In a financial world where most leaders focus on numbers, processes, and bottom lines, Viktoria Soltesz stands out as the rare visionary who brings structure, meaning, and strategy to the very foundation of how money moves. As the CEO & Founder of PSP Angels and The Soltesz Institute—headquartered in Cyprus and founded in 2017 and 2024—she has dedicated her career to transforming a field long clouded by assumptions and misinformation. Through independent advisory and EU-certified education, Viktoria is redefining how companies think, plan, and operate with confidence. Her journey is one of strategic clarity, practical innovation, and a deep commitment to building a more educated and transparent industry.
“I am strategic. Structure and purpose define every decision I make—both personally and in business. Strategy matters because in payments and banking, even small misalignments can lead to major operational and financial consequences. Being strategic means designing systems that work from the start, where every element connects—risk, compliance, technology, and cash flow—creating stability instead of reacting to problems later,” says Viktoria.
Early Foundations: A Career Built on Curiosity and Structure
An Education Enhanced by Real-World Complexity
With academic foundations in finance, tax, and accounting, Viktoria built the technical base to understand how businesses operate. But her true preparation came from supporting diverse clients and resolving issues no textbook had ever covered.
“Working with clients across different industries exposed me to how payment and banking function in real life. I saw how uneducated decisions affect not only compliance and cash flow but also growth, technology, and customer trust,” she shares.
Discovering the Gap No One Talked About
Her professional journey began as a tax accountant, where she quickly became the go-to person for clients facing payment and banking challenges. Early questions about bank behavior, compliance expectations, and account freezes revealed a critical knowledge gap across global finance—even among experienced decision-makers.
“Since then, I have been fascinated by how banking decisions shape structure, and operations. My experience was built through years of hands-on work, learning what banks expect, how they think, and how funds move internationally. In the beginning, everything felt uncertain, but over time, I turned those experiences into a structured method that now defines how the industry operates,” she explains.
Over the years, she learned how to connect financial, operational, and regulatory elements into one cohesive strategy. Solving complex challenges taught her to make decisions that balance risk, tech and compliance—skills that later shaped her entire career.
A Mother’s Influence: The Foundation of Integrity and Discipline
At the core of Viktoria’s character is the influence of her mother, a government professional involved in drafting and enforcing laws, a university lecturer, and an advisor to ministries. From her, Viktoria learned the non-negotiables: hard work, integrity, discipline, respect for the industry and clients, and the importance of always delivering what she promises. She also learned how to think differently—to look for opportunities where others only see problems.
“That mindset shaped my entire career. It helped me realise how much we lack proper education in payments and banking. I saw how even accountants, CFOs, and lawyers struggled with simple payment setup decisions, often relying on assumptions instead of knowledge. This made it clear that the industry needed a structured, transparent approach,” she says.
“That realization became the foundation of everything I have built. It inspired me to create frameworks, courses, and advisory models that bring clarity to an area that has long been misunderstood. I genuinely believe that ethical and transparent work is the only path that allows you to take pride in what you do and contribute to the progress of an entire industry,” she adds.
A Turning Point: When Payments Became a Mission
Viktoria’s shift into payments and banking wasn’t planned—it was driven by real problems she witnessed daily.
“As an accountant, I kept seeing the same pattern: clients could calculate taxes perfectly, but when it came to setting up their banking or managing international payments, everything became uncertain and problematic. Each case revealed how disconnected finance teams and tax planning were from the operational realities of moving funds across borders. I realised that while accounting looks at what has already happened, payments and banking decide whether a business can function tomorrow,” she says.
The true turning point came when one of her clients had their account frozen without warning, leaving the entire business unable to operate. “Everything in their business stopped overnight. That experience showed me how fragile even a successful company can become when payments and banking are not properly structured. I understood that without a strategy, money can work against you instead of helping you,” she adds.
This realisation sparked her mission to build systems that prevent such failures and replace trial-and-error with structure.
The Birth of PSP Angels: A Vision of Independent Advisory
“I wanted to create a practical system that helps companies build solid banking and payment foundations before problems occur. That decision shaped the entire direction of PSP Angels and later The Soltesz Institute. What started as a personal frustration turned into a mission to educate others and create an industry standard that helps businesses operate with confidence and transparency,” she says.
Seeing firsthand how poorly payments and banking were understood, even among professionals managing millions, Viktoria built PSP Angels as an independent consultancy advising global companies on banking and payment strategy. She advocated a radical shift: businesses must understand how banks think and build their operations around that logic—not the other way around. This approach reshaped how many companies now plan and structure their financial systems.
Building PSP Angels required more than technical expertise. It demanded leadership, communication, and the ability to transform experience into structure. Viktoria combined analytical thinking from her accounting background with years of problem-solving to create systems, train teams, and grow a business that not only supports clients but also influences the entire industry.
Changing How Companies Approach Payments and Banking
The concept behind PSP Angels grew from years of observing one recurring global mistake: companies built their operations, corporate structures, and tax setups first, and only later searched for banks and payment providers to support them. When problems emerged—frozen accounts, rejected applications, unexpected fees—they blamed the providers. In reality, the issue was structural. Their operations were not designed with banking and payments in mind.
Viktoria set out to reverse this thinking entirely.
“My founding mission was to make payments and banking a standalone business function, treated with the same importance as finance or compliance. I wanted companies to understand how banks think, how they assess risk, and what drives their decisions. Once you understand that logic, you can build your entire operation around it and create a structure that works efficiently from the beginning,” she says.
As demand grew, her mission evolved from consultancy to education. Viktoria recognised that even highly capable professionals lacked formal training in payments and banking, and this knowledge gap was slowing down entire industries. This led to the creation of The Soltesz Institute—today the only independent EU-certified education provider dedicated solely to payments and banking. The Institute trains decision-makers, finance teams, and executives to apply structured, strategic thinking to financial operations.
What began as solving individual cases has grown into a global movement to professionalise and standardise how the world understands payments and banking.
Building Credibility in an Industry Dominated by Commissions
In the early years, Viktoria faced significant challenges. The market was saturated with commission-based advisors, making PSP Angels’ independent, no-commission model unfamiliar. Many expected “free advice” tied to hidden fees from providers, and she had to educate clients on the value of impartial guidance.
Building credibility while staying independent meant slower early growth. Yet Viktoria remained firm in her principles. Once companies experienced the results—better approval rates, lower costs, reduced account closures—they understood why the independent model worked.
Another challenge was the absence of structured knowledge in the industry. With no formal education programs or standardised methodologies available, Viktoria had to develop everything from scratch: frameworks, processes, and systems. These later became the foundation of The Soltesz Institute, where she transformed years of experience into certified, professional education for the next generation of financial leaders.
What PSP Angels and The Soltesz Institute Offer
PSP Angels stands apart because it operates as an advisor—not a reseller. The FinTech and banking industry still largely relies on commission-based models where introducers and intermediaries promote providers in exchange for fees. This turns what should be strategic financial planning into product selling, often leaving companies with dangerous solutions.
“At PSP Angels, we took a different direction. We work independently and without commission, which allows us to provide fully objective and impartial advice. Our focus is to build the right payment and banking strategy for each client, based on their operations, jurisdictions, and transaction models. We assess the market, and create structured setups that are scalable, compliant, and cost-efficient,” says Viktoria.
“Through The Soltesz Institute, we also provide EU-certified education for professionals and executives who want to understand payments and banking on a deeper level. Our goal is not just to solve problems but to raise the standards of the entire industry. By educating companies and individuals, we help create a market that values knowledge, transparency, and strategy over sales and commission,” she adds.
Responsibilities of a Woman Leading Transformation
“My key responsibility is to bring structure and clarity to an area that has long operated without either. Payments and banking influence every part of a business, yet decisions in this field are often made without real understanding. My role is to change that. I lead by setting standards, building strategies, and ensuring our work is always transparent, ethical, and based on facts rather than sales,” says Viktoria.
As a woman entrepreneur, Viktoria carries an added responsibility to lead by example. She builds teams that think critically, take ownership, and understand the broader purpose behind their work. Every project delivered, every client advised, and every student trained reflects a long-term vision: a financial world driven by knowledge, not commissions.
When Work Becomes a Vision, Not an Obligation
Viktoria does not believe in the traditional concept of work-life balance. For her, work is part of her identity—an impactful mission and a genuine passion. “For me, payments and banking are not just a profession—they are a field where I see meaning, impact, and purpose every day,” she shares.
Instead of switching off, she seeks alignment and clarity. “I plan my days with structure, dedicating time to creative work, strategy, and reflection. Whether it is a client project, teaching, or spending time with family and friends, I ensure I am fully present. That focus gives me energy instead of taking it away,” she added.
“This lifestyle is not about switching off but about staying aligned. When your goals, values, and work move in the same direction, you don’t need to separate them. Your work becomes your path, and that path becomes your life,” she continues.
The Future: Global Standards, Government Partnerships, and Industry Evolution
Over the next two years, Viktoria aims to establish global standards for ethical, transparent, and structured payments and banking. PSP Angels and The Soltesz Institute have already become reference points in independent advisory and EU-certified education, and now they are expanding internationally.
Her organisations recently initiated collaborations with the Sheikha’s Executive Office and Dubai’s Human Development Authority (KHDA) through BePro Training Institute, launching government and large corporate programs focused on structured financial education and awareness in the region.
“My role in the next phase is to lead this expansion and continue setting benchmarks for quality, ethics, and independence. The goal is to ensure that both consulting and education reflect one clear message: the future of the industry lies in transparent advice, certified knowledge, and structured strategy—not in resellers, commissions, or sales-driven practices,” assures Viktoria.
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