Portrait No. 001
Arina Anapolskaya
Co-Founder & COO
CashQ
CashQ is the regulated backbone for cross-border push payments. We help international wallets and remittance companies launch here fast via a single API— you keep the brand and customers; we make funds move with speed, certainty, and traceability. Compliance (licensing posture, FBO rails, KYC/AML/OFAC, monitoring, audit evidence) is built into the rails, so launches are safe by default.. CashQ ships with controls on by default, so founders launch faster without gambling on compliance.
In her words
“I build where fintech breaks: between demo and regulated. As an immigrant, I have lived the cost of delay - rent, tuition, medicine - so I do not do 'almost compliant.' My legacy is designing AI-native systems where trust is built in, never bolted on.”
Chapter I
The toughest challenges you've faced as a founder.
I started CashQ after watching great fintech products stall between demo and “regulated.” As an immigrant women founder from Ukraine, I’ve felt what a delayed transfer means on the other end—rent, tuition, medicine—so “almost compliant” was never an option. I’d built payment systems across countries and saw the same blockers on repeat: opaque licensing, slow banking relationships, and compliance debt that grows faster than product. The turning point was realizing the fix isn’t another UI; it’s rails where the rules are embedded and evidence is automatic. Why me? I live at the intersection of product, risk, and regulation, and I’m stubborn about making systems both humane and exam-ready. Why now? Real-time is the baseline, and trust is the moat. CashQ exists so international remittance companies can enter the U.S. with confidence—fewer fire drills, more reliable payouts, and dignity for the people waiting on the other end.
Chapter II
Your vision.
I want cross-border money to be boring—in the best way. When you send $200 home, it should just land, with a clear receipt that says who, what, why, and when. No guessing. No “please hold.” CashQ bakes the rules into the rails so founders can enter the U.S. market without gray areas or fire drills. Compliance isn’t a hurdle at the end; it’s the track we run on—visible, automated, and audit-ready. The future I’m building: corridors open safely in weeks, not years; small teams ship with big-bank discipline; regulators see clean evidence, not promises; families stop holding their breath. If we do our job right, you won’t notice. CashQ — you’ll just notice that rent and bills got paid on time, kids in school, the shop restocked, and no one had to cut corners. Fast, safe, accountable. That’s the bar.
Chapter III
The impact you want to leave behind — for your industry, your community, and the women who come next.
Thirty years from now, I want people to take for granted that money crosses borders instantly and safely—and that no one has to beg a system to do the right thing. The why behind my why: every delayed transfer is a delayed life—rent, tuition, medicine, peace of mind. CashQ’s legacy I want is simple: we proved speed can be honest and small teams can set the standard. For my community: families breathe easier. For future women founders: you don’t need permission; you need receipts—and a seat you built yourself.