Leaders

The trading industry is made up of buyers and sellers who often suffer from challenges pertaining to lack of right information, right partners, and limited access to resources. Countering these industry challenges successfully is Factrade, a Dubai based online trading platform that bridges the gap between buyers and suppliers. Founded by Kashika Aggarwal, the platform facilitates easy trade through high-quality market information as well as access to the majority of the industry's business partners and vendors.

Hailing from a family of traders, Kashika got privy to these challenges in close quarters. Leveraging her education in finance and international business and over eight years of industry experience she founded Factrade in 2019. With this platform, she also intended to digitize trading in the modern world.

Kashika has built a strong trading team with considerable industry knowledge and experience to support both domestic and international trades. She believes that a strong team in each department along with a host of solutions provided by Factrade sets them apart from their competitors. In a conversation with the Women Entrepreneur Magazine team, Kashika elucidates about her prior industry experience, thoughts on leadership and much more. Here are choice excerpts from the in-depth conversation.

Introduce Us To Factrade. What Are Some Important Features About Your Expertise As A Business Leader In The Domain Of Finance?

Factrade is a B2B trading platform. It is designed to trade agricultural commodities all over the world. We provide our users with very accurate diligence on prices and market trends for commodities, allowing them to make better negotiations. We also have reliable partners with whom we collaborate. As a result, we provide a vast network of buyers, sellers, as well as other market players, making trade more seamless and transparent.

I come from a trading family, so I understand the importance of having the right information, intelligence, and partners. And this is why I wanted to establish an online trading platform as a model for bridging the gaps that exist in the current trading business.

Take Us Through Your Early Educational Journey And Prior Industry Experience That You Bring To The Table. What Was It That Drew You Towards The Fintech Industry? What Was The Foundational Idea Establishing Factrade?

I received my bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Wollongong, Dubai and my master's degree in international business from Hult International Business School in San Francisco. As a result, I have a strong foundation in finance and the international business market, which I use to administer the platform today.

Factrade was intended to address the present problems that buyers and suppliers face, such as a lack of right information, limited access, and right partners. We also wanted to digitize the way trading operates in the modern world. Factrade bridges the gap between buyers and suppliers by providing them with high-quality market information as well as access to the majority of the industry's business partners and vendors. We also give traders a complete track record on business partners, allowing them to trade with confidence.

“I would advise women to not be afraid to pursue their dreams. Learn new things, be optimistic, and work hard to achieve your objectives. I truly believe that if you believe in yourself, anything is possible”

What Are The Various Responsibilities You Shoulder At The Firm Currently? How Do You Drive Growth Within The Organization?

I'm the company's co-founder and am currently in charge of the entire operation. As a leader, I've made it a priority to build a strong trading team with extensive industry expertise and experience to support local and international trades. We've also built a strong operations team to ensure that solutions are delivered on time and that our valued clients are satisfied. Additionally, I have put in place a marketing team that is constantly working to improve the company's brand through research and digital presence. We also have an IT team that is always updating and maintaining the platform in order to make it more user-friendly and provide our users with a simple interface. I believe that our strong team in each department, as well as the multiple solutions we provide, sets us apart from our competitors.

Tell Us About Your Leadership Philosophy. How Do You Keep Yourself Well Aligned With The Periodic Evolutions Occurring In The Finance Industry?

I believe I have a transformational leadership style, wherein change is constant. The only way to fulfill your company's objectives is to keep improving. I inspire and motivate the team to come up with innovative ideas that will help Factrade expand and influence its future success. So, when it comes to work, I always ask myself and my team to be open to change and to follow Agile methodology.

We're highly conscious of what's going on around us, and when it comes to growth, we follow a single SOP. We work in an agile way at all times, and if we see an opportunity that we believe can be implemented in the platform that helps us grow, we accept it and put it to the test. After that, we'll go on to the commercial launch. As a result, we're continually working on new projects.

What Is Your Vision For Factrade's Growth In The Near Future? Is The Company Looking To Foray Into Any Markets Or Develop Any New Capabilities In The Days To Come?

We want to add about 100 commodities to the platform in the near future so that it can be traded internationally. We're also on the lookout for outside funds to help us invest in technology. We believe that high-quality technological features will motivate more people to trade on our platform. We also want to create an automated platform that is very user-friendly. We are looking to add vendors to the model, start auctions, and work with other partners like bankers, financial platforms, shipping agencies, and insurance agencies, among others making it a one stop solution for trading all commodities.

Kashika Aggarwal, Co-Founder, Factrade

Kashika is the Co-Founder of the B2B platform “Factrade” in Dubai. Kashika got privy to these challenges in close quarters. Leveraging her education in finance and international business and over eight years of industry experience she founded Factrade in 2019. With this platform, she also intended to digitize trading in the modern world.