Founder. Advisor. Speaker.

Bryan Blake.

Banking. Building businesses. Flying planes.
A life of connecting people, ideas and markets.

AI-created studio portrait of Bryan Blake in a navy suit and white shirt
Banking → Payments → iGaming / Sports entertainment → What’s next.
Studio portrait · AI-created
PaymentsFintechGamingDigital assetsM&A
Global experience

A career without borders.

Experience across mature banking centres, fast-growing payment ecosystems and regulated gaming jurisdictions provides a practical view of what changes from one market to the next—and what does not.

I’m Bryan Blake. Founder, payments entrepreneur and advisor. I help founders, operators and leadership teams with company setup, commercial execution, partnerships and international market entry across Southeast Asia, the GCC, Europe, Canada and the UK.

Bryan’s work has spanned the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States, Asia and the Middle East, together with historic pre-sanctions market experience in Russia. His focus is the commercial relationship between regulation, payment infrastructure, market entry, partnerships and customer behaviour.

United Kingdom

Banking, acquiring and regulated gaming

Corporate banking, merchant acquiring, alternative payments, FX and commercial leadership across established financial institutions and gaming markets.

Europe

Cross-border payments and partnerships

European merchant services, localisation, payment-provider selection and licensing-sensitive growth across distinct national markets.

United States

Gaming payments in changing regulation

Commercial insight into the evolving US betting and gaming landscape, including payment readiness, market access and regulatory change.

Asia

Local payment behaviour at scale

Experience of market localisation, payment preferences, commercial partnerships and the importance of trusted regional infrastructure.

Middle East

UAE growth and regional opportunity

Current focus on the UAE’s emergence as a centre for fintech, international business and regulated gaming, including market-entry strategy and partnerships.

Historic experience

Russia before sanctions

Historic pre-sanctions market experience that contributed to a practical understanding of geopolitical risk, payment access and rapidly changing operating conditions.

Experience spans Southeast Asia, the GCC including the UAE, the EU, Canada, the UK and the CIS. CIS experience is historical; current engagements require jurisdiction and sanctions checks.

The reference to Russia is historical and relates solely to experience gained before the current sanctions environment; it does not indicate present-day activity.

What I bring

Where I can help.

My work sits where payments, technology, regulation and customer experience meet. I translate market needs into partnerships and practical commercial plans.

01

Payment strategy

Provider selection, alternative payment methods, settlement, payouts and the customer journey across international markets.

02

Strategic partnerships

Commercial negotiation and relationship building between operators, payment providers, technology partners and advisers.

03

Corporate services and market entry

Company formation, business setup, operational execution, governance and directorship responsibilities, with tax and compliance requirements coordinated alongside qualified local advisers.

The journey

A fighter-pilot ambition became a life built across service, banking, aviation and entrepreneurship.

I began with one ambition: to become a fighter pilot. That path first led me into military service, then into banking and trading while bringing up a young child. From there, I progressed through corporate banking and international payments, taking on increasingly senior commercial roles.

Aviation never left me. Alongside my banking career, I trained privately and earned my Commercial Pilot Licence. I then took the entrepreneurial step of building my own EMI and payments business before founding Hexopay in 2017.

Hexopay brought the journey together: disciplined execution, regulated finance, international relationships and the confidence to build from the ground up. Its purpose was clear—connect gaming merchants to trusted payment solutions across global markets.

ServiceMilitary foundations
CPLQualified commercial pilot
2017Hexopay founded
Career

The journey so far.

A selected career record drawn from Bryan’s professional profile and published industry coverage.

2018 — present

Co Pilot · Arcus

An aviation company and a personal link to Bryan’s long-standing interest in flying and aircraft.

2017 — 2025

Founder & Chief Executive · Hexopay

Founded and developed an international payments business focused on iGaming, online casino, sportsbook and lottery merchants.

2016 — 2026

Founder · GB Global

Innovation, investment, business building and commercial strategy. The venture concluded in 2026.

2014 — 2017

Director, International · Secure Trading

Commercial strategy across EMEA and emerging markets, with responsibility for global gaming and FX partnerships.

2012 — 2014

Director, Corporate Management · Worldpay

Delivered acquiring, gateway, FX, alternative-payment, treasury and fraud solutions to ecommerce merchants across UK and European gaming and FX markets.

2011 — 2012

Country Corporate Sales Director · AIB Merchant Services

Led corporate card-acquiring sales nationally after progressing through the regional sales organisation.

2010 — 2011

Regional Sales Director · AIB Merchant Services

Managed regional acquisition, corporate relationships, payment partnerships and product integration across the UK.

2010 — 2020

Emerging Market Payment Advisory · GB

Independent advice to merchants on payment-provider selection, payment costs, supply chains and international processing. The advisory activity concluded in 2020.

2008 — 2009

European Business Development Director · Acxiom

Developed European sales strategy for corporate banking clients, addressing operational, sales and customer-retention challenges.

2007 — 2008

Corporate Manager · Royal Bank of Scotland

Business development and corporate acquisition across the North East and wider UK market.

Institutions and businesses across the journey
HexopaySecure Trading / Trust PaymentsWorldpayAIB Merchant ServicesAcxiomRoyal Bank of ScotlandHalifaxBarclays
Awards & recognition

A little recognition along the way.

Verified personal honours and company shortlists from established payments and gaming organisations. Nominations and shortlists are identified clearly.

Gaming Intelligence · 2020
Named to the Gaming Intelligence Hot 50.

Personal recognition
Selected among leaders shaping the international betting and gaming industry, with the profile highlighting Hexopay’s early growth and customer relationships.

View recognition
SBC Awards · 2020
Shortlisted for Leader of the Year alongside senior figures from major international gaming businesses.

Independent industry recognition during Hexopay’s growth.

View shortlist
Merchant Payments Ecosystem · 2023
Nominated for Influencer of the Year among recognised leaders from the international payments sector.

A peer-facing nomination from a major payments-industry ecosystem.

View nomination
SBC Awards · 2019 & 2020
Hexopay shortlisted for Payment Solution of the Year in consecutive years.

Company recognition
The 2020 shortlist also included Hexopay for Mobile Payment Solution of the Year.

View 2020 shortlist
SBC Awards · 2022
Hexopay shortlisted for Payment Solution of the Year.

Company recognition
Selected alongside established international payment providers serving the gaming sector.

View shortlist coverage
EGR B2B Awards · 2023
Hexopay shortlisted for Payments Company.

Company recognition
Recognition of the payment platform within the international online-gaming supplier market.

View shortlist coverage
Interviews & coverage

Watch, read and listen.

Video interviews, conference discussions and published commentary from established payments and gaming channels. Three earlier SiGMA recordings are being recovered for Bryan's independent archive after the publisher links became unavailable.

SiGMA TV · 13:45 · Archive requested

Bryan Blake, CEO & Founder, Hexopay

Payments, competition, technology, compliance and the future of the industry. The original publisher recording is currently unavailable.

SiGMA Panel · 18:00 · Archive requested

Tech giants, payment solutions and emerging markets

An expert discussion about market entry, regulation, pricing and payment providers. The original publisher recording is currently unavailable.

SiGMA · Malta Week 2021 · Archive requested

Customer experience, onboarding and payment gateways

A short interview on Hexopay, seamless payments and industry breakthroughs. The original publisher recording is currently unavailable.

Explore

Experience, expertise and the story behind the work.

Detailed background for clients, event organisers, journalists and executive-search teams.

Profile

About Bryan

Military foundations, global banking, aviation and the path to entrepreneurship.

Read the profile
Work together

Advisory and board work

Commercial support across payments, corporate services, iGaming, partnerships and international growth.

View advisory areas
Standards

Governance principles

Independence, confidentiality, conflicts, regulatory boundaries and accountable decision-making.

Read the principles
Events & interviews

Speaking & Industry Events

Documented SBC conference roles and topics spanning payments, fintech, crypto, regulation, gaming and M&A.

Explore experience & book Bryan
Founder story

Building Hexopay

The purpose, market insight and founder journey behind the international payments business.

Read the story
Published work

Media library

Video interviews, conference panels, features and independent industry recognition.

Browse the library
Opinion · 17 October 2026

Britain’s Quiet Exodus

The companies, capital and entrepreneurs Britain cannot afford to lose.

Read the full article
Newsletters & articles

LinkedIn & Insights

Website-first briefings, LinkedIn companion posts and a permanent archive organised by topic and date.

Open the insights hub
Weekly briefing · 19 October 2026

Status matters as much as substance

Thailand's crypto-gambling review, Canada's international-liquidity case, UK tax pressure and bank cyber resilience.

Read the briefing
Regulatory briefing · October 2026

The new map of global gaming

UK tax pressure, UAE regulation and the payment infrastructure behind both.

Read the briefing
Global analysis · October 2026

Markets in transition

How different regulatory directions across six countries reshape payments, risk and commercial opportunity.

Read Bryan's analysis
Press resource

Download the media kit

Biography, speaking topics, career highlights, interview links and booking details.

Open PDF
Work with Bryan

Something in mind?
Let’s talk.

I help payment providers, gaming operators, investors and leadership teams turn regulated-market complexity into clearer commercial decisions, stronger partnerships and accountable execution.