Singapore-headquartered cross-border payments firm Thunes has named two senior executives to its leadership team as it scales its proprietary global network. Guy Duncan joins as Chief Technology and Product Officer and Parvinder Bhatia joins as Chief Financial Officer, with the appointments announced on March 12, 2026.
Key Facts At A Glance
- Duncan previously served as CTO at fintech unicorn Tide and OVO Energy, and led BMW’s digital transformation across 64 markets.
- Bhatia joins from bunq, where he served as CFO, and brings over 24 years of experience across fintech, private equity, and venture-backed businesses.
- Duncan’s mandate at Thunes includes deploying AI across the Direct Global Network to reduce friction in global money movement.
- Thunes’ Direct Global Network spans over 130 countries, 80-plus currencies, and 550-plus direct integrations as of its April 2025 Series D raise.
- Thunes has raised a total of USD 362 million across five funding rounds from 21 investors.
- In December 2025, Thunes Asia received In-Principle Approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore to expand its Major Payment Institution licence to include account issuance, domestic money transfer, merchant acquisition, and e-money issuance services.
Thunes Appoints Guy Duncan As CTPO And Parvinder Bhatia As CFO To Accelerate AI-Driven Global Payments Expansion
Singapore-headquartered cross-border payments firm Thunes has appointed two senior executives to its leadership team, signalling an intensified focus on artificial intelligence deployment and global financial scaling. Guy Duncan joins as Chief Technology and Product Officer and Parvinder Bhatia as Chief Financial Officer, with both appointments announced on March 12, 2026.
Leadership Profiles
Duncan previously served as CTO at fintech unicorn Tide and at OVO Energy, and is credited with scaling Tide’s platform from 50,000 to over one million members. His global experience also includes spearheading BMW’s digital transformation across 64 markets. In his new role, Duncan will lead Thunes’ technology and product functions with a focus on building high-velocity teams and deploying AI across the Direct Global Network to address friction in global money movement.
Bhatia joins from bunq, described as Europe’s first AI-powered bank, where he served as CFO and supported its international expansion. He brings over 24 years of experience spanning fintech, private equity, and venture-backed businesses. At Thunes, he will lead the company’s global finance organisation and support the leadership team as the company continues to scale its payments infrastructure.
Company Footing
Thunes raised USD 150 million in a Series D round in April 2025, the largest in its history, led by Apis Partners and Vitruvian Partners, at a significant valuation increase over its prior round. The Direct Global Network at that time spanned over 130 countries, 80-plus currencies, and 550-plus direct integrations, enabling real-time payments across complex markets. Total funding across all rounds stands at USD 362 million from 21 investors.
On the regulatory front, Thunes Asia received In-Principle Approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore in December 2025 for a variation of its Major Payment Institution licence that would authorise the company to offer account issuance, domestic money transfer, merchant acquisition, and e-money issuance services in addition to its existing cross-border money transfer business.
The dual appointments follow an earlier executive addition: Thunes appointed Chloé Mayenobe as Deputy CEO for Strategic Growth in December 2025.
Strategic Context
The leadership additions come as Thunes accelerates on multiple fronts, including US market entry, stablecoin-enabled payment rails, and expanded merchant acceptance infrastructure in Singapore. Co-Founder and CEO Peter De Caluwe stated that both Duncan and Bhatia bring experience in scaling global platforms, with AI deployment and financial strategy cited as the primary drivers behind the appointments.
Cross-border payments infrastructure has attracted sustained investor and operator attention across Southeast Asia and globally, with Singapore-headquartered platforms increasingly serving as connective nodes between emerging-market mobile wallet ecosystems and international payment networks.