Being in the C-suite is a high-pressure job with long hours, board responsibilities, and intense scrutiny. But what is it like to be a top executive when you’re off the clock?
Fortune’s series, The Good Life, shows how up-and-coming leaders spend their time and money outside of work.
Today, we meet Bianca Zwart, the 33-year-old chief strategy officer of Bunq, one of Europe’s fastest-growing digital banks.
Zwart’s story began with the simple decision to study Spanish at university.
“Not because it would lead to a specific job or boost my CV,” she tells Fortune. “I just wanted to do something I genuinely enjoyed. In a world focused on clear career paths and practical choices, it felt like a refreshing thing to do.”
Perhaps surprisingly, the experience led her to working at a bank straight after graduation—they needed multilingual staff. But the stint in the summer of 2015 opened her eyes to the reality of the industry: You’re making money out of other people’s money, so clients without large accounts are treated as “irrelevant” and those with money to their name are hounded.
After randomly hearing about Bunq, a more modern, user-first digital bank in a stand-up, the millennial searched for jobs there straight after the meeting and handed her notice in just weeks later.
That bold leap in 2016 took her from a frontline support job at a 30-person startup to the youngest chief strategy officer in European banking history.
Her ascent was swift and unorthodox: She went from team lead to head of PR to launching two of her own ventures, before boomering to Bunq in 2022 after “successful” exits.
Alongside founder Ali Niknam, Zwart has helped scale Bunq from an Amsterdam startup into Europe’s second-largest neobank, with over 700 employees and 17 million users on the continent. Over 20,000 people apply to work at the company every month. And Zwart’s role puts her at the center of this growth—with U.S. expansion next on her to-do list.
“Now, we’re scaling fast, aiming to build the first truly global neobank for people who live and work beyond borders,” the young exec says. And she’s herself become an example of living beyond borders, splitting her time between Rome and Amsterdam.
But wherever she is in the world, her routine stays consistent: She wakes up “ridiculously early” to work out, refuses to wear a watch (“I don’t need a ticking symbol of urgency strapped to my wrist”) and unwinds by learning new languages. She can already speak 5.
Zwart tries to take proper time off from it all, but admits it often results in just answering emails “from better-looking places.” But she thinks it’s part of the parcel of having a high-flying job.
“And honestly, I like it,” she adds. “For me, it’s less about switching off and more about switching perspective.”
The finances
Fortune: What’s been the best investment you’ve ever bought?
My Oura ring, which I quite randomly bought in NYC last year. I’m super disciplined, I love sports, and I’m always go-go-go—so having something that literally tells me to calm the **** down has been a game-changer. I’m still too stubborn to always listen, but I do take recovery more seriously now, and it’s made me smarter about how I train and rest.
And the worst?
An ab wheel for my home gym. Used it once, fell flat on my face. Pretty sure it was designed as a prank. Tiny wheel, no support, all the pressure on your lower back and none on your actual abs. Definitely not invented by someone who’s ever had abs… or empathy.
“Now, we’re scaling fast, aiming to build the first truly global neobank for people who live and work beyond borders.”Bianca Zwart, chief strategy officer of Bunq
What are your living arrangements like: Swanky apartment in the city or suburban sprawling?
I split my time between Amsterdam and Rome (plus whatever city I end up in for work). I thought I wanted more space, so I moved a bit further out of the city (it’s still just a 20-minute bike ride from the office). Turns out, I miss the noise. So I’m now looking to move back into the city of Amsterdam.
How do you commute to work?
Like a real Dutchie, I’m married to my bike. Rain or shine, we’re in this together.
Do you carry a wallet?
I get around just fine with my phone. Otherwise, it’s my Bunq metal card. The best part? With every €100 you spend, you help to plant a tree!
Do you invest in shares?
Yes, through multiple platforms, amongst which are Bunq stocks!
What personal finance advice would you give your 20-year-old self?
Compound interest is your friend. Start that business sooner rather than later.
What’s the one subscription you can’t live without?
Todoist. There’s so much going on every day, and it keeps it all out of my head. It’s basically my second brain. It’s worth every single cent.
Where’s your go-to wristwatch from?
I don’t actually wear a watch. Even without notifications, it still adds noise. It’s this constant reminder of how late you are, how fast the day is going. My brain already runs on deadlines—I don’t need a ticking symbol of urgency strapped to my wrist.
The necessities
How do you get your daily coffee fix?
I’ve got an Italian Moka at home. It’s a bit of calm and beauty at the start of the day, especially when everything else is already moving incredibly fast.
I love the Italian way of drinking coffee: a quick espresso at the bar, standing, no nonsense—pay 1 euro and you’re out. When I’m in Rome, I fully adapt to that. But when I’m in Amsterdam, I switch to a more “Northern-European” style: longer coffees, more milk-based, and usually something to-go.
What about eating on the go?
I probably love eating while continuing to work a bit too much. I’m a sucker for efficiency, so in Amsterdam I often eat on the go—grab something at the station and keep moving. In Rome, I slow down, sit down, and actually enjoy the meal.
In Rome, there’s this spot called Sano, più o meno (“healthy, more or less”). It’s a family-run place that makes fresh sandwiches, salads, and warm meals daily. The vibe is exactly what I need: more or less healthy, no pressure, good food. In Amsterdam, for a proper sit-down, my favourite is Zoldering.
Where do you buy groceries?
Albert Heijn, the store Dutchies love most. Or I order from Crisp, especially when I’m in between trips. Lately it’s been more like: one meal at home, then back to the airport.
That said, my favourite place to do groceries is actually in NYC when I’m there for Bunq. Brooklyn Fare is a dream—800 types of snacks I’ve never seen before, colour-coded shelves, everything perfectly arranged.
How often in a week do you dine out versus cook at home?
I eat out quite a bit—usually at least twice a week—but I also love cooking healthy stuff when I can. In Rome, it’s more common to go out for dinner during the week to catch up with friends or family, so I’ve definitely picked up that habit. It’s about the food, of course —but even more about being in the moment.
What would be a typical work outfit for you?
When I’m not speaking on stage: jeans, loafers, oversized shirts. We’re a real tech company—people wear whatever makes them feel comfortable.
The treats
How do you unwind from the top job?
Sports keep me sane. I’ve done them at a high level: Synchronized swimming, kickboxing, and now I run marathons. I usually work out in the morning (and get up ridiculously early), so after work I can actually hang out with friends and my dog, Nacho. I recently rekindled my love for Pilates, like half the planet apparently.
I also love learning new languages (I speak five, although to be honest, they start to blur after four—I just go with whatever language shows up in my brain mid-sentence). And I love reading, even if I wish I had more time for it. Right now, I’m in the middle of “A Little Life” by Hanya Yanagihara – just a light, uplifting read… kidding. But it’s beautiful.
How do you treat yourself when you get a promotion?
I usually end up with a new challenge to tackle. That’s my version of a reward, something new to learn, build, or figure out. It keeps things interesting and keeps me moving forward
Take us on holiday with you, what’s next on your vacation list?
The Dolomites, Italy. Hiking during the day, spa in the evening. I’ve never been, so I’m really looking forward to it. After that, I’m off to Curaçao for a wedding. One of the perks of having lots of international friends: I get to turn their weddings into little adventures.
I’m all about exploring new places—there’s still so much out there I haven’t seen. No holiday home (yet); I like the freedom of staying on the move. I travel a lot for work too, so I’ll often bring a friend along and turn it into a mini adventure. Work during the day, explore the city at night—it’s a pretty good setup.
How many days annual leave do you take a year?
I do try to take proper time off, but in reality, I often just answer emails from better-looking places. It comes with the job (and honestly, I like it). I find that a change of scenery gives me fresh ideas and helps me stay focused. I’m not great at sitting still anyway. For me, it’s less about switching off and more about switching perspective.
Fortune wants to hear from leaders on what their “Good Life” looks like. Get in touch: orianna.royle@fortune.com
While Europe is pushing back publicly against U.S. President Donald Trump over Greenland, the language appears softer behind the scenes.
Trump published a text message on Tuesday that he received from French President Emmanuel Macron, confirmed as genuine by Macron’s office.
Starting with “My friend,” Macron’s tone was more deferential than the criticism that France and some of its European partner nations are openly voicing against Trump’s push to wrest Greenland from NATO ally Denmark.
Before broaching the Greenland dispute, Macron opted in his message to first talk about other issues where he and Trump seem roughly on the same page.
“We are totally in line on Syria. We can do great things on Iran,” the French leader wrote in English.
Then, he added: “I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland,” immediately followed by: “Let us try to build great things.”
That was the only mention that Macron made of the semi-autonomous Danish territory in the two sections of message that Trump published. It wasn’t immediately clear from Trump’s post when he received the message.
Trump breaks with tradition
World leaders’ private messages to each other rarely make it verbatim into the public domain — enabling them to project one face publicly and another to each other.
But Trump — as is his wont across multiple domains — is casting traditions and diplomatic niceties to the wind and, in the process, lifting back the curtain on goings-on that usually aren’t seen.
This week, a text message that Trump sent to Norway’s prime minister also became public, released by the Norwegian government and confirmed by the White House.
In it, Trump linked his aggressive stance on Greenland to last year’s decision not to award him the Nobel Peace Prize.
“Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace,” the message read.
It concluded, “The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland.”
On Tuesday, Trump also published a flattering message from Mark Rutte, secretary general of NATO, which the alliance also confirmed as authentic.
“I am committed to finding a way forward on Greenland,” Rutte wrote. “Can’t wait to see you. Yours, Mark.”
Rutte has declined to speak publicly about Greenland despite growing concern about Trump’s threats to “acquire” the island and what that would mean for the territorial integrity of NATO ally Denmark. Pressed last week about Trump’s designs on Greenland and warnings from Denmark that any U.S. military action might mean the end of NATO, Rutte said: “I can never comment on that. That’s impossible in public.”
Macron’s relationship with Trump
Macron likes to say that he can get Trump on the phone any time he wants. He proved it last September by making a show of calling up the president from a street in New York, to tell Trump that police officers were blocking him to let a VIP motorcade pass.
“Guess what? I’m waiting in the street because everything is frozen for you!” Macron said as cameras filmed the scene.
It’s a safe bet that Macron must know by now — a year into Trump’s second spell in office — that there’s always a risk that a private message to Trump could be made public.
Macron said Tuesday that he had “no particular reaction” to the message’s publication when a journalist asked him about it.
“I take responsibility for everything that I do. It’s my habit to be coherent between what I say on the outside and what I do in a private manner. That’s all.”
Still, the difference between Macron’s public and private personas was striking.
Hosting Russia and Ukraine together
Most remarkably, the French leader told Trump in his message that he would be willing to invite representatives from both Ukraine and Russia to a meeting later this week in Paris — an idea that Macron has not voiced publicly.
The Russians could be hosted “in the margins,” Macron suggested, hinting at the potential awkwardness of inviting Moscow representatives while France is also backing Ukraine with military and other support against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
Macron wrote that the meeting could also include “the danish, the syrians” and the G7 nations — which include the United States.
The French president added: “let us have a dinner together in Paris together on thursday before you go back to the us.”
He then signed off simply with “Emmanuel.”
Making nice only goes so far
Despite Macron’s persistent efforts, in both of Trump’s terms, not to ruffle his feathers, any payback has been mixed, at best.
“Well, nobody wants him because he’s going to be out of office very soon,” Trump told reporters, even through the French leader has more than a year left in office before the end of his second and last term in 2027.
“I’ll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes and he’ll join,” Trump said.
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Lorne Cook in Brussels, Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Kostya Manenkov in Davos contributed.
If you want to think like a billionaire, you might want to stop scrolling on TikTok and pick up a book. For venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, it’s not just a habit—it’s how he makes sense of the world and continually reshapes his thinking about business.
“I’ve always been like this, I’m reading basically every spare minute that I have,” Andreessen told the How I Write podcast in 2023.
The billionaire previously carved out two hours of reading time on most weekdays, according to a detailed version of his weekly schedule he published in 2020. However, with the business world only becoming more pressurized, he’s ramped up his knowledge intake—something made possible from “the single biggest technological leap” in his life: AirPods.
Andreessen now spends two to three hours a day glued to audiobooks—typically alternating between histories, biographies, and material in new subject areas like artificial intelligence. Collectively, his practice amounts to nearly an entire 24-hour day dedicated to learning, each week.
Research suggests that listeners retain roughly the same amount of information from audiobooks as they do from reading text, making Andreessen’s shift in format less a compromise than an optimization.
“If nothing else is going on,” Andreessen added. “I’m always listening to something.”
Andreessen didn’t respond to Fortune’s request for further comment.
Mark Cuban and Bill Gates agree: reading will drive you to success
Andreessen’s approach is far from unusual among the ultra-wealthy. Reading ranks as the most commonly cited behavior tied to long-term success, according to a JPMorgan report that surveyed more than 100 billionaires with a combined net worth exceeding $500 billion.
Bill Gates, for example, has long championed reading—often finishing 50 books a year and releasing annual lists to encourage others to do the same.
“Reading fuels a sense of curiosity about the world, which I think helped drive me forward in my career and in the work that I do now with my foundation,” he told TIME in 2017.
Former Shark Tank star Mark Cuban has similarly cited reading as a critical habit that helped set him apart—and put him on the billionaire path.
“I read more than three hours almost every day,” Cuban wrote on his blog in 2011.
“Everything I read was public,” the now 67-year-old added. “Anyone could buy the same books and magazines. The same information was available to anyone who wanted it. Turns out most people didn’t want it.”
Reading, as a whole, remains a cornerstone of nuanced thinking and communication—skills that are increasingly critical for business leaders, according to Brooke Vuckovic, a professor at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.
“Reading long-form fiction, biography, and history demands focused attention, tolerance with ambiguity and unanswered questions or unrevealed nuance in characters and situations, and a willingness to have our preconceptions upended,” Vuckovic previously told Fortune. “All of these qualities are requirements of strong leadership [and] they are in increasingly short supply.”
EZ-Pass final reminder: you have an outstanding toll. Such texts have become all too familiar to many Americans, and it is a Chinese-backed criminal network that is largely behind them. These scammers are using crypto to steal a record $17 billion from regular people, according to Chainalysis’s recent report.
The severity of this fraud has reached the attention of the U.S. government. On Wednesday, Jacqueline Burns Koven, the head of cyber threat intelligence at Chainalysis, spoke in front of the Senate about the increase of this criminal activity, and how the U.S. can combat it. Her testimony was titled, ‘Made in China, Paid by Seniors: Stopping the Surge of International Scams.’
“Scams that leverage cryptocurrency are having a record year in terms of proceeds,” Burns Koven said, in an interview with Fortune. “The Chinese scam conglomerates are the market leaders in criminal fintech. They’ve been doing this for a long time.”
The estimated $17 billion received in crypto scams is up from about 30% from last year, according to the report. These operations have become increasingly sophisticated and include the use of AI-generated deepfakes. Crypto is an essential part of the operation because the criminals frequently use digital currencies to finance their scamming operations, such as purchasing tools like SMS phishing kits.
Nefarious actors have leaned heavily on impersonation techniques, where they pose as legitimate organizations to coerce victims into paying digitally. The most well-known example of this is the EZ-Pass phishing campaign, which targeted millions of Americans. The operation was traced back to a Chinese-speaking criminal group called “Darcula”, which also has a history of impersonating the USPS.
While 2025 also saw a record number of crypto seizures by law enforcement, Burns Koven says that government and industry responses are still fragmented and reactive. Just as criminals are using advanced technology for scams, both the public and private sector could use AI to block these messages from appearing on people’s phones. Also, with criminals using crypto to facilitate these scams and because these transactions are public on the blockchain, this makes it easier to identify criminal networks and disrupt activity.
“Scammers are taking advantage of the disjointed and reactive responses from both the public and private sector,” she said. “We need to use advanced technologies like AI enabled fraud prevention, to prevent a human being from ever being in contact with that scam in the first place.”
Fraud usually never sleeps, but these Chinese criminal networks actually do take breaks. Chainalysis and other researchers found a dip in criminal activity during the Chinese New Year and other of the country’s public holidays.
Politics8 years ago