| Ozerk Ozan | |
| Birth Place: | Cyprus |
| Citizenship: | Norway |
| Alma Mater: | University of Oslo |
| Known For: | founder of Biip.no and OpenPayd |
Ozerk Ozan (born 1979) is a Norwegian IT entrepreneur, best known as the co-founder of Norsk Ideutvikling AS, the social networking service Biip.no and the banking-as-as-service provider OpenPayd.
Ozan was born in Nicosia, Cyprus, in 1979. At a young age, he moved to Norway with his family. His father, Ozerk Kamil, is a professor at the Department of Education at the University of Oslo.[1]
Ozan studied medicine at the University of Oslo from 2002 to 2008.
In 2002, Ozan founded Norsk Ideutvikling AS. In 2005, the company launched the online community Biip.no,[2] which quickly gained popularity, amassing a user base of 450,000 users within two years. In 2008, the majority of shares in the company were sold to Egmont Group and Nettavisen.[3]
In 2015, Ozan transitioned to the fintech industry and began working on various ventures. In 2018, he consolidated his early companies under OpenPayd, headquartered in London.[4] [5] [6] As of 2024, OpenPayd processes over GBP £50 billion in volume annually.[7]
In November 2018, Ozan founded European Merchant Bank (EMBank).[8] By the end of 2021, EMBank's business loan portfolio reached €29.7 million, and the bank generated an income of €4.3 million.[9]
Ozerk has frequently mentioned the problems of inclusion facing the underbanked and unbanked, citing the problems arising from the reduced use of cash as currency,[10] the pitfalls of AI that could further discriminate the financially disadvantaged[11] and the growing worldwide inequality gap between the rich and poor.
Ozerk believes regulators are struggling to keep up with innovations in fintech[12] but that the sector will continue to grow[13] driven by the necessity for Banking-as-as-Service offerings to bridge the gap between traditional and alternative payment methods[14] and the difficulty in businesses obtaining financial licenses.[15] He is similarly bullish on the growth of embedded finance,[16] citing how it can reduce costs, increase profits and drive customer loyalty,[17] with UK brands likely to claim the majority of the £619 billion European financial services market in the next 5 years.[18]