Get to know us

At norbloc, we’re serious about redefining how customer data is handled and shared, making the lives of businesses, individuals, financial institutions and governments simpler. We want our clients to view KYC as an asset versus a liability – an opportunity to build better relationships with their customers. To get there we’re building a team that moves fast, with purpose and above all, with our customers top of mind.

NORBLOC STORY

How We Started

The norbloc story began in 2016, right at the time when new technologies such as Blockchain and DLTs were emerging with a promise to make complex processes across a range of industries faster, safer, more transparent and user-friendly.

Our two Co-Founders, Astyanax and Viltalii, crossed paths working as COO and Lead Architect for a Bitcoin mining company. Together, with Astyanax’s background in financial services, and Vitalii’s deep understanding of Blockchain and DLTs, they decided to tackle one of the most pressing, complex and frustrating challenges the financial services industry was facing – KYC data sharing.

Setting up norbloc in Stockholm, the team quickly grew, establishing a development hub in Athens, Greece, and setting up a commercial office in Dubai, UAE. Working with global financial institutions such as HSBC, Standard Chartered, Citibank, DNB, ING, Belfius Bank, Emirates NBD to name a few, norbloc’s product offering evolved to include platforms that deal with the entire spectrum of customer data – from collection to management and validation, and finally sharing.

Having continued our expansion across geographies, today, norbloc is a global leader in data-sharing platforms. We aspire to be the backbone of data-sharing networks across markets for citizens and companies. We already are the first and only technology provider that has built a live ecosystem for customer KYC data, shared across fourteen banks and government institutions.

Our journey has just started.

What We Care About Most

Our Customers

We build for our customers. Ensuring we deeply understand their needs and preferences, while we work to always exceed their expectations.

An Environment of Excellence

To succeed in our mission of redefining KYC, we have to think big, build excellent products and continuously progress.

Be Curious, Be Proactive & Be Accountable

With ambition comes responsibility. We always hold ourselves accountable to our customers, communities and commitment to be leaders within the KYC space.

VISION

To be the backbone of data ecosystems
for citizens, companies and governments.

THE TEAM

Who We Are

Co-Founder & CEO

Astyanax
Kanakakis

Astyanax has spent over 12 years working in financial services and consulting, most recently as Associate Partner in McKinsey & Company, specializing in banking and corporate finance. He was previously Chief Commercial Officer in KnCGroup, the bitcoin blockchain pioneer, and Chairman of the Board in XBT Provider, the global leader in cryptocurrency ETNs.

Co-Founder &
Chief Architect

Vitalii
Demianets

Vitalii is a full stack software architect specialized in blockchain protocols and embedded software. Previously, Vitalii was the lead developer of KnCMiner, and prior to that he spent 15 years as the Head of Embedded Software Engineer at telecom equipment manufacturer Factor-SPE in Ukraine. Vitalii is responsible for the overall technical architecture and design of norbloc’s platforms.

Head of Implementations & MEAA

Vijayalakshmi
Seshadri

Viji has played multiple roles across the product development and technology implementation life cycle; from mobile platform developer, agile practitioner, digital transformation consultant to delivery manager. In her latest role she headed the digital transformation practice for a startup in the UAE where she managed multiple client engagements across banking and financial services.

Chief Operating Officer

Kristina
Thim

Kristina has spent over 10 years in McKinsey where she worked in management roles in various departments from Pricing, to Internal Strategy and People in a multitude of jurisdictions, such as Stockholm and Dubai. She is now based out of our Development Hub in Athens.

Head of Legal

Vassia
Pikrou

Vassia has specialized in drafting and negotiating commercial agreements. Previously, she served as legal advisor to a multinational technology company acquired by Microsoft and as legal advisor to the General Secretariat for Media and Communication in Greece. She holds an LL.B. from the School of Law, University of Athens, and an MSc from London School of Economics.

VP, Engineering

Giannis
Mermigkis

During the last 15 years Giannis has architected, built, deployed and debugged a number of enterprise systems in various industries from telecom to publishing and analytics. He holds a diploma in Electrical & Computer Engineering and an MSc from the University of Thessaloniki. He currently leads the work of norbloc’s technical team.

Norbloc’s Journey

  • June 2016
  • January 2017
  • October 2017
  • November 2017
  • March 2018
  • August 2019
  • December 2019
  • February 2020
  • July 2020
  • November 2020
  • January 2021
  • April 2021
  • October 2021
  • December 2021
  • September 2022
  • November 2022
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  • June 2023
  • September 2023