Interview with Jorge Sorial, Country Manager (Spain) at Craftgate

Jorge Sorial is a payments expert with over 25 years of experience in negotiation, consultative sales, strategic partnerships, and key account management. Throughout his career, he has held key roles at companies like Santander Group, Mastercard, Bank of America, Sage and Amadeus, gaining in-depth experience in the payments industry. His ability to drive business growth, manage strategic relationships, and navigate complex payment ecosystems has positioned him well for this role. When Craftgate decided to expand into Spain, his expertise in the local market and deep understanding of payments made him a great fit to lead this initiative. 

 

• From your experience in the payments sector, what key differences do you see between the Spanish market and other markets you’ve worked in? 

Spain has always been in the forefront of payment innovation. When other countries were still accepting paper checks as a payment method and zipzap machines to process card transactions manually, Spain already had all its merchant network connected online real time. However, compared to Turkey, Craftgate’s country of origin, Spain’s payments ecosystem is less fragmented. While banks in Spain were focused on efficiency and economy of scale, Turkey´s financial institutions were focused on innovation and customer experience, making consumer expectations more advanced, especially regarding the payment experience. For example, installment payment methods for online purchases have been actively used in Turkey for years, which is still an emerging trend in many European markets. In the same way that Turkish businesses are highly aware of how payment optimization can create growth opportunities, Spanish merchants are now looking at UX, sales conversion and payment orchestration as key to growth, both domestically and cross-border. I see an excellent opportunity for businesses here to benefit from the expertise and solutions that Craftgate brings 

 

• What motivated you to join Craftgate, and what company values do you think make it stand out in the payments industry? 

Payment orchestration is a concept that interested me, as the number of payment methods has increased non-stop in the last decade. When I met the Craftgate team, I was impressed by their extensive experience in the payments sector and their strategic vision. Not only they focused on payment orchestration, they also proved the concept by founding Craftgate and becoming a market leader in Turkey. Their deep market knowledge, innovative approach, and substantial technological foundation immediately excited me. Craftgate has a unique ability to bring sophisticated payment solutions to new markets, and I saw the potential for its expertise to make a real impact in Spain, rest of Europe, and LATAM. Combining my experience and market knowledge with this talented team, its exceptional product offering, and the market opportunity made it easy for me to join Craftgate. 

 

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• Craftgate has recently launched in Spain. What are the main challenges the company faces in this new market? 

Payments are inherently local, and each market has its unique dynamics. Entering a new market requires a deep understanding of these dynamics. Fortunately, Craftgate follows a systematic approach—from market selection to execution—ensuring that we are well-prepared. We have proactively addressed potential challenges by working with local experts and carefully analyzing market conditions. The positive reception from the industry, reflected in our engagements at industry events, media coverage, and early customer feedback, confirms that our strategic approach is working effectively. 

 

• The fintech ecosystem is constantly evolving. How does Craftgate adapt to changing trends and regulations in Europe and LATAM? 

As I mentioned earlier, Craftgate was born in Turkey, a highly advanced country in payments and financial technologies. The Turkish market offers an extensive range of payment options, demonstrating how sophisticated the ecosystem is. From the beginning, Craftgate has built integrations not only for Spain but also for LATAM, Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa. This extensive technical and commercial capability gives us a significant advantage. 

One key aspect of adapting to evolving trends and regulations is ensuring compliance with the highest security standards. Craftgate is PCI DSS Level 1 compliant, which means we meet the most stringent requirements for handling sensitive payment data securely. This commitment to security and compliance allows businesses to integrate with Craftgate confidently, knowing their transactions are protected at the highest level. 

Additionally, Craftgate continuously expands its ecosystem by integrating with key local and global payment providers. We have already established an integration in Spain with Redsys, which gives us access to local card acquirers and, Bizum, the fastest growing payment method in Spain. We are also looking to integrate other networks, acquirers, PSP, and APM. These integrations allow businesses to offer local consumers their preferred payment methods, improving conversion rates and customer satisfaction. 

Beyond that, we recognize the importance of seamless e-commerce integrations. That’s why Craftgate is now available on major platforms such as PrestaShop and Shopify, making it easier for merchants to integrate our payment orchestration technology without complex development efforts. 

With our technical expertise, strong compliance framework, and expanding ecosystem of payment and e-commerce partnerships, Craftgate is well-positioned to adapt to the rapidly changing fintech landscape in Europe and LATAM. 

 

• Spain is a gateway to LATAM. What plans does Craftgate have for expanding in the region, and which are the key target markets? 

Spain is a crucial market for Craftgate, serving as a launchpad for global expansion. Our research shows that in LATAM, markets like Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil have diverse payment habits, including digital wallets, credit cards, and BNPL (Buy Now, Pay Later) solutions. Businesses operating in these regions must work with multiple payment providers, which can be costly and complex. Craftgate simplifies this by offering seamless access to multiple providers through a single platform. Much like Turkey, LATAM has a fragmented payments landscape, making our value proposition—connecting businesses to any payment provider from a single integration—highly relevant. 

 

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• In an increasingly competitive payments landscape, how does Craftgate differentiate itself from other solutions in the market? 

Our most significant advantage is originating in a fragmented and highly advanced market. This means that Craftgate’s technology has been built to anticipate and solve various payment challenges. With over 20 years of industry experience, our team deeply understands the complexities of payment orchestration. 

One of our key differentiators is that we are introducing the concept of payment orchestration to Spain. Before Craftgate, most solutions in the market only provided access to multiple payment providers. However, actual payment orchestration involves more than just connectivity—it includes eliminating operational burdens, enabling flexibility across multiple geographies, ensuring merchants can always process payments with the most competitive fees, and mitigating downtime risks. These factors provide financial and operational advantages to businesses, making Craftgate a standout solution in the market.  

 

• For companies that are not yet familiar with Craftgate, what would you say about how it can help optimize their payment strategy? 

First, it’s essential to recognize that payments are not just about clicking the “pay” button. Customers expect a seamless, hassle-free experience, and the payment step is critical to customer satisfaction and business growth. 

A well-optimized payment infrastructure ensures a smooth user experience, flexibility to work with different providers, reduced revenue loss at checkout, and cost optimization. A company that has not yet explored payment orchestration may miss a significant opportunity. Craftgate, with its best-in-class team and cutting-edge technology, is bringing this concept to Spain, helping businesses enhance their competitiveness and streamline their payment operations. 

 

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