'We've put lipstick on a Ferrari': Chocolate Finance's Walter de Oude on why product comes first

“Put lipstick on a pig, and it’s still a pig,” says de Oude. In a wide-ranging interview, the founder-CEO reflects on the withdrawal crisis that shook the fintech in 2025, the lessons he took from it, and why Hong Kong expansion is the first stop on a very long road.

by Robert Jeffery