Corporate LiveWire – Global Awards 2024/2025
Merlin Investor was awarded “Retail Investment Management Software of the Year 2025” by Corporate LiveWire. Here is the full article as published in the special edition of the magazine. “Merlin Investor’s software simplifies retail investing with education, risk analysis and portfolio management, empowering investors while driving growth for financial institutions” Merlin Investor is a fintech company headquartered in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), revolutionising the landscape of retail investment technology. Operating across MENA, NAFTA and EMEA regions, the company provides a powerful suite of WealthTech software solutions designed to enhance retail investment platforms. Through their collaborative partnerships with financial institutions, Merlin Investor elevates investment experiences for individuals, delivering financial confidence and driving increased investment activity. Its B2B2C Bankingas- a-Service (BaaS) model integrates within existing financial ecosystems, making it an indispensable tool for both independent investors and wealth managed clients. The comprehensive WealthTech suite simplifies and streamlines the investment process for clients by providing a structured yet intuitive approach to retail investing. On top of ensuring that individuals – regardless of their financial knowledge or experience – can participate in the market with confidence, the suite’s dynamic features include financial education, market discovery, investment planning, risk analysis, portfolio management and performance tracking. By consolidating these critical aspects into a single, user-friendly interface, Merlin Investor empowers users to make informed financial decisions that align with their goals and risk tolerance. The software is fully customisable, white label and embeddable, allowing banks and financial institutions to integrate it effortlessly into their existing investment platforms, while tailoring to their specific market and client base. The judging panel was impressed by the ability of Merlin Investor’s software to transform the often-complex world of investing into a straightforward, strategic process. By promoting financial literacy and risk aware decision making, the platform educates users on the principles of diversification and effective portfolio management. The WealthTech suite encourages a disciplined, long-term investment approach that prioritise sustainable wealth accumulation. With an emphasis on investment planning, risk management, and performance analysis, investors can develop the confidence needed to navigate the financial markets successfully. By transforming retail clients into more skilled and confident investors, Merlin Investor’s software solutions stimulate investment activity, leading to increased deposits and higher investment commissions for banks.
Benzinga – Global Fintech Awards 2024
Merlin Investor was selected as a finalist in the Benzinga Global Fintech Awards 2024 in the categories “Best Portfolio Tracker” and “Best Paper Trading Platform”. Below is the full article published on the Benzinga website, featuring all the finalists. Fintech’s Finest: Benzinga Unveils 2024 Global Fintech Awards Finalists. Benzinga, a leading voice in financial media for modern investors, has announced the finalists for its 10th annual Benzinga Global Fintech Awards. Scheduled for Nov. 19 at the Convene Brookfield Place in New York City, this prominent awards ceremony will honor the top innovators and disruptors reshaping financial technology. With more than 25 categories in competition, the event highlights achievements in innovation, accessibility and positive industry impact, recognizing both companies and individuals at the forefront of fintech advancement. Finalists, rigorously chosen by an expert panel, reflect fintech’s potential to drive transformative change across the financial ecosystem. Key figures from diverse sectors, including renowned speakers Grant Cardone, Jan van Eck and Mario Nawfal, will add depth to the discussions and insights, enhancing the day’s value for attendees. “This year’s finalists embody the transformative power of fintech innovation,” said Jason Raznick, co-founder of Benzinga. “We’re excited to bring together the brightest minds in fintech and celebrate their contributions to the industry. With over $100 million worth of deals expected at this event, Fintech Deal Day 2024 is poised to be a transformative experience for all participants.” The day promises discussions on the latest trends, networking opportunities and partnership potential. Attendees can expect thought-provoking talks from keynote speakers and countless moments of industry insight. Investors, fintech leaders and up-and-coming innovators alike will find a space to exchange ideas, explore groundbreaking projects and forge new collaborations. 2024 Benzinga Global Fintech Awards Finalist List Best Alternative Investments Platform: Best API Solution: Best Automated Trading Software: Best Broker for Sophisticated Traders: Best Brokerage App: Best Brokerage for Beginners: Best Brokerage for Day Trading: Best Brokerage for Forex in the US: Best Brokerage for Options Trading: Best Brokerage for Short Selling: Best Brokerage for Trading Futures: Best Canadian Brokerage: Best Data Analysis Tool: Best Day Trading Software: Best ETF Launch: Best Financial Literacy Tool: Best Financial Planning Software: Best Financial Research Company: Best in Financial Education: Best Insurtech Company: Best Investment Research Tech: Best Lending Solution: Best Matching Engine: Best New Product: Best Paper Trading Platform: Best Payments Solution: Best Portfolio Tracker: Best Prop Trading Platform: Best RegTech: Best Robo-Advisor: Best Social Investing Platform: Best Software for Longterm Cryptocurrency Investments: Best Software for Swing Trading: Best Software for Trading Cryptocurrency: Best Trading Technology: Best Venture Capital Firm: Breaking Barriers: Emerging InsurTech: Institutional Innovation: Most Impactful Fintech Executive: Most Innovative ETF Company: Most Innovative in Capital Markets: With innovation driving unprecedented change in financial services, Benzinga’s Fintech Deal Day & Awards stands as a testament to the thriving fintech sector and the creative minds behind it. This year’s gathering of industry leaders will undoubtedly showcase the powerful momentum and forward-thinking spirit that define fintech today.
Fintech Futures – Video Interview
During Finovate Fall 2024 in New York City, Merlin Investor’s Founder & CEO, Guido Petrelli, sat down with Paul Hinder from Fintech Futures to discuss the evolution of the retail investing landscape and how Merlin Investor aims to help banks modernise their product offerings. Below is the abstract from the Fintech Futures website. The full video interview is available here: https://www.fintechfutures.com/venture-capital-funding/video-merlin-investor-at-finovatefall-2024-driving-the-democratisation-of-retail-investing Video: Merlin Investor at FinovateFall 2024 – Driving the democratisation of retail investing Guido Petrelli of Merlin Investor discusses the evolution of the retail investing landscape. At the FinovateFall 2024 conference in New York, FinTech Futures caught up with Guido Petrelli, Founder and CEO of Merlin Investor, to discuss the evolution of the retail investing landscape and how Merlin Investor aims to help banks modernise their product offerings to keep up with shifting customer demands around wealth management and investment planning. Watch the video above to discover:
CIO Bulletin – Cover Page
Merlin Investor’s Founder & CEO Guido Petrelli has been featured as the cover story in the special edition “20 Innovative Companies of the Year 2024” published by CIO Bulletin. Read the full interview as published in CIO Bulletin magazine. Merlin Investor – Democratizing finance and making conscious investing a reality for everyone In the dynamic landscape of finance, Merlin Investor emerges as a trailblazing company with a profound mission—to democratize financial inclusion and revolutionize investment planning towards conscious investing. With a commitment to making financial tools accessible to all, Merlin Investor introduces an innovative platform that encompasses market insights, investment planning, and portfolio tracking. This visionary Fintech company is not just about transactions; it’s on a quest to empower every retail investor, regardless of their financial knowledge or investment experience. Merlin Investor’s user-friendly interface and comprehensive features are designed to cater to a diverse audience, ensuring that investing is no longer confined to a select few but becomes a seamless experience for everyone. Moreover, Merlin Investor goes beyond the conventional by offering a cutting-edge white label technology. Financial Institutions can leverage this solution to elevate their digital platforms, capturing the attention of the new generation of retail investors. In an exclusive interview with CIO Bulletin, Guido Petrelli, Founder and CEO of Merlin Investor shared insights about how his company is providing a holistic investment experience—all in one place. Q. Can you share the story behind the founding of Merlin Investor? What inspired the establishment of the company, and how has the vision evolved over time? Merlin Investor originates from my personal need and experience that spans over 20 years as a retail investor. Opening my first brokerage account in my teenage years with minimal financial or investment knowledge, it initially served as a hobby with the hope of generating extra pocket money. As I progressed into adulthood and began working, I relied on financial advisors to manage my investments. However, I observed that my personal investments yielded better returns or incurred fewer losses compared to the performance delivered by the professional management I was paying for. This realization prompted me to take matters into my own hands. Thanks to my university degree in Business Administration and Finance I earned in the meantime, I recognized the importance of developing a diversified and balanced investment strategy before executing any trades. I understood that the key to financial success lies not just in the trading tool itself but in the thoughtful design and implementation of an effective investment strategy. This led me to create intricate, time-consuming, and frustrating spreadsheets. However, the realization struck that there should be a better, more accessible solution for everyone. In my search for a comprehensive tool that could meet my requirements for market insights, investment planning, and performance analysis, I was surprised to find a lack of suitable options. While numerous trading platforms emerged, they primarily focused on the trading experience rather than holistic investment management. Believing that many other retail investors faced the same challenge, I embarked on the journey to build the product I envisioned. Thus, Merlin Investor was born. Q. Can you provide a brief overview of the products or services offered by Merlin Investor? Our platform serves as an educational, strategizing, and tracking tool tailored for retail investment planning and management, catering to the new generation of retail investors. From its inception, the vision was to create an easy-to-use platform that complements, rather than substitutes, any trading platform. It was designed to accommodate all types of retail investors, irrespective of their financial knowledge or investing experience. The platform is flexible, allowing users to work with various asset types, delivering a customizable and scalable experience aligned with each investor’s specific needs and learning curve. Whether investors are experts or beginners, managing their funds or someone else’s, the investment cycle remains the same. The process is simplified into four main steps. The first involves studying the markets by accessing multiple sources of information to make informed decisions and identify assets of interest. Subsequently, users create multiple investment strategies to analyze and balance various risks associated with investing, such as asset allocation, industry, country, currency, and custodian risks. This diversification and risk balance follow a fundamental rationality that must be addressed to build long-term positive results, which is “don’t put all your eggs in one basket,” and when you invest, you have different baskets to consider. After analyzing top-down and comparing strategies, users select the one that aligns with their risk profile before moving on to the execution of the strategy. While several trading platforms already cover this third step, the fourth and final step involves tracking performance and rebalancing risks as necessary. The Merlin platform comprehensively addresses steps one, two, and four, positioning itself as the ideal companion to any trading platform. Its goal is to deliver a complete and conscious investing experience all in one place. Q. Merlin Investor emphasizes the idea of educating and empowering anyone to create their own investment strategy. How do you believe it sets Merlin apart in the industry? If we look at the world of investing, banks and financial advisors often formulate investment strategies tailored to the products they aim to promote. Unfortunately, these strategies are frequently constrained by the limited range of products they wish to place. Additionally, many active retail investors, despite having the ability to trade various assets across numerous platforms, often fail to execute based on a diversified and balanced plan. Instead, they engage in a series of spot trades, leading them to lose control of the overall investment landscape. This approach, characterized more as gambling than strategic investing, can result in catastrophic losses and missed investment targets. A survey conducted among active retail investors from Gen Z and Millennials revealed that approximately seventy percent of them were investing without a plan. The remaining participants were compelled to strategize using spreadsheets, like I used to. Further analysis indicated that over eighty percent of the surveyed population expressed a willingness to be educated and learn
Acquisition International – Global Excellence Awards 2024
Merlin Investor was awarded ” Most Innovative Retail Investment Technology Firm 2024″ by Acquisition International. Here is the full article as published in the special edition of the magazine. Retail investing is going through a generational shift in which younger generations demand an active role supported by a seamless digital experience when seeking to build their own financial future. Young people are willing to become more financially educated and empowered in their finances compared to previous generations. Guido Petrelli is a seasoned retail investor who relied on trading platforms to buy and sell assets. He noticed the limit of trading platforms in focusing only on execution, while lacking to properly support investment planning and risks management as the key to build long term positive results. Guido envisioned a complementary technology that could empower anyone to invest properly, while providing a full and conscious investment experience all-in-one place. Thus, Merlin Investors was born. Merlin Investor’s WealthTech Suite is composed of educational, strategizing, analysis, and tracking tools designed to ease the process of market study, investment planning, and portfolio management. The platform is complementary to any kind of asset class, investment platform, and retail investor. The company seeks to both educate and assist retail investors along the full investment cycle with the goal to help them invest smarter and with strategy in mind. Retail investment is a complex process which requires to study the markets, strategize investments, manage risks, and analyse performance. Merlin designed its offering to easily encompass all these elements together. The company is on a mission to educate and empower anyone to make informed investment decisions through a holistic approach, which should prioritize risks diversification and portfolio management. Merlin Investor is a Fintech company headquartered in the Dubai International Financial Centre, It operates out of three regions in MENA, NAFTA, and EMEA, where It liaises with local Financial Institutions to help them customize their offer in line with each market’s peculiarities, as well as to grab the opportunities raising from the global revolution happening in the retail investment space. Its solutions are available for both desktop and mobile applications, making them easily accessible and allowing retail investors to stay in constant and full control of their investments. Merlin’s technologies are marketed primarily through banks and investment platforms with a B2B2C BaaS business model, aimed to assist Financial Institutions in improving and scaling their banking and investment services. “We are on a mission to educate the retail audience about the importance of proper investment planning and risks management to consciously build their own financial future, while providing the necessary tools to anyone to manage the whole process and become a skilled and confident investor,” Guido tells us. Merlin Investor is an industry pioneer that white label its technologies to banks, allowing them to customize and embed its solutions into their digital platforms targeting retail clients. This is operated with the rationality that more empowered, educated, and skilled retail customers will deposit more and invest more, in turn delivering benefits to banks in terms of client acquisition, higher deposits, trading, and wealth management commissions. Speaking on the different applications of the Merlin Suite, Guido says, “We offer a wide selection of solutions combined with deep customization capabilities, which allow banks to cherry pick those functionalities and contents they need based on their own specific interests and priorities. Our solutions are flexible for retail clients who invest independently through banks’ trading platforms, as well as for those who rely on banks’ wealth management services.” Such flexibility is meant to support various applications within the banking industry, though the company recognises that there are some user-cases that banks are currently most interested in. For example, educational material, markets information, wealth aggregation, strategies simulation, portfolio analysis, performance tracking, and products upselling, are just some of the use-cases supported by the company. It also offers the full set of its technologies directly to consumers through a scalable Freemium subscription model designed to support each investor’s learning curve. The goal of the company is to provide retail investors with an easily accessible avenue for a complete and conscious investment experience all-in-one place. In such a quickly advancing technological industry, it is important for banks to remain ahead of the competition by providing to their clients a set of easy-to-use investment tools that caters to all their needs. The innovative solutions developed by Merlin Investor reflects this need exactly, and provides Financial Institutions with the opportunity to grow their business while helping their retail clientele to reach financial freedom. We are eager to see the next innovative advancements from Merlin Investor in the upcoming year.
Fintech Istanbul – Press Release
Merlin Investor has been featured on the Fintech Istanbul website in an article highlighting how the platform supports financial institutions in increasing deposits and trading commissions through investor education and empowerment. Read the full article as published on the Fintech Istanbul website. Merlin investor, a Fintech company with operations in the MENA, EMEA and NAFTA regions, is on mission to democratize financial inclusion and investment planning towards conscious investing, while helping financial institutions to supercharge their trading platforms to win over the new generation of retail investors. As it is the case with experienced investors, the company believes the key element to achieve long-term positive results lies in the design of a diversified and balance investment strategy tailored to each investor’s specific needs, and aimed to understand and manage risks along the whole investment cycle, with the goal to consciously navigate the ups and down of the markets. While they recognize that trading platforms did an outstanding job in giving to anyone access to trade execution, they identified the need for an innovative educational and strategizing tool that any young retail investor can understand and use to create, analyze, back-test, and track the performance of their own investment strategies, so to familiarize and learn by doing also without taking risks to lose money if they don’t feel confident yet. In addition, the company surveyed the majority of GenZ and Millennials prefer to educate themselves and study the markets by accessing sources of information that exceed the standard ones like market news or similar, while prioritizing social networks and following the advice of their favorite influencers towards an informed decision. The Merlin Platform serves as an educational, strategizing, and tracking tool tailored for retail investment planning and risks management, catering to the new generation of retail investors. From its inception, the company vision was to create an easy-to-use platform that complements, rather than substitutes, any trading platform. It was designed to accommodate all types of retail investors, irrespective of their financial knowledge or investing experience. Also, the high level of flexibility allows users to work with various asset types, to choose from a wide set of educational resources, which also include several social networks, and delivers a customizable and scalable experience aligned with each investor’s specific needs and learning curve. In addition to offering the product directly to consumers through a subscription model, the same technology is available to Financial Institutions as white-label embeddable solution for their retail investment platforms, with the possibility of a deep customization either in terms of appearance, workspaces, functionalities, and contents. The company strongly believes that if Financial Institutions expand their offerings by focusing on educating the new generations, they will create more conscious and skilled investors. More conscious and skilled investors will deposit more and trade more, enabling banks to increase benefits from the spread on deposits (the difference between the interest rate they pay for deposits and the interest rate they receive on loans) and from an increase in their trading commissions. Merlin Investor is the new realm for investment planning and risks management designed for anyone, they are democratizing this space and educating the new generations to invest consciously and with strategy in mind, while helping Financial Institutions to address and grab the opportunities raising from the generational transformation happening today in the world of retail investing. “Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a novice, the key to success lies in a diversified and balanced investment strategy – our platform simplifies the process, making investment planning and risks management accessible to all.”
The Silicon Review – Cover Page
Guido Petrelli, Founder & CEO of Merlin Investor, has been featured as the cover story in the special edition “30 Fabolous Companies of The Year 2024” published by The Silicon Review. Read the full interview as published in Technology Innovators magazine. Empowering a New Era of Financial Independence and Inspiring the Next Generation of Investors through Easy Investment Planning & Wealth Management: Merlin Investor. Through easy and innovative tools designed for the new generations, we aim to create a financially educated society capable of forging and capturing its own financial freedom thanks to conscious investing.” Merlin Investor stands at the forefront of Fintech innovation, pioneering a mission to democratize financial inclusion and investment planning towards conscious investing. Their cutting-edge software is tailored for market insights, investment planning, performance analysis, and portfolio tracking, serving every type of retail investor. The company’s white label solution revolutionizes Financial Institutions’ digital platforms, beckoning the new generation of retail investors by offering a comprehensive investment experience beyond mere trade execution. At the core of their ethos lies the conviction that financial freedom should be accessible to all. Guido Petrelli, CEO of Merlin Investor, spoke exclusively to The Silicon Review about how his company is leveraging individuals with the right tools to shape their investment strategies, enabling them to understand risks seize control of their financial destinies with unparalleled confidence and empowerment. Please tell us about the circumstances or events that led to the founding of Merlin Investor. I was just 16 years old when I opened my first brokerage account. Over time, I decided to rely on financial advisors to handle my investments. However, one day I realized that I was making more money, or losing less, when I invested by myself. I found it frustrating to pay “professional people” to handle my money and not perform as well. I knew that with my academic background in Economics and Finance, developing a diversified and balanced investment strategy was crucial for success. I recognized that the key didn’t just lie in the tools used for trading, but in the execution of a well thought investment strategy. Determined to take control, I decided to stop relying on financial advisors. Despite having the knowledge, I found myself spending a considerable amount of time creating complex spreadsheets to develop strategies, analyze risks, and evaluate performance. This led me to question the existence of a simpler, quicker solution that could be accessible to anyone. To my surprise, when I searched the market, I couldn’t find anything close to what I had in mind. In an era where there is an app for almost everything in life, the absence of a tool for proper market insights, investment planning, and portfolio tracking was apparent. Despite the exponential increase in retail investors thanks to the widespread adoption of trading platforms, I noticed a gap in the availability of a comprehensive tool designed to enhance the trading experience. Believing that many other retail investors faced the same problem, I took it upon myself to build the product I envisioned. Thus, Merlin Investor was born with a mission to democratize financial education and investment planning, aiming to guide individuals toward conscious investing. Setbacks are a part of every growing business. Tell us about a few roadblocks and learning lessons that helped Merlin Investor grow through the years? I believe that starting a company it’s all about getting started because if you knew all the challenges and roadblocks waiting ahead, any rational and sane person would likely give up. Instead, you need to prioritize a clear vision and measurable objectives. Then, you go with the flow and trust your problem-solving instinct as the guiding light to get you through. The reason is simple: you cannot predict in detail all the problems you’ll face, and therefore, you cannot prepare for the solutions in advance. So, it’s better to accept this reality and, every time you encounter a problem, look for a case-by-case solution that shouldn’t compromise the vision and product, as they are the main two pillars upon which to build your success. Challenges differ based on the stage of the company and the context in which you operate, so they’ll be with you along the entire journey, no matter how many problems you’ve already solved. I still remember at the beginning of our journey; it wasn’t easy to design the product just like I envisioned it. The challenge was to transform something like investment planning and risk management, a topic deemed difficult and mastered only by experts, into a sort of game where young investors could easily understand how to analyze and balance their portfolios while enjoying studying the markets through their preferred sources of information and crafting their own investment strategies. We had several internal debates about what was technologically feasible and what product strategy we should have followed by looking at the competitive landscape. As a leader, I learned to let go of non-core technicalities that were probably going to deliver more headaches than benefits. Still I didn’t compromise on those features that, apparently feasible or not, I considered to be differentiating and essential to making the product unique and successful. Of course, I could do so because I knew the high value and experience of our team, and therefore, with the right push, they could realize a product far exceeding my expectations, as much as they did in the end. Another challenge was making our corporate clients see the same trends and future we see for retail investing. In other words, making banks accept a new reality where their clients want to gain a high degree of independence and expect their banks to shift from the role of financial advisor to that of a technology provider. Banks have never been known as first innovators and fast adopters; they tend to minimize risks, thinking that if it worked until now, it’ll still work in the future. Instead, due to the current demographic, geopolitical, and technological transformation, it’s one of the main industries that
Benzinga – Global Fintech Awards 2023
Merlin Investor was selected as a finalist in the Benzinga Global Fintech Awards 2023 in the categories “Best Data Analysis Tool”, “Best Paper Trading Platform”, and “Best Financial Planning Software.” Below is the full article published on the Benzinga website, featuring all the finalists. Mark Your Calendars for Fintech’s D-Day: Nov. 13, Benzinga’s Award Ceremony in NYC Awaits! Benzinga, the leading financial media company for next-generation investors, today announced the finalists for its 9th annual Fintech Deal Day Awards, recognizing innovation across over 40 categories in the fintech industry. The winners will be unveiled at the Fintech Deal Day & Awards on November 13 in New York City, a day marked by networking and celebration within the financial technology sector. Kevin O’Leary of O’Leary Ventures will deliver the keynote address, with leaders from Mastercard Public, Accenture, State Street Digital and Charles Schwab also in attendance. Finalists have been rigorously evaluated by Benzinga’s panel of judges on innovation, accessibility, and their impact on investing, technology, and financial literacy. The top scorers will be honored as the 2023 Fintech Deal Day Award winners. Stay tuned for the unveiling of the leading figures and firms in fintech. Categories Best New Product Best Payments Solution Best Lending Solution Best API Solution Best Data Analysis Tool Best Alternative Investments Platform Best Financial Literacy Tool Best Trading Technology Best Investment Research Tech Most Innovative in Capital Markets Best RegTech Breaking Barriers Best Brokerage for Beginners Best Robo-Advisor Best Day Trading Software Best Portfolio Tracker Best Paper Trading Platform Best NeoBank Best Crypto Exchange Institutional Innovation Best VC Best InsurTech Company Best Financial Research Company Best Brokerage for Short Selling Best Brokerage for Options Trading Best Brokerage for Day Trading Best Software for Swing Trading Best Social Investing Platform Best Financial Planning Software Best Canadian Brokerage Best Brokerage for Trading Futures Best Broker for Sophisticated Traders Best Automated Trading Software Best Software for Trading Cryptocurrency Best Brokerage for Forex Outside of the U.S. Best Brokerage for Forex in the U.S. Best Software for Longterm Cryptocurrency Investments Best ETF Launch
Wealth&Finance – Fintech Awards 2023
Merlin Investor was awarded “Best Investment Planning Software 2023” by Wealth & Finance International. Here is the full article as published in the special edition of the magazine. See how Merlin Investor, a trailblazing fintech company, is revolutionising the investment landscape. With a mission to democratise financial inclusion and empower all investors, the company’s innovative multi-asset platform and client-centric philosophy are reshaping how individuals and institutions navigate the complexities of the financial world. We explore the story behind Merlin Investor’s commitment to innovation, its award-winning solutions, and the team’s unwavering dedication to shaping a brighter financial future for all. Prominent fintech company, Merlin Investor is taking bold strides to democratise financial inclusion and revolutionise investment management. At the heart of its mission is an innovative multi-asset educational, strategising, and tracking tool designed to empower retail investors of all backgrounds. In recognition of their exceptional contributions, the company has seen prestigious success within the FinTech Awards 2023. Merlin Investor’s groundbreaking technology is poised to reshape the investment landscape. Its visionary approach seeks to enhance conscious investing for a broad spectrum of investors, regardless of their level of knowledge or experience. Through a user-friendly platform, Merlin Investor provides insights into strategic planning and the importance of risk diversification, enabling users to confidently navigate the complexities of investing. The company’s innovation extends beyond individual investors. Merlin Investor offers a white-label product that financial institutions can seamlessly integrate into their digital applications. By incorporating this solution, institutions can elevate their trading platforms, offering their clientele a holistic and innovative experience. This strategic move positions financial institutions to attract and retain the emerging generation of retail investors, providing them with a comprehensive investment journey that goes beyond the mere execution of trades. Drawing from a wealth of experience in the automotive sector, Merlin Investor’s approach to client service is one of excellence. Recognising that innovation and quality are prerequisites, the company puts its customers first. This involves fostering a strong and accountable partnership with them, where both sides contribute their expertise to design optimal solutions. Merlin Investor acknowledges that challenges are inevitable in any journey, but proactive collaboration with clients paves the way for overcoming obstacles. By standing alongside clients through thick and thin, the company underscores the symbiotic relationship between its success and the success of its clients. As a fintech enterprise operating in an ever-evolving market, Merlin Investor’s strategy hinges on continuous innovation and adaptability. The company’s ability to envision novel solutions is rooted in its refusal to be bound by outdated practices and regulatory constraints. By remaining true to its innovative DNA, Merlin Investor keeps itself at the forefront of industry developments. In addition to technological innovation, it closely monitors shifts in user behaviour. This vigilance is maintained through market analysis, collaboration with fellow fintech firms, and engagement with clients. This approach ensures that Merlin Investor’s solutions remain pertinent and user-centric amidst the changing financial landscape. Founder and CEO, Guido Petrelli believes that commitment, accountability, passion, and ambition are non-negotiable attributes for the team. The company seeks team members with a relentless work ethic and a willingness to challenge themselves. By uniting around shared values and a collective drive, Merlin Investor ensures that its internal culture fuels its success and sets it apart in the market. Merlin Investor’s journey is a testament to its visionary leadership. While the specifics of its plans for the future are yet to be unveiled, the company’s mission to achieve transformative change and continuous innovation is unfaltering. As it steers through the dynamic currents of the fintech industry, Merlin Investor is poised to redefine financial inclusion and investment management for years to come. In conclusion, Merlin Investor’s exceptional achievements and dedication to innovation stand as a beacon in the industry. With its groundbreaking solutions and unwavering dedication to clients and innovation, the company is primed to shape the future of financial inclusion and investment management, one strategic step at a time.
Technology Innovators – Cover Page
Guido Petrelli, Founder & CEO of Merlin Investor, has been featured as the cover story in the special edition Top 25 Fintech CEOs of 2023, published by Technology Innovators Media Group LLC. Read the full interview as published in Technology Innovators magazine. An experienced corporate executive with demonstrated history and track record in creating and running international companies in several industries and regions, Guido Petrelli is the CEO of Merlin Investor, a fintech company that aims to democratize financial inclusion and investment strategies through a software for market study, investment planning, and portfolio tracking designed for any kind of investor. In an interview, Guido speaks on an array of subjects. Excerpts: Conception of Merlin Investor Says Guido that the world has seen an unprecedented shift in the approach to investing, with the new generation of retail investors being reluctant to entrust third parties for managing their own money while seeking to achieve financial freedom. “Still, we identified the need to educate and empower them with the necessary tools for conscious investing, risk management and strategic planning, as the key elements to become successful and the one and only master of their own financial future.” He adds that trading platforms did a great job in starting a democratization process in the investments space, still they mainly focused on the execution, which alone is not enough and may trigger a gambling approach, especially for beginner investors. “That’s why we saw the need of supporting the new generations to manage the whole investment cycle, while understanding the importance of strategic planning and risk diversification as the key to achieve positive results.” The Merlin solution The Merlin Platform is a multi-asset educational, strategizing and tracking tool, complementary to any trading platform and designed for any kind of retail investor, regardless of the level of knowledge or experience. “Our technology has been developed with the goal to enhance conscious investing for everyone and to empower the new generations to easily understand and manage the full investment cycle all in one place, while also taking into consideration the role that social media plays today when it comes to investing.” To complete the trading experience already offered by banks and trading platforms, the technology has been designed as a white label solution that financial institutions can easily integrate into their own digital platforms to offer an innovative, complete, and comprehensive digital investing experience to their clients. Merlin Investor—the conscious way of investing Maintains Guido that only through strategic planning is it possible to balance and diversify risks while building long term positive results. “To buy and sell assets without a plan would only set you up for potential catastrophic losses. It’s the norm for all professional investors, and it shall be the same also for the new generation of retail investors considering they are playing the same game.” Guido explains how the company found out most young folks who trade are investing without a strategy mindset. It’s a very risky approach for them, and therefore for the society, because historically markets have ups and downs, and only thanks to a positive sum game based on risk management is possible to build long lasting wealth and reach a real financial independence. “The analogy I can see is that the spread in the use of retail trading platforms has given anyone a Ferrari to drive, a very powerful but risky solution, but before doing that we missed to educate and equip them with the basic tools for conscious driving.” The result is that when the weather is nice, and there are no bumps or holes in the road, meaning when we are in a bull market, everybody believes to be the best driver in the world. Then when the conditions change the probability to crash becomes huge.” Based on this analogy, the company is on a mission; its moots for conscious investing and strategic planning, that is made accessible to all, regardless the level of knowledge or experience. “Through our product, we gamified the full investment cycle by making market study, investment planning, and performance tracking, understandable and fun for the new generation of retail investors, with the ultimate goal to help and empower them to become the one and only master of their own financial future. Then by embedding our white label technology into their own digital platform financial institutions can go beyond the sole execution of trades while offering a full and professional investment experience to anyone and all in one place.” Creating perfect synergies between fintech companies and financial Institutions “I believe fintech companies have a great spirit of innovation which is not biased and affected by old best practices or past consumer behaviours. This is combined with high flexibility, speed, and risk attitude. At the same times banks have a strong understanding in terms of compliance, which is very important to make a new technology deployable into the market, together with deep market reach and a huge and loyal consumer base acquired through the years, which makes possible to effectively deploy a new technology to a wide audience in a very short period.” Guido adds that combining the expertise of fintech companies and financial institutions, to exploit synergies and to create the perfect mix for a huge market success of new financial technologies should be the new approach. “Our approach is to work very close to the banking system in a proactive and constructive way, so that each party can learn from the other and add value in identifying the best formula for the best product market fit towards mutual success. That’s why I personally see a very collaborative and synergic approach between Fintech companies and Financial Institutions as the key for proper innovation in the banking system in the interest of both sides, and more important in the interest of the customer base who is ultimately served.” Innovation—The key Guido believes that the success for fintech startups comes from their strong ability to innovate and quickly deploy cutting-edge and cost-competitive technologies into the
