Building the future of mobile banking: a conversation with Anna Leushchenko, Senior Staff Engineer at Tide

At the crossroads of banking and innovation stands Anna, Senior Staff Engineer at Tide, who embodies the future of the fintech industry. With over a decade of experience, she’s not just an engineer but a recognised Google Developer Expert in Dart and Flutter, a public speaker and author. She’s also a passionate advocate for women in tech.

Anna, who is based in Ukraine, uses her technical skills and leadership to help shape Tide’s mobile banking solutions while inspiring the next generation of developers through her community involvement and mentorship.

You’ve built quite an impressive career path – from developer to Google Developer Expert, author, and speaker. Could you tell us what first drew you to technology and what inspired you to take on these various roles?

Since my school days, I’ve been passionate about maths, logical challenges, and solving complex problems – interests that naturally led me to a career in engineering. I am particularly inspired by the idea of designing and building solutions that people can use first-hand. For me, mobile app development is where creativity and technical excellence come together to create meaningful, real-world impact.

I firmly believe that knowledge grows when shared, as we all stand on the shoulders of giants who came before us. With years of experience in mobile app development, I’ve cultivated a passion for sharing knowledge on best practices, architectural design, and development productivity. I write detailed tech articles and give talks at conferences about building mobile apps with Flutter. My goal is to help both new and experienced developers create better apps more easily.

Supporting the professional growth of the broader tech community and advocating for Flutter technology eventually earned me an invitation to join the Google Developer Expert programme – a prestigious recognition for technology ambassadors by Google. This programme highlights expert voices and helps me make a larger, positive impact on the tech and developer communities.

You are a Woman Techmakers ambassador. From your experience, what are some of the key challenges women face in tech today, and how are you working to create change in this area?

One of the biggest challenges women face in tech today is the lack of visible role models, which impacts not only women aspiring to join or grow in the field but also the perceptions and mindsets of coworkers across all genders.

For much of my early career, this was true for me. ‘You cannot be what you cannot see.’ It wasn’t until later that I met inspiring female tech leaders who, through their own example, motivated me to grow beyond my role as an engineer and start public speaking and writing. Now, I hope to pay it forward by inspiring the next generation with my own journey.

As an ambassador for Google’s Women Techmakers program, I mentor career-switchers and aspiring women in technology, helping them build confidence while connecting them with the community and resources they need to thrive. Additionally, as one of the leads of Flutteristas – a community for female and non-binary Flutter enthusiasts – I help organise regular meetups and a biannual international online conference. These events create a supportive and inclusive environment where members can share knowledge, learn from one another, and feel empowered to advance in the tech industry.

Could you walk us through what a typical day looks like for you as a Senior Staff Engineer at Tide? How do you balance your technical leadership responsibilities with hands-on development work?

As an expert in mobile development, I dedicate a substantial portion of my day to writing and reviewing code, tackling complex technical challenges, and implementing solutions that align with our architectural vision. Staying actively involved in the codebase allows me to contribute to the quality of our mobile products. This also keeps me well-informed about the technical challenges the team might encounter, so that they can be addressed proactively and efficiently.

While coding remains my primary focus, I also dedicate time to evaluating new tools and methodologies, maintaining our automation solution, and investigating non-trivial bugs. Additionally, I support the mobile team through technical guidance, mentoring, workshops, and occasional design reviews.

How has your expertise in cross-platform development helped Tide better serve its customers/members? Could you share a particular project or initiative at Tide that you’re especially proud of?

One of the most impactful projects I’ve been part of at Tide was the migration of our mobile applications from native technologies to Flutter – an initiative that was both technically and organisationally challenging. We had an ambitious goal to deliver the same set of features seamlessly, ensuring that the only changes our members noticed were improvements to their user experience.

As part of a small core team, I was responsible for laying the project’s foundation and shaping the philosophy of our development practices. Just as a building’s foundation is unseen but critical to its stability, our work formed the underlying backbone that supports all mobile features. We designed a scalable architecture that balances complexity with maintainability, ensuring long-term efficiency.

Tide successfully executed this full-scale migration by releasing updates over existing native apps, making a significant internal transformation invisible to members, whilst bringing substantial results. Flutter’s unified codebase reduced our lead time to market, allowing us to build and ship features faster and more efficiently across platforms. Achieving full feature parity between iOS and Android ensured a consistent experience for all our members, regardless of their device. This project not only accelerated our product delivery but also gave us a solid foundation for future improvements.

As someone who’s both building products at Tide and actively shaping the Flutter ecosystem, what unexpected connections or synergies have you discovered between your community involvement and daily work?

The Flutter framework is still relatively young, and its community differs from those of more established technologies. Developers choose Flutter because they are genuinely passionate and excited about it, rather than the need to maintain legacy projects they inherited. This enthusiasm creates a community that deeply values knowledge sharing and open-source contributions, reflecting the framework’s open-source and collaborative nature.

By actively engaging with the tech community – whether through speaking at conferences, publishing in-depth technical articles, or contributing to open source – I’ve noticed a direct impact on Tide’s reputation as an employer. Talented engineers often express interest in joining Tide because they see it as an exciting place where they can work alongside passionate and like-minded professionals who prioritise growth and innovation. Such external engagements help Tide attract top engineering talents, strengthening our mobile development team and supporting a culture of technical excellence.

At the same time, working at Tide provides me with an endless source of technical challenges to solve, which in turn become valuable material for knowledge-sharing sessions – whether within the team or at industry conferences – where I can discuss solutions, best practices, and lessons learned.

What are the key components to building a strong engineering culture, and how do you personally foster it within your team?

It starts with creating an environment where collaboration, learning, and growth are a priority. Practices like knowledge sharing in organised workshops or informal discussions, code reviews, and individual technical guidance help maintain high code and product quality standards.

Having detailed technical documentation, cookbooks, and recorded sessions ensures that knowledge is easily accessible to both engineering and non-engineering communities, saving time and reducing friction for experienced team members, and easing the onboarding process of new joiners. Recognising and encouraging exemplary behaviours through public praise is equally important, as it goes a long way in motivating the team and reinforcing positive norms.

I believe in the practice of leading by example – by demonstrating the behaviours and values I want to see in the team, I aim to set a standard that inspires others to contribute to a culture of technical excellence and growth.

Being currently based in Ukraine, what helps you persevere during such challenging times?

The ‘war-life’ balance, as we jokingly call it, is one of the most challenging experiences I’ve faced. It is not easy to stay focused on work, plan community activities, or prepare a talk for an upcoming conference when your own life and the lives of your loved ones are under constant threat. The uncertainty and stress can feel overwhelming, yet the support from others and hope for a peaceful future have been a source of strength.

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has offered their support during these challenging times. It’s a reminder that even in the darkest times, kindness and solidarity can make a world of difference.

Finally, what advice would you give to people who are considering a career in tech? What do you wish someone had told you when you were starting out?

The tech industry is fast-paced and demanding. Technologies evolve quickly, and staying up-to-date requires continuous learning, while reaching an expert level takes even more dedication. But it’s also incredibly rewarding, fun, and diverse, offering numerous opportunities to find an area that sparks your passion, whether it’s fintech, healthcare, game development, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, or something else entirely.

One thing I wish I had known earlier is how profoundly the community you immerse yourself in can shape your mindset and, ultimately, your career trajectory. Surrounding yourself with inspiring role models and supportive mentors not only accelerates your growth but also opens doors you might not have known existed. Be active participants in tech communities and seek out those connections early.