Maxine Ryan is a fintech and Web3 entrepreneur best known for co-founding Bitspark in 2014, an early Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency remittance business that connected digital assets with cash-based payment networks across Asia and Africa. She served as Co-Founder and COO before leaving the company in February 2020, with Bitspark subsequently announcing its closure in March 2020. Ryan was recognised in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list in 2018 for her work in Finance & Venture Capital. She subsequently launched ProsperApp, a personal-finance platform aimed at younger users, before moving into Web3 digital ownership as the founder of Pulsr, an AI-powered cross-chain NFT discovery engine. Her current professional profile identifies her as the founder of Pulsr and describes work connecting next-generation artists and collectors across blockchain networks using AI-assisted search and visual discovery.
About Maxine Ryan
Projects Founded
- Bitspark
- ProsperApp
- Pulsr
Career Timeline
Early 2010s
Studied International Relations at the Australian National University before leaving to pursue entrepreneurship in Hong Kong.
~2013
Became involved with cryptocurrency after returning to Hong Kong.
2014
Co-founded Bitspark with George Harrap, building a cash-to-crypto remittance platform in Hong Kong.
2015
Recognised as a Leader of Tomorrow at the St. Gallen Symposium.
2018
Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia in the Finance & Venture Capital category.
2018–2019
Expanded Bitspark's remittance and stablecoin products across markets in Asia and Africa.
February 2020
Announced her departure from Bitspark.
March 2020
Bitspark announced it would permanently close, with customers given until March 4 to withdraw funds.
September 2020
Publicly launched ProsperApp, a personal-finance platform for younger users.
2022–2023
Founded Pulsr, an AI-powered cross-chain NFT discovery engine.
April 2024
Pulsr launched its $PULSR utility token on Solana and opened its NFT discovery engine to the public.
2024–2026
Continues to lead Pulsr, focusing on AI-assisted discovery for on-chain artists and collectors.
Key Contributions
Bitspark
Co-founded an early cryptocurrency remittance and cash-to-crypto company connecting digital assets with cash-based payment networks.
Crypto Payments
Worked on connecting digital-asset infrastructure with cash-based remittance networks across emerging markets.
Stablecoins
Helped develop early experiments with local-currency-linked digital assets through Bitspark.
ProsperApp
Moved into consumer-focused personal-finance technology after leaving Bitspark.
Pulsr
Later shifted toward Web3 art, cross-chain NFT discovery and AI-assisted search for on-chain artists and collectors.
Sources & References
- https://uk.linkedin.com/in/maxine-ryan
- https://x.com/MaxieRyan
- https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2020/02/04/bitspark-fades-out-following-coo-maxine-ryans-departure
- https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/26/this-26-year-old-dropped-out-of-college-and-built-a-multinational-blockchain-business.html
- https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/special-reports/topics/xxiv-2017/article/2120698/how-maxine-ryan
- https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/pulsr-launches-web3-s-first-ai-search-engine-for-nfts-after-closing-2m-pre-seed-round--825343275.html
- https://solanacompass.com/projects/pulsrai
- https://coingeek.com/bitspark-remittance-platform-shuts-down-blames-internal-restructuring/
- https://www.prestigeonline.com/hk/people/40-under-40/maxine-ryan-2/
- https://cryptoslate.com/people/maxine-ryan/
