Nearly a decade at Citi gave Anoosh Arevshatian an extensive understanding of how large financial institutions manage risk. Still, at some point, she wanted to step outside her comfort zone: what would it be like to help build financial products from the ground up and not be busy with overseeing the systems already in place?

This curiosity eventually led her into digital assets.

We're glad to welcome Anoosh, now Chief Product Officer at Zodia Solutions, as the guest of Episode 9 of our Women Leading the Way podcast!

In this episode, Anoosh joins host Maria Tunikova to talk about her career journey, from working with a German NGO in Zimbabwe to traditional banking and, at last, blockchain technology.

Today, much of her work focuses on helping financial institutions adopt digital assets. Banks are exploring stablecoins, tokenised funds and other blockchain-based financial products, but the infrastructure supporting them is still fragmented.

Anoosh explains why institutions need integrated systems that can handle custody, payments, settlement and liquidity. She also provides solid arguments on why security and risk controls should be considered from the very beginning of product development.

She also shares her perspective on how regulation, including MiCA in Europe and the GENIUS Act in the US, is giving financial institutions more certainty when entering the digital asset market.

But, of course, we also discuss something that is at the heart of Women Leading the Way: women's careers and leadership.

Moving from a large bank into a much smaller team taught Anoosh to approach challenges differently. Instead of giving people ready-made solutions, she encourages her teams to experiment, make decisions and learn from mistakes.

For her, taking on an unfamiliar challenge has never meant having all the answers beforehand. It has meant being willing to learn, asking the right questions and doing the work needed to succeed.

And her advice to women who are considering a new role or career direction follows that same thinking:

“If you back yourself, others will back you.”

Listen to Episode 9 of the Women Leading the Way podcast with Anoosh Arevshatian on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube Music!