Janine Grainger

The cryptocurrency markets can feel a bit like the Wild West, lacking in regulation and having a looming sense that it could all come spectacularly crashing down.

But this is a misconception, says Janine Grainger, who has a degree in Economics and Finance from the University of Auckland and sees the world moving towards increasing digitisation of assets. She seized the “obvious” opportunity to make entering and trading in crypto markets easy for everyday Kiwis, like a Sharesies site for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

With co-founder and brother Alan Grainger, Easy Crypto was launched to meet that need and has grown into New Zealand’s largest crypto trading platform.

It famously broke records when it raised an impressive $17 million in its Series A capital funding round.

Not bad for a school-drop out who discovered a passion for finance while working at a travel agency.

“My career has been more opportunistic than planned, which as it turns out has been a fantastic foundation for the role of CEO in a tech start-up,” Janine says.

Janine did a Bachelor of Business degree majoring in Economics and Finance as an adult student, after working her way up from a café to a travel agency, before moving into strategy roles at Auckland Regional Council, ATEED, then PwC.

“One of my career highlights was working at PwC. The growth curve there was huge and I gained exposure to an incredibly broad range of industries. Another highlight was being part of the team that helped bring the Cricket World Cup to New Zealand – that taught me that you can become an overnight expert in anything if the subject is small enough.”

Throughout her meandering journey, she picked up skills across a wide range of areas – strategy, finance, governance, tech, project management and, most of all, relationship management.

“As well, the foundation year of the Bachelor of Business degree, where you do com-law, finance, accounting and marketing, gave me such an excellent grounding across all those disciplines. Majoring in economics changed my perspective on the world, and how economics shapes it.”

Since then, Janine has achieved some incredible milestones. She was named 2023’s most inspiring individual at the prestigious Hi-Tech Awards. Easy Crypto has achieved $2 billion in transactions and a user base exceeding 250,000 across New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.

Janine has also been a leading voice regarding the regulatory landscape for cryptocurrency, advocating on behalf of the crypto industry in Parliament as well as representing New Zealand at the virtual asset summit at the G20. She was recently invited to join the inaugural Digital Trust Council that advises the APEC governments and also featured in a cryptocurrency docuseries for TVNZ.

But her greatest achievement, she says, has been building an engaged team that is as passionate about bringing crypto to the people as she is.

“At Easy Crypto over 90 percent of our staff consistently say they enjoy their jobs and are proud to work here – despite the challenging ups and downs we’ve had. I want to grow Easy Crypto into a billion-dollar company, without losing that pride and engagement.”

Her biggest learning along the way, she says, is the importance of focus.

“Be clear and ambitious on what your goals are, ensure you stay laser focused on those goals, and always measure progress. Entrepreneurship is hard. If you can, have a co-founder, or if you're rolling solo make sure you have a support network to have your back during the hard times.

“Lastly, don't forget to step back and look at how far you've come. Every year I am amazed at the amount of personal growth I’ve had, and how the business has matured.”