Meet KAST Head of Financial Partnerships: Oriana Tessari

Oriana Tessari builds the financial backbone behind KAST.

When KAST launches in a new market, integrates a new card issuer, adds custody, or expands payout corridors, the visible product is the final layer. Beneath it sits a network of regulated partners. That network is her responsibility.

As Global Head of Financial Partnerships, Oriana leads the relationships that support card programs, custody, pay-ins, payouts, and compliance. Her role covers partner selection, onboarding, implementation, and long-term optimization. She designs and maintains the partner network that helps KAST operate across regions.

“We facilitate the end-to-end partner life cycle, ensuring success from initial partner selection and onboarding through to ongoing partner management.”

That lifecycle shapes how KAST expands.

Built in Banking. Strengthened in Fintech.

Oriana was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia. She studied commerce and management at the University of Melbourne and later completed a Master of International Business at Melbourne Business School.

She spent more than a decade at ANZ, one of Australia’s major banks, in product roles across payments and clearing. She worked on enabling customers to send payments internationally and supported overseas financial institutions with banking activity into Australia.

Her career did not begin in crypto. It began in regulated systems where precision and process discipline mattered.

She later moved into fintech after being approached directly by Airwallex. That shift took her from traditional banking into high-growth payments. More recently, she led the partnership function for Stripe Australia and New Zealand.

“The common thread throughout my career has been a focus on building global financial infrastructure.”

KAST fit that path.

Why KAST

Oriana joined KAST at the end of August 2025 after an introduction from James Butland, now KAST’s CBO, whom she worked closely with at Airwallex.

“I’ve spent my career navigating the complexities of cross-border financial services. In my view, the next evolution in financial infrastructure, focused on real-world pain points, is happening on stablecoin platforms like KAST.”

For her, the opportunity sits at the structural level. Stablecoin rails do not replace financial systems. Instead, they improve how value moves between them.

She points to Latin America when describing real-world impact.

“There are unique use cases in different countries that solve considerable problems for our users.”

In markets facing macroeconomic instability, alternative rails matter. KAST’s account and card products create optionality where traditional systems have limits.

What She Runs at KAST

Oriana oversees KAST’s external financial partnerships that keep the product running.

Her team operates across two parallel streams.

The first manages partnerships already live and supporting KAST products. That includes resolving operational friction, streamlining processes, and optimizing performance to enable meaningful partnership expansion.

The second sources and assesses new partners to unlock new capabilities and add redundancy. That work includes confirming alignment, mapping product requirements, structuring commercial terms, and running due diligence before any agreement moves forward.

She also works closely with legal on contracts and with product teams to ensure integrations meet real product needs.

Whilst operating at pace to continuously uplift the product for our users, the focus stays on dependable coverage, not quick deals.

Leadership and Execution

“The Financial Partnerships team is a high-execution group built on deep expertise. Because of that, we operate with a high degree of trust and autonomy, allowing everyone to move fast and stay focused on impact.”

Ownership is a requirement. Trust is non-negotiable. She builds teams capable of running their domains independently, then keeps them aligned as conditions evolve.

Her role is to maintain direction in a fast-moving environment and remove roadblocks before they slow execution.

Background and Life Outside KAST

A Melbourne native, Oriana places a high value on family and community. This commitment to local impact is reflected in her service as a Board Director for a community bank, an organization that has proudly reinvested over $10 million back into its local initiatives.

Outside the office, she balances a fast-paced career with a dedicated daily yoga practice and a passion for high-altitude trekking. Her recent pursuits have taken her from the Himalayas to the Andes, and when she isn’t navigating a mountain trail, she is an involved aunt, deeply committed to her family.

Looking Forward

KAST is her first role specifically within crypto. However, it continues her broader focus on financial systems.

“I see KAST becoming a household name, seamlessly integrated into the everyday lives of our users.”

Her career has centered on building infrastructure that operates across borders. At KAST, that work now runs on stablecoin rails.