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The big interview

February 18, 2026

Cleo CEO Barney Hussey-Yeo wants to build a £100bn company — and save Western democracy

The AI fintech founder believes Europe’s inability to scale tech companies at home could threaten democracy

Tom Matsuda

6 min read

Most founders would cite market opportunities or improvement in regulatory regimes when outlining their plans to launch in a new geography. 

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Tom Matsuda

Tom Matsuda is a fintech reporter at Sifted and writes our weekly fintech newsletter. Find him on X and LinkedIn

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