Uplinq Financial Technologies, the first global credit decisioning support platform for small business lenders, today announced the addition of global banking and payments executive Matt Baker, former North America Head of Small Business, Visa Commercial Solutions, as a strategic advisor. Baker’s appointment signifies Uplinq’s continued growth and its commitment to expanding access to working capital for small businesses globally.

As strategic advisor, Baker will advise Uplinq’s internal team on business development opportunities and go-to-market strategy across the globe. Leveraging his deep expertise and connections in financial services across four continents, Baker will help grow Uplinq’s brand presence around the world. Baker will also work closely with prospective Uplinq clients, helping financial institutions and financial services companies to understand and implement Uplinq’s breakthrough credit decisioning technology, expediting small business owners’ access to fair credit in the process.

“In my career, I’ve worked extensively with small businesses and lenders worldwide, and the common theme that I’ve heard at every stop is that small business owners need as much help as possible to get access to working capital,” said Baker. “When I was introduced to the Uplinq team and saw the potential of their technology to give financial institutions the power to underwrite and approve more small business loans, it became a no-brainer for me to partner with them. I’m looking forward to furthering Uplinq’s mission of helping small business owners worldwide access fair credit.”

Baker most recently served as Head of Small Business, Visa Commercial Solutions North America and previously held the same title for their Asia-Pacific operations. Prior to Visa, he held senior leadership positions at MasterCard and ANZ, working across Asia Pacific and Australasia. During his time with Visa, Baker played a key role in developing Uplinq’s partnership with the company to bring its credit decisioning technology to financial institutions within the Visa network.

“Matt has an incredibly diverse background, and we believe his experience in markets spanning four continents will be invaluable as we continue to build Uplinq's global footprint,” said Uplinq CEO Ron Benegbi. “Matt has a profound understanding of our value proposition and mission, and his knowledge of SME financial services worldwide will bring incredible value to the customers Uplinq serves.”

Today’s announcement comes on the heels of Uplinq’s addition of prominent financial services leader and former Wells Fargo Head of Business Banking Derek Ellington as strategic advisor. Combined, the two appointments reflect continued growth and momentum for Uplinq, reinforcing its position as a leader in the small business scoring and risk assessment industry. Earlier this year, Uplinq also released a white paper on fair and accessible lending for small business with Cornerstone Advisors, and was named to MasterCard’s prestigious Start Path program.