Paul Andres Padilla, CEO of GOAT Finance, started his career on trading floors where speed, risk, and execution were everything. Today, he brings that same mindset to building a different kind of financial infrastructure—one that puts the customer first.
In this post, Paul shares how GOAT Finance defines its vision and positioning in the crowded P2P/OTC crypto‑fiat space, which markets and client segments the company is prioritizing over the next 2–3 years, and what GOAT will look like as a global crypto‑fiat rail five years from now.
Vision & positioning
How do you define GOAT Finance’s unique value proposition in the crowded P2P/OTC crypto‑fiat space, and what markets or client segments are you prioritizing over the next 2–3 years?
I consider it an excellent solution focused primarily on the customer and on deeply understanding their needs, especially by ensuring continuous availability at times when other providers would not be available. We always guarantee our service and are open to accepting customers as long as they are cooperative.
The cons we have may be the long compliance times, the laborious processes, and the large amount of information/documents we require, which increases onboarding times, although we try to compensate for this as quickly as possible. This is already improving.
We also have an excellent banking infrastructure and multiple currencies that our customers can use, as well as services related to FIAT currencies.
We want to focus on the US and Latin American markets, both business and individual customers interested in cross-border transactions, who do not have access to banking services, HNWIs.
Regulatory strategy
As a Swiss‑based OTC provider, how do you balance compliance with AML style rules while still offering fast, low‑cost cross‑border settlements for corporate clients?
Actually, Goat Finance has multiple locations and applies different regulatory frameworks. Depending on where the customer is located and which location is used, the relevant regulatory framework will apply, regardless of the flow of funds.
It should also be noted that we have a banking system behind us that carries out transaction monitoring together with us. Therefore, customers pass through different regulatory frameworks.
Product & tech roadmap
What concrete products is GOAT Finance building, and how do they differ from traditional OTC desks or bank‑based FX rails?
Our system aims to create a system that integrates multiple banking partners. Each customer will have an e-wallet that can hold multiple FIAT/Crypto currencies, can exchange between them, and will be integrated with major global banking partners in the EU, US, CH, LATAM, Asia, the Middle East, and others. The idea is to become a global payment method that integrates bank transfers, crypto, cards, and more.
Growth & scalability
GOAT has grown quickly despite a small team; what are your top three operational priorities to scale trading volume and client base across Europe and LATAM without sacrificing execution quality?
Expand the operations and customer service team, invest in automation systems.
Expand the sales team, which should focus on large markets where there are no P2P markets, where it is easier to attract customers without investing too many resources.
Risk & liquidity management
How do you structure GOAT’s risk framework for large‑ticket OTC orders—especially around counterparty risk, market‑impact, and liquidity provider relationships?
Depending on the sector in which they operate, and if the amounts are large, they are classified as high risk and monitored continuously. In any case, we can forward this question to compliance so that we can obtain more details.
Client‑centric use cases
Can you walk us through a real‑world example of how GOAT helps a business (e.g., a LATAM importer/exporter) move money faster and cheaper than traditional banks, and what metrics you track to prove that value?
The idea is that the customer has accounts in multiple currencies, meaning they can make a deposit in USD and make a payment in EUR via SEPA, all in the same environment, and in a matter of minutes, without having to wait for SWIFT times or exchange currencies between different banks.
Leadership & culture
With a lean team, how do you structure decision‑making, ownership, and accountability to maintain agility while building a sustainable company culture?
Goat Finance is organized as a typical tree organization, with each department having a head who is responsible for supervising the team and reporting to C-level. In particular, the most direct contact between the heads and C-level is the COO.
However, in order to further motivate the team, give quick instructions, and accelerate the formation of our team, the operational trend is to act as a star structure, with higher levels of connection, where leaders are at the center but departments communicate with each other at the same time, finding the synergies necessary to optimize work.
Although this has its problems, it has allowed us to create an effective corporate culture based on trust, common sense, and teamwork.
Competition & differentiation
How do you see GOAT competing against larger exchanges, traditional OTC desks, and other crypto‑fiat rails, and where do you expect the biggest competitive moats to form?
The greatest competitive advantages will be in pricing, which will be advantageous thanks to our integrations, in the number of FIAT payment channels, in the speed of transactions, in openness to customers and their needs, as well as in following up on everything they need.
Personal journey & mindset
Coming from equity and crypto trading into a CEO role, what lessons from your trading background most directly inform your approach to managing GOAT Finance today?
The main lesson I learned from my trading experience is that customers hate having transactions rejected or being excluded from the financial system. Goat’s philosophy is to interconnect multiple jurisdictions and bring as many people as possible into the banking system.
Long‑term ambition
Beyond being a trusted OTC gateway, what does GOAT Finance look like in five years, and what would success mean for you personally as CEO?
In five years, Goat Finance will be a comprehensive, global financial system that interconnects various banking solutions with crypto solutions, integrating on-chain systems based on smart contracts with traditional banking systems and credit card payment systems.
In particular, it will need to have multiple banking licenses in the US, EU, CH, and major Latin American countries such as Colombia, Brazil, and Argentina, without excluding developing and recovering countries such as Venezuela.