Hendrik Schulenburg has been working at Payrexx since 2021 and has quickly worked his way up from a working student to Chief Financial Officer. During this time, he has made an important contribution to the further development of the company and driven forward groundbreaking processes.

Ivan Schmid, CEO of Payrexx AG, explains:

“Hendrik Schulenburg has proven himself to be an extremely reliable, analytically strong, and responsible colleague at Payrexx over the past four years. He knows our company and the payment market in detail and brings with him an exceptional commitment that goes far beyond the usual. His structured approach to work, his pronounced understanding of numbers, and his ability to make sound decisions even under pressure convinced us to entrust him with this central responsibility.”

With this appointment, Payrexx reinforces its belief that it is not age or years of professional experience that are the focus, but rather expertise, integrity, and entrepreneurial thinking. Hendrik embodies exactly those qualities that are crucial for sustainable and future-oriented financial leadership—especially in the dynamic SME environment in which Payrexx acts as a market leader.

Since its founding in 2015, Payrexx has established itself at the Thun location. Today, the company employs over 45 people and is one of the most innovative FinTechs in the region. With the appointment of Hendrik Schulenburg, Payrexx also aims to contribute to regional talent development and strengthen Thun as a growing FinTech center.

In the interview, Schulenburg provides insights into his career path as well as his view on the future of digital payments and his vision for the coming years.

How is it that you are already CFO at Payrexx at 24?

Hendrik Schulenburg: “I have been interested in economic topics from an early age. That's why I did my Bachelor in Business Administration at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and joined Payrexx as an intern during my studies. That was over four years ago and since then I have been able to accompany the company in various roles, experience many exciting developments and gradually take on more responsibility. The combination of finance and strategic development really excites me, and I am grateful to the board and management for the trust they place in me with this role.”

Was it always your goal to become a CFO?

“The goal of becoming a CFO one day developed over time at Payrexx. The insights I was able to gain and the topics I was allowed to deal with showed me that I would like to bear the corresponding responsibility one day. I am very pleased that I now have this opportunity at Payrexx.”

What makes Payrexx a special employer for you?

“On one hand, the market itself—the payment industry is incredibly exciting, constantly moving, and offers a lot of room for innovation. On the other hand, I am impressed by how Payrexx has built a strong position in the Swiss payment market over the past ten years with a lot of commitment and customer proximity. We are particularly proud that Payrexx was voted the most popular provider for Swiss SMEs in the national online retailer survey in 2023, ahead of providers such as PayPal, Worldline, or PostFinance.

That's what makes Payrexx for me: Innovation with a clear focus on the needs of SMEs—with a solution that simply works and offers genuine added value for SMEs.”

What does leadership mean to you in a FinTech like Payrexx?

“Leadership at Payrexx means understanding the needs of customers and the market, always staying agile and innovative, and working together towards a clear goal. This is what is needed to be able to assert oneself in a dynamic market environment.”

How do you see the development of the payment industry?

“I am convinced that both the online and the presence business will continue to move towards simplification and efficiency. For example, we can already observe that instant payments—i.e., real-time bank transfers—are gaining relevance globally and it will only be a matter of time before this is established in the Swiss market as well. Changes will also occur at the point of sale. The classic payment terminal (POS terminal), as it is known from retail today, will increasingly be replaced by so-called softPOS solutions in the coming years: A regular smartphone or tablet becomes a fully-fledged payment terminal—without additional hardware. This technological development makes card payments more flexible, cheaper, and more efficient—especially for small businesses and mobile providers.

For companies, it is important to keep up with such trends and choose the right payment provider. Therefore, it is particularly pleasing that Payrexx can offer its customers both of the aforementioned solutions in the future.”

And where do you see Payrexx in 5 years?

“The question is particularly exciting. Payrexx is constantly evolving and has recently started processing not only e-commerce payments but also point-of-sale payments (payments directly at the physical sales point, e.g., at the checkout or on-site with the customers) and is thus becoming a real omni-payment provider. Therefore, I see Payrexx in 5 years as the number one in the omni-payment area for SMEs in Switzerland. Payrexx's all-in-one solution with all important Swiss payment methods from a single source is unique—and particularly attractive for SMEs because it is not only comprehensive but also available at the lowest price on the market. Therefore, I am convinced that we will reach many more companies.”

With Hendrik Schulenburg as the new CFO, Payrexx sets the course for further growth in the Swiss FinTech landscape. We thank you for the exciting insights and look forward to continued successful cooperation.

About Payrexx

Payrexx was founded in Thun in 2015 and, as a registered payment facilitator of Mastercard, Visa, TWINT, PostFinance, CENTI, NAKA, and REKA, enables the easy acceptance of payments—both online and on-site. As an all-in-one solution, the self-developed payment platform includes more than 200 payment methods as well as numerous simple sales tools (Pages, Paylink, Invoice, Donations, QR Pay, Terminal). All Payrexx systems are redundantly designed and meet the highest security standards. Worldwide, over 60,000 merchants already use Payrexx, including well-known Swiss companies such as BKW, Carvolution, Zweifel Pomy-Chips AG, Hotelcard, or Selecta.