Interview with Keren Levy COO of Payoneer: Why Freelancers Should Join Payoneer

“We put our dollars where our mouth and heart are.” 💸

At the Payoneer Bangalore Forum, on her birthday, I interviewed Keren Levy, COO of Payoneer, about what Indian freelancers, bloggers and affiliates can expect. 🎙️

📊 In this episode, we unpacked:

• 💳 How Payoneer differs from PayPal
• 🇮🇳 Payoneer’s India plans
• 🚫 Why there’s no card in India
• 🏦 Getting paid by any network
• 🎥 Training and support

🎥 Watch the full episode:

💳 How Payoneer Differs From PayPal

Keren had been with Payoneer for six and a half years. Her pitch against competitors like PayPal: Payoneer would be “way cheaper”, and would let users accept credit cards from any buyer in the world, alongside a US bank account. 💳

Events are another difference: Payoneer engages directly with users, which she isn’t aware competitors do. Smaller forum events invite people to “tell us the good things, tell us the bad things” and help Payoneer improve. For the founder’s view, read Yuval Tal’s interview. 🔗

🇮🇳 Payoneer’s India Plans

In December, Payoneer had about 20 people on the ground in India. Keren had just come from meetings with banks, lawyers and regulators: “Nothing is easy, but we like the challenge.” 🇮🇳

The plan for the next year: expand dramatically, invest heavily in marketing, run more events and add services, possibly including working capital. The first office would be in Mumbai for regulatory reasons, with people on the ground in cities like Delhi. For Payoneer’s affiliate side, read Hilik Goldin’s interview. 🔗

🚫 Why There’s No Card in India

Many readers kept asking me about the Payoneer prepaid card. Her answer: no. Under local regulations, people in India can’t hold a foreign account, and the card is essentially one. 🚫

Payoneer offers the card in 200 countries and works with the RBI, which she says is making good changes for financial inclusion. But the card was out of scope. Payoneer also wouldn’t offer a domestic Indian payment gateway: it focuses on money coming into India from abroad. 🏛️

🏦 Getting Paid by Any Network

Payoneer’s sales team was targeting vacation rentals, freelancing marketplaces and affiliate networks. 🏦

Until a network signs on, use your Payoneer US bank account number: networks pay it as they would anyone in the US. Payoneer also offered European and UK routing numbers, with a Japanese one coming soon. For more on growing as a freelancer, read how to grow your freelancing business from $400 to $5,000. 🔗

🎥 Training and Support

Payoneer planned to invest in training, including explainer videos on whatever confuses users most, and was hiring more India-origin support staff. 🎥

Staff flew in from New York, Hong Kong and another office for the forum. People started arriving at 4 p.m. for a 6:15 start, many with 15 to 20 years in the space. “We will succeed if you succeed.” 🎉

📝 Key Takeaways From the Keren Levy Interview

• 💸 Payoneer competes on lower cost
• 🏦 A US bank account lets any network pay you
• 🚫 The prepaid card isn’t available in India
• 🇮🇳 Payoneer planned major India expansion
• 💬 Give feedback at user events

❓ FAQs About Keren Levy

Who is Keren Levy?

Payoneer’s COO at the time, with the company for six and a half years.

Is the Payoneer card available in India?

No. Indian regulations don’t allow residents to hold a foreign account, which the card essentially is.

How can Indian freelancers get paid by networks without Payoneer contracts?

By sharing their Payoneer US bank account details, so networks can pay as they would a US account.

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• Learn Affiliate Marketing with CPA Ninja Vipul Taneja
• Mitch Wainer Co-Fouder of DigitalOcean Interview: Fastest Growing Cloud Infrastructure

How do you receive international payments today? Tell me in the comments. 💬

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