Upon joining Fireblocks, Michael Levine discovered engineers building “$400,000 cars” without ROI discipline. He introduced a financial lens to product development—teaching teams to balance innovation with economic viability. By reframing decisions around capital allocation and scalability, he aligned engineering excellence with business outcomes, turning finance into a shared growth language.
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Now Watch the Complete Episode Featuring CFO Michael Levine of Fireblocks
After scaling Payoneer from 100 employees to 3,000 and $150 million in annual volume to over $80 billion across 190 countries, then taking it public in June 2021, Michael Levine stepped back in 2023. On a Punta Cana beach, he realized he missed building. Amid crypto winter, the three curves—speculation, stablecoins, and real-world assets—drew him to Fireblocks infrastructure for institutions. There, he translates engineering brilliance into economics: secure self-custody built by cybersecurity veterans, a SaaS model framed by ARR and churn, and pragmatic capital allocation discipline. His $400K-car versus $60–$80K-car analogy reset product decisions with ROI guardrails and market fit.
| CFO’s Strategy Playbook |
|---|
| • Translate engineering into economics with ROI. |
| • Choose infrastructure; diversify winners and losers. |
| • Lead with EQ to accelerate alignment. |