Thinking deeper about money with Ayumu Tahara (AU and SG)

Having been part of the UberEATS team that launched its service in Tokyo, Ayumu Tahara is someone familiar with the boundless potential of tech companies in shaping individual habits and changing social landscapes. His tech journey later brought him to Revolut, where he set up Revolut Japan as employee number two.

As Senior Operations Manager, Ayumu was a pivotal figure in its recent official launch. He tells us more about how he’s helping to shape the way people in Japan do money.

Thinking deeper about cash

Ayumu’s journey with Revolut began before he became a customer. A negative experience with the traditional banking system had sent him on a search for fintech solutions, and that endeavour soon led him to us.

Along the way, Ayumu realised how broken the infrastructure surrounding cash was: people waiting weeks for new bank accounts to be opened, spending precious time queuing at ATMs to withdraw cash, going through the manual motions of budgeting for weekly allowances. Expatriates had their odds stacked even higher due to language barriers.

“The existing infrastructure around cash is time-consuming, inconvenient and often inaccessible. This means that cash, as both medium and ecosystem, hasn’t caught up with the ethos of efficiency and accessibility in our world today. It slows us down. So why don’t we look for an alternative that enables and empowers us instead?”

Changing lives with Revolut

Ayumu’s keen observation would later inspire part of Revolut Japan’s outreach strategy, which involves educating potential customers about the benefits of going cashless. The candid narrative includes practical suggestions for how people can easily integrate Revolut into their daily lives, such as using the built-in budgeting and analytics tools to avoid overspending.

This education-to-transformation approach seems to be paying off, as Revolut Japan has since attracted an upwards of 14,000 customers. And if every customer means a life made better, it is a notion that fills Ayumu with a sense of pride.

“I was drawn to Revolut’s life-changing mission, which is to reinvent how people do money. Being part of an opportunity to empower people and shape lives is profoundly motivating.”

When asked what it would take to join the Revolut Japan team, Ayumu points to commitment, grit, and the innate desire to make the world a better place.

“The big incumbents could have and should have solved the inefficiencies around money long ago - but they didn’t because they’re too comfortable with what they know. It takes startups like ours, and like-minded people, to drastically shake things up, challenge the acceptable norms, and create solutions - for the people, and for a better tomorrow.”

Want to join Ayumu on this life-changing mission? Revolut is hiring for Tokyo-based positions, so check out our open roles here.