Award-winning fintech and open banking innovator Yaspa has announced a major expansion of its North American commercial team, appointing Justin Fears as US Director of Enterprise Sales.
The strategic addition arrives as the payment and identity solutions company accelerates its global footprint across regulated iGaming corridors.
Lowering Operational Costs via Open Banking
Operating out of Yaspa’s newly established corporate office in Atlanta, Georgia, Fears is tasked with orchestrating strategic commercial growth across North America. He will assist licensed online gambling operators in upgrading their payment journeys by deploying real-time bank account transfers, intelligent automated transaction routing tools, and localized financial innovations. Fears will work closely with Yaspa’s domestic and international commercial leadership layers to establish high-volume corporate partnerships and drive platform adoption.
Fears brings more than 18 years of specialized experience spanning the digital payments, financial technology, SaaS software architecture, and AML compliance sectors within the gaming landscape. Throughout his career, he has focused on aligning emerging verification tech with corporate performance targets.
Prior to joining Yaspa, Fears held senior executive leadership roles at several prominent compliance and financial entities, including Kinectify, First Data Corporation, Glory Global Solutions, DiTronics Financial Services, NEXGEN Technology, and CASINOMONEY. During his tenure at Kinectify, he successfully scaled the market adoption of AI-powered anti-money laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance solutions engineered specifically for land-based and digital casino operators. Fears is also a veteran of the United States Air Force.
Eliminating Transaction Fraud Friction
James Neville, CEO of Yaspa, welcomed the enterprise sales leader, pointing to his deep operational understanding of gaming-focused banking compliance:
“We’re delighted to welcome Justin to the team as we accelerate our footprint in the US market. His deep operational understanding of gaming-focused financial infrastructure, compliance technologies, and enterprise sales leadership makes him an incredible asset. Justin’s appointment further strengthens our local team and underscores our commitment to helping North American operators lower costs, reduce fraud, and elevate the player experience through open banking.”
Justin Fears expressed intense enthusiasm regarding the market potential for open banking systems across US sports betting states:
“I’m excited to join Yaspa at such an important stage in the company’s growth journey. The combination of open banking, innovative payment solutions, and intelligent transaction data represents a significant opportunity within the US iGaming market, particularly as operators continue to prioritise player experience, fraud reduction, and payment efficiency. Yaspa has built an innovative platform uniquely positioned to support the evolving needs of regulated operators, and I look forward to helping expand the company’s presence and strategic partnerships across the US.”
The appointment follows a highly successful development cycle for the fintech firm. Over the past 12 months, Yaspa secured the prestigious Real-Time Payments Innovation trophy at the 2025 Payments Awards and was named to the CB Insights Top 100 Fintechs global ranking.
The expansion is backed by a successful $12 million investment round finalized in July, led by Discerning Capital, which funded the launch of their Atlanta office alongside a high-tech engineering hub in Leeds, United Kingdom, opened in August 2025.
