Why the smartest startups treat their finance stack as a growth function

2026-02-16 · Source: Sifted · Field: Finance & Economics — FinTech & Digital Financial Services, Corporate Finance & Treasury · Depth: Intermediate, medium

Summary

Ralph Karsten, Group Financial Controller at Airwallex, discusses how startups can transform their finance stack from a back-office cost center into a strategic growth function. He emphasizes that finance teams, traditionally focused on spending control and compliance, can now leverage modern financial platforms to enable sustainable growth and inform critical business decisions. Karsten, who helped lead Airwallex's €277m Series G fundraising round in late 2025, highlights the importance of structuring data correctly from the outset to generate strategic insights, especially with the rise of AI. He notes that a scalable finance stack allows companies to rapidly enter new markets, manage payroll across borders, and dedicate less time to data gathering, focusing instead on analysis. The article also touches on the future of AI in finance, predicting a shift towards AI-driven financial interactions for businesses.

Key takeaway

For entrepreneurs and CFOs evaluating financial technology investments, prioritize integrated, scalable finance stacks over cheap point solutions. Your finance stack should provide granular data insights and cross-border capabilities to support rapid market expansion and informed capital deployment. Underestimating switching costs and operational inefficiencies of disconnected systems can hinder growth, making a robust, AI-ready platform a critical strategic asset for long-term success.

Key insights

Modern finance stacks can be strategic growth enablers, not just cost centers, by providing end-to-end data insights.

Principles

• Structure financial data for strategic insights.
• Prioritize scalability in finance tech stack.
• Consider long-term switching costs of tools.

Method

To transform finance into a growth lever, build a foundational data layer correctly, ensuring granularity and connectivity, then leverage AI for insights rather than just transaction processing.

In practice

• Implement digitally native financial platforms early.
• Focus on data input quality for AI analysis.
• Evaluate tools based on scalability and integration.

Topics

• Strategic Finance
• AI in Finance
• FinTech Platforms
• Global Business Scaling
• Data-Driven Financial Insights

Best for: Entrepreneur, Executive, Business Analyst

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by Sifted.