Oct 2023 – Present
Vanilla Tech
Kathmandu, Nepal
Vice President of Development
Leading all aspects of application development — engineering strategy, architecture, team leadership, and delivery across product lines serving 500,000+ users.
Namaste, I'm
Bijay Bhandari
VP of Application Development
Fintech leader · 500K+ users · .NET · C# · SQL · Engineering leadership
500K+
Platform users
13+
Years building
Malaysia
Fintech market
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About me
I've spent the last 13+ years turning complex problems into software that actually matters. Starting as a .NET developer in Kathmandu and rising to Vice President of Application Development at Vanilla Tech, I've had the privilege of leading the engineering of a fintech product now trusted by over 500,000 users.
That number isn't just a metric — it represents hundreds of thousands of people across Malaysia using technology I helped build to manage their finances. My career has been a deliberate climb: from writing code, to leading teams, to shaping product architecture, to driving technology strategy at the executive level.
I'm passionate about the role technology can play in transforming financial access in Malaysia and emerging markets. I believe in Management 3.0: empowering engineers, fostering ownership, and building cultures where quality is everyone's responsibility.
What I focus on
- Fintech product engineering
- Scalable .NET architecture
- Engineering leadership
- Team development
- Agile delivery
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Experience
A journey from code to executive engineering leadership
Jul 2021 – Oct 2023
Vanilla Tech
Thamel, Kathmandu
Assistant Vice President of Applications
Bridged engineering execution with product and business strategy while scaling the fintech platform and elevating engineering standards.
Sep 2018 – Jul 2021
EightSquare
Kathmandu, Nepal
Assistant VP of Application Development
Shaped engineering direction and led cross-functional teams, contributing to architecture decisions for the fintech platform.
Apr 2016 – Sep 2018
EightSquare
Kathmandu, Nepal
Technical Manager
Managed engineering teams, delivery, technical planning, and mentorship while establishing processes that improved velocity and stability.
Mar 2015 – Apr 2016
EightSquare
Kathmandu, Nepal
Senior Software Engineer
Developed core application features in C# and .NET, drove architecture improvements, and mentored junior developers.
May 2014 – Dec 2014
Design Ready Controls
Lalitpur, Nepal
Lead Software Engineer
Led software development initiatives and owned technical direction for enterprise delivery.
Nov 2012 – Present
Freelance
Remote / Nepal
.NET Developer (Freelance)
Delivering custom .NET/C# solutions — enterprise apps, API design, and SQL Server systems for clients across industries.
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Flagship projects
Products and platforms I've helped shape
Malaysia Fintech Platform
Core financial technology platform powering digital finance for the Malaysian market — from architecture to production operations.
500,000+ active users
VP Engineering / Technical Leadership
.NETC#PostgreSQLMySQLRedisKafkaREST APIsAzure
API & Integration Layer
Designed and evolved RESTful services connecting mobile, web, and partner systems with reliability and clear contracts.
High-throughput transactional APIs
Architecture & API Development
ASP.NET CoreOpenAPIMicroservicesPostgreSQLRedisKafka
Engineering Scale-up Program
Led standards, delivery practices, and team growth as the product expanded from startup scale to a leading Malaysia fintech platform.
Team & process transformation
AVP → VP Engineering
ArchitectureELK StackSentryCI/CDAgileManagement 3.0
Enterprise .NET Solutions
13+ years of freelance and client work building bespoke enterprise systems, integrations, and data-driven applications.
Cross-industry delivery
Lead Developer / Consultant
.NETC#Vue.jsNuxt.jsMongoDBMySQLEnterprise APIs
Management 3.0 Culture Initiative
Embedded empowerment, ownership, and quality accountability across engineering teams using Management 3.0 practices.
Ownership-driven delivery culture
Engineering Leadership
Management 3.0LeadershipMentorship
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Skills & stack
Technologies and leadership practices I work with daily
Tech stack
.NETC#ASP.NET CoreVue.jsNuxt.jsREST APIsMicroservicesSQL ServerPostgreSQLMySQLMongoDBRedisKafkaELK StackSentryAzureAgile / ScrumManagement 3.0System DesignFintech
Top skills
- Management 3.0
- API Development
- IT Strategy
Languages
- Nepali
- English
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Education
Academic foundation in engineering
2008 – 2012
Kathmandu Engineering College
Bachelor's in Computer Engineering
2007 – 2008
National School of Sciences
+2 in Science
Certifications
Computer Engineering
Management 3.0 Foundation Workshop
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What colleagues say
Perspectives from teams I've led and partnered with
"Bijay brings rare clarity between business goals and engineering reality. He scales teams without losing quality."
"His .NET architecture decisions still hold under massive user growth. He mentors while he delivers."
"Management 3.0 isn't a buzzword for him — he genuinely empowers engineers to own outcomes."
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Blog
Thoughts on fintech, .NET, and engineering leadership
Articles coming soon. Follow me on X for updates.
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Let's connect
Open to conversations about fintech, engineering leadership, and impactful products across Malaysia and beyond.