a global hub for fintech innovation,” noted Alona Shevtsova. “This recognition reflects the work of our teams in integrating cutting-edge technologies within regulatory frameworks and in close collaboration with supervisory authorities and banking partners. Responsible innovation and rapid innovation should not be mutually exclusive—they must coexist if we want a financial system that is both dynamic and reliable.”
During the event, Alona Shevtsova also participated in the panel discussion “Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Finance,” where she shared practical insights on how regulated institutions can integrate AI and machine learning into fraud detection, AML, payment orchestration, and customer engagement — without compromising on governance or trust.
On February 17, the second day of the FiNext conference, a panel discussion titled “Tokenization, Digital Identity & Secure Authentication” took place.
The moderator was Zoya Bilgrami, VP of Sales MEA & SEA — Sales Leadership at Xoxoday. The panel featured Chris Smith, Founder and CEO of BLOXX; Angaj Bhandari, SVP EMEA at Fime; Akshay Dalal, Head of Regional Risk and Compliance for the Middle East, Turkey & Africa at Google (who was expected but may have been absent due to illness); and Alona Shevtsova, CEO of Sends.
“I view tokenization and authentication as two halves of a single promise: your data is secure, and you are truly you,” noted Alona Shevtsova.
Tokenization directly protects payment data. Instead of transmitting actual card numbers or account numbers through various systems, they are replaced with tokens that are useless if stolen. That is why tokenized payments already account for a significant share of e-commerce. According to statistics, tokenization reduces payment fraud by approximately 30% and also significantly reduces the number of fraud-related chargebacks.
In turn, modern authentication protects the person behind the payment. Device recognition, biometrics, and behavioral signals are combined with more traditional checks, with most processes occurring seamlessly in the background. As a result, low-risk transactions are processed almost instantly, while suspicious transactions trigger additional verification steps.
At Sends, these two elements are always designed together. Tokens are transmitted through the company’s infrastructure instead of “raw” payment details, and a real-time risk engine determines the level of authentication required in a specific context. This is how true payment security is ensured, while remaining nearly “invisible” to the customer.
On February 27, following increased blocking and outages of WhatsApp and Telegram in CIS countries, users began searching for an alternative and chose Sends Messenger.
For millions of users, Telegram has long been more than just a messenger; it has become the primary channel of communication, a business tool, and a news source. However, reliance on a single platform amid geopolitical turbulence creates systemic risks.
Amid growing instability, Sends Messenger—a secure, next-generation messenger—is attracting increasing attention. The platform emphasizes privacy, independent infrastructure, and minimal data collection.
Sends is actively expanding its international presence, focusing on technological resilience and user protection. Sends implements a privacy-first model, where privacy is a core feature, not an optional add-on.
Key advantages of Sends Messenger: end-to-end message encryption; minimal metadata collection; no data transfer to third parties; flexible infrastructure not dependent on a single region; a focus on digital security for users in countries with heightened regulatory risk.
The blocking of Telegram in CIS countries demonstrates a new reality of the digital world—platforms are becoming part of politics and regulatory processes. Choosing alternative solutions, such as Sends Messenger, is a strategic step to maintain stability and control over one’s own data.
On March 16, it was announced that Ukrainian entrepreneur and CEO of the fintech company Sends, Alona Shevtsova, had been included in the prestigious international Innovate Finance Women in FinTech Powerlist for 2025. She was listed in the Standout 45 category.
As CEO of Sends, Alona Shevtsova is responsible for the platform’s strategic development, technological solutions, and expansion into new international markets. Her team is currently actively working on tools for: international payments and money transfers; payment infrastructure for businesses; digital accounts; and financial control and transaction security.
The company pays particular attention to AML (anti-money laundering) and anti-fraud technologies, which enable the detection of suspicious transactions and the prevention of financial crimes. This is critical in today’s fintech sector: digital payments are growing every year, and with them, the number of fraud attempts.
A comment from Alona Shevtsova, distributed via Newsfile Corp, best captures the significance of this recognition.
“Fintech has always strived to overcome existing barriers, whether technological, regulatory, or cultural. Progress happens when different perspectives come together to build systems that are more inclusive, sustainable, and globally connected,” emphasized the CEO of Sends.
Being included on this list is not only a personal recognition but also an opportunity to join an international community of women who are transforming the financial industry and breaking down barriers in the profession.
On March 22, user attention to the Sends messenger was renewed in the context of growing cyberespionage threats.
This occurred after the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a joint warning on March 20, 2026, regarding a global campaign by hackers linked to Russian intelligence agencies. The attackers gained unauthorized access to thousands of accounts on the Signal and WhatsApp messaging platforms. The primary targets of the attack were individuals of high intelligence value: current and former U.S. government officials, military personnel, politicians, and journalists.
Meanwhile, the Sends messaging app offers a fundamentally new level of security. This platform was designed with modern cyberespionage risks in mind and provides reliable data protection through innovative user authentication methods. The app’s security is based on end-to-end encryption for all types of communication.
This means that messages, photos, videos, and even voice calls remain accessible only to the sender and recipient, and the developer itself has no technical ability to view the content of chats. You can download the app for your device via the links: for iOS and Android.
On March 27, the fintech company Sends participated in the major PAY360 payments conference in London. The team held dozens of meetings and discussed new partnerships. CEO Alena Shevtsova spoke on panels about artificial intelligence and embedded finance.
Sends, a British fintech institution licensed as an EMI, participated in and sponsored the PAY360 2026 conference, which took place on March 25–26 in London. The event brought together over 6,000 participants—from banks and fintech startups to regulators and technology companies.
Over the course of two days, the Sends team was actively engaged at the event: meeting new partners, discussing collaboration, and presenting their payment solutions. According to company representatives, interest in their products was high, and the number of new contacts was significant.
The company’s CEO, Alona Shevtsova, played a special role at the conference. She participated in two panel discussions, where they discussed how artificial intelligence is transforming the financial sector and why embedded finance is becoming the new standard.
Participants in these discussions addressed simple yet impactful ways to improve the market: how to make financial services more convenient for customers, how to automate processes, and how to provide greater access to financial tools.
“PAY360 remains an important venue for honest and open conversation in the industry,” said Shevtsova. “This year, the level of discussion was very high. We see that artificial intelligence and embedded finance are no longer the future—they are reality. And the companies that will succeed are those that build their products with the user and trust in mind,” she added.
On March 25–26 at the PAY360 conference in London, Sends CEO Alona Shevtsova spoke on two panel discussions dedicated to changes in the financial sector.
The discussions centered on two major themes—artificial intelligence and embedded finance. These are currently the factors most influencing how banks and fintech companies operate.
The first discussion was titled “The Tsunami of Agent-Based Artificial Intelligence: How AI Is Transforming Compliance Through AML and KYC.” Here, participants discussed how artificial intelligence aids in financial monitoring—specifically in anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) verification.
Along with Alona Shevtsova, the panel featured representatives from major market players: Jonathan Greenstein from the Payments Association, Bushra Saba from Lloyds Banking Group, Dane Pedro from Mollie, and Michael Borelli, Director of AI & Partners. The participants discussed practical applications—how AI is already helping to identify risks more quickly, analyze customer behavior, and automate complex processes that previously took a lot of time.
“AI is no longer something from the future. It is changing right now how financial companies handle risks, compliance, and the customer experience,” Shevtsova noted.
She also emphasized that artificial intelligence alone does not solve all problems. What matters is how companies use it and whether they have a clear strategy. “Real value emerges when new technologies are combined with clear management and an understanding of the business,” she added.
The second panel took the form of a “fireside chat” and focused on embedded finance. This is an approach where financial services are integrated into non-financial products—for example, when payment or credit options are available directly within an app or service.
The discussion was titled “Embedded Finance—From Buzzword to Business Model.” Participants included Rebecca Hickman from Addleshaw Goddard, Gareth Anderson from Allica Bank, Chris Newman from ClearBank, and Alona Shevtsova.
The participants discussed how embedded finance is a fully-fledged business model that generates revenue and opens up new opportunities for companies. They examined real-world case studies where such solutions are already in use, as well as how businesses can monetize them. Special attention was given to scalability—how to make such services accessible to a large number of users.
“Embedded finance is changing the very logic of financial services—they are no longer separate; they are becoming part of people’s daily experience,” Shevtsova noted during the discussion.
At Sends, they say that participating in such events is not just about presentations, but also about understanding the market. This year’s PAY360 clearly demonstrated: major changes are already underway, and companies are forced to adapt quickly. The company has also announced that it plans to return to PAY360 next year. They promise new products and an even larger team on-site.
On April 10, Sends announced on its LinkedIn profile that its compliance team had been shortlisted for the ICA Compliance Awards 2026 in the “Best Small Compliance Team of the Year” category (fewer than 7 people). The jury highly commended the team’s work in ensuring strict compliance oversight and preventing financial crime, despite operating with a small team of four professionals.
The winners of the ICA Compliance Awards will be announced on June 25, 2026, at the Park Plaza Westminster Hotel in London. Sends’ inclusion on the shortlist reflects the effectiveness of its compliance system and the team’s ability to support growth while maintaining a risk-based approach to decision-making.
Throughout 2025, the team focused on strengthening internal controls, standardizing processes, and improving operational efficiency without compromising quality or regulatory compliance. Working across areas such as new customer onboarding, comprehensive due diligence, transaction monitoring, internal investigations, regulatory reporting, and anti-money laundering support, the team has built a scalable compliance function that keeps pace with business growth and regulatory requirements.
Alona Shevtsova, CEO of Sends, commented:
“We are honored to be nominated for this award, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Sends compliance team for their hard work, expertise, and dedication. It is their ability to deliver high-quality results with limited resources that has earned us this recognition, and being shortlisted reflects the culture of accountability and collaboration they have fostered across the entire business.”
The shortlisting comes as Sends continues to scale as a regulated financial services provider, where compliance plays a central role in ensuring safe, compliant, and sustainable growth. The company’s most recent external anti-money laundering audit, conducted in December 2025, concluded without any compliance-related findings, providing independent validation of the team’s maturity and effectiveness.
