The change occurs at a strategically important time: Payrexx will in future focus on penetrating the DACH region and is preparing to enter the European market. Central to this is the application for the payment institution licence in Liechtenstein through the subsidiary Payrexx Europe AG.

With Anja Traum, Payrexx gains an experienced leader from the European payment industry. She was previously in a managerial position as Managing Director at a leading payment service provider in Germany: Anja Traum was instrumental in the growth of Concardis, which was later acquired by Nexi. Her in-depth market knowledge and her successes in scaling organisations make her the ideal candidate to drive the DACH expansion.

Solid experience for the next development phase

Anja Traum's main task will be to set up Payrexx's organisational structures so that the company is ready for the next big step. The board of directors at Payrexx is satisfied with the choice. "With Anja Traum we gain a distinguished expert with many years of leadership experience in the DACH payment industry," says Robert Bornträger, Chairman of the Board of Payrexx, "her deep understanding of the German market is crucial for our expansion plans. We are convinced that she is the right person to lead Payrexx into the next growth phase, which will be initiated by the application for the payment services licence in Liechtenstein." On her career path, she has repeatedly shown that her commitment stands for profitable growth and a positive image, added Bornträger: "Anja is keen to create a working atmosphere where employees can apply their potential with enthusiasm."

Anja Traum meanwhile shows motivation to tackle the next step with Payrexx: "The vision of Payrexx to radically simplify payments for SMEs convinced me immediately. With my experience from large companies in the payment sector, especially in the highly competitive German market, I now want to help Payrexx create the necessary organisational structures. We are taking Payrexx to the next level to be optimally prepared for the impending great leap to Europe."

From spin-off to leading payment provider for SMEs

Ivan Schmid, who built Payrexx 10 years ago as a spin-off of Comvation AG and developed the company into a leading omnichannel payment platform for Swiss SMEs, has decided to relinquish the operational management after a long period of leadership – after a successful building phase with currently 50 employees, a transaction volume of 1 billion EUR and an average revenue growth of 61% over the past 5 years. He will devote himself to the development of new projects in the future, but will remain connected to the company as a member of the board.

Chairman of the Board Robert Bornträger appreciates Schmid's performance: "Ivan Schmid has made Payrexx what it is today – an innovative and reliable force in the Swiss fintech market. The next phase will be characterised by international growth. Therefore, we wanted to take the opportunity to complement the leadership with specific experience from the target markets. Anja Traum brings all these qualifications with her."

The decision to hand over the operational business is justified by the serial entrepreneur Ivan Schmid, who has already founded several companies, such as Hotelcard, the agency Comvation and the Astalavista Group in Chur, with his entrepreneurial philosophy: "It has always been my belief that every company needs a leader at the right time who fits perfectly with the respective development phase. I am proud of what we have built. My thanks go to the shareholders for the long-standing trust and support, as well as to the entire team who have significantly contributed to our success with responsibility, commitment and solidarity. I look forward to Payrexx's future with confidence and am excited for the new phase."