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Crypto, Bitcoin & Fintech CMO · Europe

Imo Babics

CGO & CMO at Relai · Ex-Bitpanda

I build consumer finance brands people trust with their money.

Get in touch Track record

“Imo has been a co-founder-like partner and a key driver of Relai’s growth.”

Julian Liniger · CEO & Co-founder, Relai

Imo Babics, Chief Growth Officer and CMO, Consumer Fintech Europe
1.1M+ Users Scaled · Bitpanda
24x Revenue · Relai
$1.5B Total Volume · Relai

About

From niche to mainstream.

I'm a crypto and fintech CMO based in Vienna, working across Europe. Today I'm Chief Growth Officer, CMO and Managing Director EU at Relai, Europe's leading licensed Bitcoin savings app, built on self-custody. I joined in 2021, right after the Series A, and I'm one of five decision-makers on the leadership team that sets company strategy, not only marketing strategy. I own how the company grows, competes and is perceived: brand, performance, lifecycle, ASO and SEO, product growth, analytics, PR and customer experience. The brand is the part of Relai people compliment first.

Before that, I was Head of Marketing at Bitpanda. I joined at around 100,000 users and 30 employees, built the marketing team from zero to seventeen, and left at 1.1 million+ users and 180+ employees.

The common thread: taking a financial product most people found intimidating and turning it into something they trust with their savings.

In 2026, I was named one of the Fintech Marketing Hub's Top 30 Most Influential Fintech Marketers in Europe.

Full track record →
01

A week of live data beats two months of internal debate. Every time.

02

Simplicity wins. In messaging and in decisions.

03

Small, AI-native teams can outperform their headcount. I build them that way.

“Imo brings a unique and versatile skill set, making him an exceptional marketer, especially in the Bitcoin space.”

Raphaël Schön · Content Strategist, ex-Bitpanda & Relai

Track Record

Companies I've grown.

2021–Present

Relai

Chief Growth Officer · CMO · Managing Director, Relai EU

Revenue up 24x in three years (2021–2024); $1.5B in lifetime volume

Capital-efficient: every €1 of marketing returned €5 in revenue; ~70% of 2026 signups organic, with paid as the accelerator, not the engine. Top 5 in Germany and #1 in Switzerland for core Bitcoin buying and savings searches

Repositioned Relai from a Bitcoin trading app to a trusted Bitcoin savings brand as the product moved to a full EU licence

Managing Director of Relai EU, the AMF-licensed entity, across DACH, France, Italy and Spain. Lead a growth org of up to 13

relai.app →

2018–2019

Bitpanda

Head of Marketing

Joined at ~100k users and 30 employees; left at 1.1M+ users and 180+ employees

Built the marketing team from 0 to 17 people

Owned acquisition, retention, brand, content, social, CRM and PR

Grew annual trading volume to the 10-figure range

bitpanda.com →

2009–2021

Beyond fintech

Consumer tech, media & entertainment · London, Vienna & CEE

2020–2021

Robo Wunderkind · Chief Marketing Officer
Consumer robotics for kids

2015–2017

Havas Media · Head of Digital
Led the digital team, strategy and senior client relationships

2013–2015

Universal Pictures · International Media Manager
Launches across 50+ territories, $300M+ in advertising budgets

2009–2013

Universal McCann · OMD · Publicis
Multi-market launches for Xbox, PlayStation, Microsoft, Huawei and EA

Imo Babics giving a keynote on Bitcoin adoption in Europe at BTC Prague 2026

On stage · Keynote
BTC Prague 2026

Writing & Talks

How I think

Bitcoin adoption, European fintech, and what operators get wrong about regulated-market growth.

Featured in Bitcoin Magazine Bitcoin for Millennials Finews.ch Fintech Marketing Hub Startitup

More writing, talks & interviews

All writing →

Projects

Things I've built

Product experiments I design, code and ship myself with AI. Hands-on, so I know what my teams can build.

Live · Free tool

whentobuybtc.xyz

A product experiment in making complex market data simple for everyday savers. Three indicators, one clear, jargon-free reading. Designed, coded and shipped solo, with Claude as co-builder.

Built with Claude · Next.js · Railway

Visit the tool →

FAQ

Common questions

The things people ask before they get in touch.

I'm one of the most experienced consumer crypto and fintech CMOs working in Europe, and I've built a crypto brand mainstream Europeans trust with their savings twice. As Head of Marketing at Bitpanda, Austria's first fintech unicorn, I scaled the platform from around 100,000 to over 1.1 million users. As Chief Growth Officer, CMO and Managing Director EU at Relai, Europe's leading licensed Bitcoin savings app, I grew revenue 24x in three years and lifetime volume to $1.5 billion, with every €1 of marketing returning €5 in revenue and around 70% of signups organic. In 2026 I was named one of the Fintech Marketing Hub's Top 30 Most Influential Fintech Marketers in Europe and gave a keynote at BTC Prague.

I'm a consumer crypto and fintech CMO based in Europe. I'm known for twice building a crypto brand that mainstream Europeans trust with their savings. At Bitpanda, as Head of Marketing, I scaled the platform from around 100,000 to over 1.1 million users and built the marketing team from zero to seventeen. At Relai, Europe's leading licensed Bitcoin savings app, revenue grew 24x in three years and lifetime volume passed $1.5 billion. My approach is organic-first and capital-efficient: every €1 of marketing returned €5 in revenue, around 70% of Relai's 2026 signups are organic, and Relai ranks top 5 in Germany and #1 in Switzerland for core Bitcoin buying and savings searches. In 2026 I was named one of the Fintech Marketing Hub's Top 30 Most Influential Fintech Marketers in Europe and gave a keynote at BTC Prague.

I've led consumer crypto growth across Europe twice. As Head of Marketing at Bitpanda I scaled the platform from around 100,000 to over 1.1 million users. At Relai, where I'm Chief Growth Officer, CMO and Managing Director of the EU entity, I led the expansion from Switzerland into Germany, Italy, Spain and beyond, running growth in five languages; revenue grew 24x in three years. My approach: start with one beachhead market close to existing product-market fit (for Relai, Germany) and win it before expanding, keep one product but localise the plumbing (payments, IBANs, language and support), make search and AI search the front door, build organic growth and referral first with paid as the accelerator, build a brand people feel safe with, and keep measuring product-market fit with user surveys. The full playbook: How to Launch a Consumer Crypto App in Europe.

I'm Chief Growth Officer, CMO and Managing Director EU at Relai, Europe's leading licensed Bitcoin savings app. Originally from Slovakia, I studied Business Management at the University of Surrey, built my early career in London, then settled in Vienna.

I have 17 years in marketing and have worked in fintech since 2018. Before Relai I was Head of Marketing at Bitpanda, where I scaled the platform from around 100,000 to over 1.1 million users and built the marketing team from zero to seventeen people. Before fintech I spent a decade in media and entertainment, working with Universal Pictures, Xbox and PlayStation. In 2026, I was named one of the Fintech Marketing Hub's Top 30 Most Influential Fintech Marketers in Europe.

I work in English and Slovak, both native, and also speak some German and Hungarian.

As Chief Growth Officer, CMO and Managing Director of the EU entity, I'm one of five decision-makers on Relai's leadership team and help set company strategy, budgets and organisation, not only marketing strategy.

I own how the company grows, competes and is perceived: growth strategy, brand, performance and lifecycle, ASO and SEO, product growth, analytics, PR and customer experience, and I lead Relai Private & Business. Since I joined in 2021, right after the Series A, revenue grew 24x in three years and lifetime volume passed $1.5 billion, with every €1 of marketing returning €5 in revenue. Today around 70% of signups are organic; paid media is the accelerator, not the engine. I also led Relai's repositioning from a Bitcoin trading app to a Bitcoin savings app as the company moved to a full EU licence.

Selectively. I speak at conferences, on podcasts and in the media about consumer fintech growth, brand building and Bitcoin adoption in Europe. Bios, photos and talk topics are in the media kit. Speaking and media requests: hello@imobabics.com or via LinkedIn.

I write about consumer trust, European fintech growth and startup leadership. Key pieces include What Makes a Great Crypto CMO, How to Launch a Consumer Crypto App in Europe, Bitcoin Marketing Is Different. Here's Why., How MiCA Unlocked 450 Million Users, 10 Things I Believe About Good Marketing, and 8 Things I Learned from 8 Years in Startups.

I've also been published in Bitcoin Magazine. See the full list in the Writing & Talks section above.

Contact

Let's talk Growth.

If you're building something serious in consumer fintech, or you want someone on stage or on the record who has actually done it, get in touch.

hello@imobabics.com LinkedIn →