In a landscape as dynamic as fintech, it’s noteworthy when a company crosses the 25-year mark. This is the milestone that Netdania, an early pioneer in the industry, celebrates this year.
Netdania was founded in 1998 by Stig Brylle and Thomas Elster, with the ambitious goal of revolutionising the way banks streamed prices. Their entrepreneurial journey began when Stig Brylle collected historical data from newspapers and meticulously recorded them—today shaping one of the best historical market databases in the market.
2023 marked Netdania’s 25th anniversary. To commemorate this occasion, we sat down with Rasmus Bagger, the co-CEO of Netdania, for a conversation about the company’s future ambitions and vision.
Thank you, Rasmus, for meeting with us today. Before we start, could you please introduce yourself?
My name is Rasmus Bagger. I came on board at Netdania as the Chief Commercial Officer two years ago. However, it didn’t take long before I stepped into the role of co-CEO, working closely with our founder, Thomas Elster. My professional journey has always revolved around trading, banking, and technology. Since the beginning, I’ve been passionate about turning innovative ideas into tangible products. The real challenge—and what intrigues me the most—is bridging the communication gap between the commercial and technical sides of a business. This alignment doesn’t always come easy, but my keen interest in emerging technologies and innovation powers my commercial approach. I’m driven by introducing new offerings to the market and delivering value to our clients.
How does your knowledge influence your day-to-day role at Netdania?
I’m a firm advocate for continuous learning. Every day, I set out to grasp something new, whether it’s a minor detail or a significant concept. Absorbing new perspectives, ideas, and technologies daily is crucial for me. While my core strength lies in the commercial side of things, I make it a point to comprehend the technologies we employ in our business—from web tech and server configurations to mobile development. True innovation and challenging the established norms are only possible with a deep understanding of customer needs, the evolving tech landscape, and the real-world issues our tech can address. This philosophy aligns perfectly with what Netdanis stands for: consistently bringing innovation to the capital markets.
As Netdania celebrates 25 years in business this year, how do you ensure the company and its solutions stay relevant?
In today’s dynamic business landscape, it’s not enough to just keep up. Standing still is essentially moving backwards – which is not what we want to do. Over the last 25 years, we’ve consistently embraced innovation and fresh perspectives. This isn’t just a business tactic—it’s deeply ingrained in our culture. What truly sets us apart is our collaborative spirit. Every team member, irrespective of their position, plays a role in sculpting our future and refining our approach.
How do you collaborate with your clients to generate new ideas?
At Netdania, collaboration isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a philosophy. We don’t wait for feedback; we actively seek it.
By diving deep into client perspectives early on, we not only understand their challenges but truly feel them. Our mission is to evolve not as a service provider, but as an essential partner. Every solution we design and every service we offer stands as a testament to this forward-thinking, client-centric mindset.
Many businesses claim to be customer-centric. How do you ensure that you are one of the few that deliver on this promise?
Putting clients at the heart of what we do isn’t just a strategy—it’s our ethos. Whether it’s our long-standing partners or fresh faces exploring what we offer, we’re all about fostering genuine, transparent relationships. From contracts to co-creation, every step we take places our clients front and centre.
Here’s my take: honesty and crystal-clear communication aren’t just ‘nice-to-haves’; they’re essentials. There’s no pride in lofty promises that fall flat. A let-down client is not just a missed opportunity today but a lost ally for tomorrow. That’s why we’ve implemented a rigorous client-centric framework. This isn’t about ticking boxes—it’s about ensuring consistent satisfaction. Whether it’s a simple chat or a complex project, we aim to stand out as a reliable partner, consistently delivering both quality and punctuality.
You’re currently working on a refresh of the Netdania brand. Can you please tell us about your thoughts and ambitions for the years to come?
We’re on an ambitious journey. By partnering with United Fintech, we’ve gained access to a broader client base and more markets. This partnership also places a significant responsibility on us in shaping and executing Netdania’s strategy.
Staying relevant and clear about our market offerings is paramount. Netdania is an exceptional company that has built a plethora of quality products. Part of our rebranding aims to ensure that our current clients, prospects, and the broader market recognize the breadth of solutions we provide. As I highlighted earlier, we’re staunch advocates of clear and concise communication. This principle extends to our product suite and foundational pillars. We’ve structured our offerings in a way that enables clients to easily identify solutions tailored to their needs. By categorising our assistance into segments—trading technology, market data solutions, and data visualisation—clients can effortlessly pinpoint how we can bolster their business.
Each pillar is poised for expansion, supported by our highly ambitious product roadmap. Stay tuned, as we’ll be launching new offerings, including those aligned with the latest market trends in artificial intelligence. This innovative approach is integral to everything we create.
What strategic steps is Netdania taking to stay ahead of the curve, enhance user experience, and empower users in their financial activities?
Collaboration, curiosity, and challenging the status quo are mantras we live by. We constantly monitor market trends to ensure we’re seen as pioneers in our field.
As I alluded to earlier, we have an ambitious product roadmap, focusing not only on enhancing our current products but also on envisioning the future. AI is central to this. As a Fintech dedicated to driving innovation, we cannot overlook AI in our roadmap. Currently, we’re exploring various technologies to integrate AI into our products—from core development perspectives to enhancing client experiences. I believe we’re transitioning into a novel technological era—it’s undeniably exciting, but it also poses the risk of leaving some behind the curve. That’s not our trajectory at Netdania. We embrace the latest standards, from AI to Web3 approaches. We’re committed to being present, both now and in the years to come.
This was very interesting. As a final note, how would you encapsulate Netdania’s mission and approach towards its role in the financial industry?
Netdania is all about empowering users, tailoring the user experience, prioritising innovation, and fostering a unique culture. We are committed to delivering excellent products and services that meet our client’s evolving needs in the financial industry.
