RTRares Tohanean
@rarestohanean
Senior Product Owner / Product Manager specializing in fintech, payments, and crypto product delivery.
RomaniaWhat I'm looking for
I am a PSPO-certified Senior Product Owner and Product Manager with 7+ years in product management and over 15 years in software development, focused on fintech, payments, and crypto. I combine a technical background with an entrepreneurial mindset to lead end-to-end product delivery in regulated environments.
At Instacoins I owned roadmaps for multiple fintech and crypto products, led PCI-DSS and ISO 27001 initiatives, managed PSD2/Open Banking integrations, and improved delivery speed with dedicated prototyping. I have delivered global multi‑million‑euro initiatives, coordinated integrations with major payment providers, and defined KPIs, business plans, and financial models that supported investment decisions.
I have a strong track record as a contractor, founder, and business analyst for government and enterprise systems, with experience in API integrations, security by design, UX research, and agile ways of working. I drive discovery, stakeholder alignment, and measurable outcomes while mentoring cross-functional teams to achieve product-market fit.
Experience
Work history, roles, and key accomplishments
INProduct Manager & CIO
Instacoins
Jul 2020 - Present (5 years 5 months)
Owned roadmap and launched multiple fintech and crypto products (exchange, payments, DeFi ERP), led PCI-DSS and ISO 27001 initiatives, and integrated payment providers to improve coverage and reliability for Mastercard/VISA users.
MQFounder / Product Owner
mQuest
Jul 2017 - Present (8 years 5 months)
Founded and bootstrapped digital products, owning discovery, UX, roadmap and go-to-market while running online experiments to validate propositions and optimize acquisition.
Product Owner Contractor
Independent Contractor
Jul 2017 - Present (8 years 5 months)
Delivered product discovery and backlog ownership for HR SaaS, cash-to-card apps and fintech projects, coordinated PSD2/KYC integrations with banks and card schemes, and led Agile transformation for shipping clients.
Business Analyst & Team Lead
Canadian Bank Note International Europe
Nov 2004 - Jul 2017 (12 years 8 months)
Led requirements and team activities for national identity, passport and border-control systems, integrating with SIS/Interpol/EUCARIS via SOAP/XML in high-security government projects.
MMMultimedia Software Developer
Mood Media
Nov 2002 - Nov 2004 (2 years)
Developed multimedia software solutions for digital signage and visual display products used in retail and commercial environments.
Education
Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework
UBUniversity Politehnica of Bucharest
Master's equivalent in Computer Engineering, Computer Engineering
Completed a 5-year Master-equivalent program in Computer Engineering focusing on software and systems engineering.
Scrum.org
Certified Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO), Product Management
Certified Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO) credential obtained to validate product ownership skills in Agile environments.
BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT
Foundation Certificate in Business Analysis, Business Analysis
Obtained the Foundation Certificate in Business Analysis to demonstrate foundational skills in business analysis.
OUOracle University
Java course (Oracle University), Computer Science
Completed an Oracle University Java course covering Java programming fundamentals.
BRBrainbench
Visual C++ Certified Programmer, Software Development
Achieved Visual C++ Certified Programmer credential (code 124226) to validate C++ programming proficiency.
Availability
Location
RomaniaAuthorized to work in
Portfolio
instacoins.comJob categories
Skills
Interested in hiring Rares?
You can contact Rares and 90k+ other talented remote workers on Himalayas.
Message RaresFind your dream job
Sign up now and join over 100,000 remote workers who receive personalized job alerts, curated job matches, and more for free!
