Marius Bausys, a Lithuanian, can today be proud of such an extraordinary story. Even more interestingly, the idea for the Lithuanian to venture into the “fintech” world came to him after encountering the challenges of an emigrant, when transferring British pounds to Lithuania and converting them into litas was once an inadequately long and expensive process.
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ArcaPay, a financial technology company founded by M. Bausys in 2011, was sold in the middle of last year to another, much larger, international company in this sector, Ebury. In 2025, Ebury’s revenue reached £286.5 million. The company is also a member of the Lithuanian Fintech Association. This is the largest “fintech” community in the Baltic States.
Personal challenges in emigration became the start of a business idea
Before starting his own business in the “fintech” field, Marius worked in the banking sector in London and New York, where he specialized in currency solutions for international corporations.
Although his experience contributed greatly to the creation of his personal business, as the man says, the initial idea mostly came from encountering practical challenges as an emigrant himself.
“In 2009, I emigrated to the United Kingdom. I received my salary in pounds, but I periodically visited Lithuania, where the local currency at that time was still the litas. Transferring pounds to Lithuania and converting them into litas was an inadequately long and expensive process,” he recalls.
According to Marius, he initially solved the problem personally, using bank and investment broker accounts he had in different countries. However, later, seeing that he was not the only one facing such a problem, he decided to help people in his circle solve it as well, until finally, attention turned to businesses.
From the financial rhythm of London – to the reality of the kitchen table
Marius took his first steps towards his business at just 25 years old, while still working in London’s financial sector. Initially, the business idea was like an additional activity after work – market research, first attempts, and considerations of whether it was worth dedicating full attention to this direction.
However, over time it became clear that to achieve a breakthrough, a clear decision would have to be made.
“I realized that I either had to end this prolonged experiment or dedicate myself to business development one hundred percent. I chose the latter option. In life, we usually regret what we didn’t dare to try. I didn’t want to regret,” he says.
He also smiles as he recalls the moment when, after making a bold decision, he had to continue working at the kitchen table at home.
“I did things from A to Z, made many cold calls to potential clients, until the action slowly gained momentum,” he says.
Having overcome the initial challenges through perseverance, Marius is open – often, for a business to survive, it needs not only a lot of hard work and perseverance, but also luck.
“Sometimes a new client appearing at the right time, a team member changing the situation, or an unexpectedly discovered market niche can become a catalyst, allowing you to move to the next stage. Those episodes when you put in all your efforts, but the finances are still in the red, were the hardest psychologically. Then you doubt whether you are moving forward or just approaching the end of the rope. Fortunately, the first option worked out for me,” he states.
The biggest lessons are born outside the comfort zone
Speaking about the path to today’s results, Marius admits that creating a business required not only professional but also personal compromises. According to him, the non-corporate career path chosen for a long time provided more freedom, but at the same time meant constant responsibility and difficulty in “disconnecting” from work.
“Essentially, you live the business all the time. As priorities and the pace of life change, you naturally drift away from friends who choose a more stable path of salaried employment,” he says.
Nevertheless, the man is convinced that precisely this lifestyle and the consistent growth of the company led to almost the greatest career achievement – his founded company was acquired by a major market player, the international financial technology company “Ebury”.
“Ebury” is a company working in the field of currency exchange and international payments. The company operates in more than 30 regulated markets, has over 50 offices worldwide, and more than 2,000 employees. In 2025, “Ebury” processed more than 1.9 million payments, and its services were used by more than 25,000 business clients.
“You can’t help but be happy to have brought such a serious international currency market player to Lithuania. This is a recognition for the entire Lithuanian ‘fintech’ ecosystem,” he has no doubt.
Today, looking back at the path taken, the entrepreneur says he values all the difficult lessons the most. The most important lesson, according to him, which he would recommend everyone to know – sometimes the greatest opportunities arise when you decide not to wait for favorable circumstances, but start acting yourself.
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