In a recent appearance on the CanadianSME Small Business Podcast, INETCO CEO and Founder Bijan Sanii shared strategic insights for Canadian companies pursuing global growth, particularly in fast-moving underserved markets where payment fraud and infrastructure challenges are rising. Here are the five most important takeaways from the conversation:
1. Global success begins with product-market fit
Before entering any market, whether domestic or international, companies must deeply validate the problem they solve. According to Bijan, INETCO’s growth in Latin America, the Middle East and Africa began with recognizing how vulnerable these markets were to fraud and how urgently they needed real-time transaction visibility. “You’ve got to have product-market fit,” Bijan said. “Make sure you’re solving a problem everybody wants. Going to the whole world without a plan is not a good idea.”
2. International partnerships are essential, not optional
Whether navigating tax structures, cultural norms or regulatory complexity, companies expanding globally rely on the expertise of regional partners. INETCO combines global distributors like NCR Atleos and Fiserv with regional integrators and specialized fraud and cybersecurity integrators to ensure smooth deployment in every jurisdiction. “The partner works through those issues and brings your product to market, arm in arm,” Bijan said, adding that “it is essential to have partnerships as you expand globally.” Working with Canadian trade commissioners in key markets also provides immense value, helping to build strong local relationships and gain critical market intelligence.
3. AI-driven payment security is the backbone of digital trust
INETCO BullzAI’s ability to capture the full transaction journey directly from the network — independent of other applications — creates a uniquely rich data record that allows users to detect and block fraud in real time. “This capability is especially transformative in underserved markets where trust in digital payments is still developing,” Bijan said. “If there is no trust, if you cannot show people that their transaction is safe and their information is safe, it becomes extremely challenging to get adoption.”
4. Configurability and scalability determine whether products go global
Payments follow international standards, but each region uses its own protocol variations. INETCO BullzAI is designed to be highly configurable, enabling rapid adaptation to local requirements and dramatically reducing implementation timelines. “We designed a very capable configuration layer,” Bijan said. “When we go into new markets, we have a broad range of options to adapt to each local setting, and this configurability has been key.”
5. Global recognition and top talent accelerate INETCO’s vision
INETCO’s inclusion in the Gartner® Hype Cycle™ for Fraud and Financial Crime Prevention 2025 Report and the addition of leaders like Chief Product Officer Eren Ramdhani reflect the global momentum behind our real-time AI approach to fraud prevention. These milestones help us attract the expertise needed to scale our mission. “We’re building a global company right here in Vancouver,” Bijan said. “The core is gold: the granularity of the information, the speed and the ability to stop fraud before any other system sees it.”
A final message for companies preparing to expand globally
Bijan closed the interview with advice every SME should consider: “Pick your market carefully… do your homework, get local partners and start with a couple of deals. If you don’t, it will cost you.”
At INETCO, we remain committed to helping financial institutions and payment service providers around the world build trust, strengthen security and accelerate digital inclusion through real-time payment transaction protection.
Listen to the podcast on the Small Business Podcast website now. You can also listen on Spotify, Apple, iHeart and Amazon Music.
