"Live for today". Oleg Tinkov and Michael Calvey on the rise of the new fintech startup Plata

The protagonists are Oleg Tinkov and Michael Calvey, founder of Baring Vostok and one of the first investors in Russian giants such as Ozon, Yandex, and Tinkoff. For the first time, they discuss their involvement in a new project — the Mexican fintech unicorn Plata, founded by former top executives of Tinkoff. Tinkov and Calvey have known each other for almost 30 years, and during this time, their paths have crossed more than once. Both have experienced arrests, fought cancer, and were almost simultaneously forced to walk away from their successful businesses in Russia. We met with Oleg and Michael in Forte dei Marmi to discuss how Plata was created, how much investment is needed to quickly grow a unicorn, and what makes the Latin American market attractive. We also talked about Tinkov's personal expenses, Calvey's cellmates, and the departure of the era of foreign investors from Russia.