Former GoldenPay CEO Eynar Abdullayev has been appointed CEO of Epoint in Azerbaijan, while founder Zeynal Karimzada will focus on international expansion, attracting investment and growing Epoint across new markets.
Epoint, an Azerbaijan-founded fintech company, has announced a strategic change to its leadership structure. Founder and CEO Zeynal Karimzada will step down from the day-to-day leadership of Epoint in Azerbaijan and hand over operational management to Eynar Abdullayev, an experienced fintech executive who previously served as CEO of GoldenPay.
Abdullayev’s appointment marks the beginning of a new chapter in Epoint’s development and is expected to further strengthen the company’s leadership team with extensive expertise in digital payments, financial product development and scaling fintech businesses.
Karimzada will remain the founder of Epoint and continue to play an active role in shaping the company’s long-term strategy. His primary focus will shift toward international expansion, attracting strategic investment, developing new partnerships and scaling Epoint’s technologies across international markets.
Five Years of Technological Transformation at Epoint
Over the past five years, under Karimzada’s leadership, Epoint has evolved from a fintech startup into a technology platform bringing together online payments, e-commerce, business process automation and financial services for entrepreneurs.
The company has consistently invested in technology and introduced products designed to make modern payment infrastructure more accessible to small and medium-sized businesses.
During this period, Epoint has developed and launched a range of innovative projects and solutions.
Key achievements include:
-building a modern payment platform for small and medium-sized businesses;
-introducing API integrations for e-commerce;
-expanding payment capabilities through Apple Pay, Google Pay and international payment systems;
-launching Mobile POS technology, enabling merchants to accept contactless payments directly via smartphones without the need for traditional POS terminals;
-introducing payment links, QR payments and recurring payment solutions;
-developing a Wallet ecosystem and integrations with digital wallets;
-obtaining international Visa Payment Facilitator status;
-implementing Click to Pay technology in partnership with Visa;
-launching digital solutions together with DataPay to automate merchant onboarding and servicing processes;
-developing new financial tools for small and medium-sized businesses; and
-contributing to the establishment of a FinTech Laboratory at Azerbaijan Technical University and the development of a new generation of financial technology professionals.
One of Epoint’s strategic initiatives has also been the development of an alternative financing model for SMEs based on the analysis of merchants’ actual payment activity.
The concept is designed to leverage payment data and business turnover history to create new financing opportunities for entrepreneurs and introduce a more technology-driven approach to business assessment.
As a result, Epoint’s strategic transformation is gradually moving beyond the traditional payment services model. The company aims to build a comprehensive technology ecosystem that brings together payments, data, financial services and business growth tools on a single platform.
A New Chapter: Eynar Abdullayev to Lead Epoint in Azerbaijan
The appointment of Eynar Abdullayev is part of Epoint’s long-term development strategy and is intended to ensure management continuity while further strengthening the company’s executive expertise.
Before joining Epoint, Abdullayev led GoldenPay, an established participant in Azerbaijan’s payments and fintech market.
His experience in digital payments, financial product development and managing a major fintech business is expected to bring additional strength to Epoint as the company enters its next stage of growth.
As CEO, Abdullayev will be responsible for further developing Epoint’s business in Azerbaijan, strengthening its technology platform, expanding its product portfolio and partner ecosystem, and continuing the company’s strategic focus on innovative financial solutions.
At the same time, Epoint founder Zeynal Karimzada will focus on the company’s international strategy.
“Epoint’s Next Stage of Growth Requires International Scale”
Commenting on the leadership transition, Epoint founder Zeynal Karimzada said:
“Five years ago, Epoint was created as a technology company with the goal of making financial services more accessible to entrepreneurs. Today, we can confidently say that we have achieved far more than we initially planned.
Over these years, together with our team, we have created dozens of innovative products, introduced new standards in online payments, obtained Visa Payment Facilitator status, launched Mobile POS, Wallet solutions, Click to Pay and a range of digital services for businesses, while laying a strong foundation for the next generation of financial products.
I am proud that Epoint has become one of the companies helping accelerate the digital transformation of entrepreneurship in Azerbaijan.
However, every strong business eventually reaches a stage where it needs to evolve from a founder-led model toward a more institutional management structure. Today, Epoint is ready for that transition.
I am particularly pleased that Eynar Abdullayev will take over the leadership of Epoint in Azerbaijan. Eynar brings significant experience in managing fintech businesses and a deep understanding of the payments industry. I am confident that combining Epoint’s technological expertise, built over the years, with his management experience will help take the company to the next level.
For me, this is not a departure from Epoint. It is a change in my role within the company.
Going forward, I will focus primarily on Epoint’s international development, attracting strategic investors, building new partnerships and bringing our technologies into new markets.”
Speaking about the company’s international strategy, Karimzada also highlighted differences in the pace at which fintech products can be developed and adopted across different markets:
“Azerbaijan has made significant progress in recent years in developing its digital economy, payment infrastructure and financial technology sector. We are sincerely grateful to the public institutions, banks, partners and other market participants that have contributed to building a modern fintech ecosystem in the country.
At the same time, fintech is one of the fastest-changing industries in the world. For a technology company today, the ability to create innovation is no longer enough. The speed at which that innovation can be tested, brought to market and scaled is equally critical.
Different markets operate under different regulatory frameworks and move at different speeds when it comes to adopting new financial technologies. Some countries provide additional opportunities to pilot new solutions, test new business models and move more rapidly from an idea to a widely adopted product.
For this reason, Epoint intends to expand its international presence more actively and allocate part of its resources to markets where there is strong demand for modern fintech products and favorable conditions for their rapid implementation and scaling.
Epoint’s next stage of growth requires international scale, new partnerships, strategic investors and access to markets where innovation can move more quickly from concept to widespread adoption.
This is where I intend to focus my efforts over the coming years.
At the same time, Azerbaijan remains Epoint’s home, our core market and an important part of our long-term strategy. We will continue investing in the development of our business here, supporting entrepreneurs and creating new financial technologies.”
Eynar Abdullayev: “Our Goal Is to Take Epoint to the Next Level”
Commenting on his appointment, Eynar Abdullayev said:
“It is a great privilege to join Epoint and lead the company through the next stage of its development.
Over the past several years, Zeynal Karimzada and the Epoint team have built a strong technology foundation and established a recognized fintech brand driven by an entrepreneurial culture and a continuous commitment to innovation.
Our objective today is not simply to maintain this momentum, but to take Epoint to the next level.
We will continue developing our payment infrastructure, creating new digital products, enhancing customer experience and expanding opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses.
Developing technologies that make financial services simpler, faster and more accessible for entrepreneurs will remain one of our key priorities.
I see significant potential in combining Epoint’s technology culture and the expertise accumulated by its team with new management approaches. I am confident that an exciting new chapter of growth lies ahead for the company.”
Two Strategic Leadership Priorities
Under the new management structure, Epoint’s development will be strengthened across two complementary strategic areas.
Eynar Abdullayev will focus on the company’s operational development in Azerbaijan, product strategy, expansion of the partner ecosystem and further strengthening Epoint’s position in its home market.
Zeynal Karimzada will focus on international expansion, capital raising, strategic partnerships and scaling the company’s technologies beyond Azerbaijan.
This approach is designed to enable Epoint to strengthen its position in its home market while accelerating its transformation from a locally founded fintech company into an international technology business.
About Epoint
Epoint is an Azerbaijan-founded fintech company providing solutions in online payments, e-commerce and business digitalization.
The company develops payment infrastructure, Mobile POS, Wallet solutions, payment links, QR payments, recurring payments, e-commerce solutions and emerging financial services for small and medium-sized businesses.
Epoint’s mission is to develop modern financial technologies that help entrepreneurs grow their businesses faster, manage financial operations more efficiently and access new opportunities created by the digital economy.
Epoint’s next stage of development will combine further strengthening of its business in Azerbaijan with international expansion, attracting investment, developing new financial products and bringing technologies developed in Azerbaijan to global markets
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