And just like that, we’re into our 10th year. We’d love to say this was all part of a carefully mapped-out master plan. A neat trajectory from startup to established agency, guided by strategy decks and five-year forecasts. But that’s not how it was. Like all new enterprises, you never quite know what you’re getting yourself into, which is probably a good thing. Founder-directors, Charlotte Day and Niki Nikolaou met while working in the marketing department of a well-known forex broker. Niki had just come back from maternity leave, and newly-hired Charlotte, had swiped her fancy office chair… ooops! But like all good rom-coms, misunderstandings led to something beautiful and 18 months later, they were setting up their own company.
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting so many good people over my over my near 50 years in the FX and fintech industry, and Niki and Charlotte at Contentworks are two of my favourites. Contentworks combine a very deep understanding of the industry, with all of its geographical quirks, with a knack for communicating fresh ideas that truly resonates with clients. I wish them huge congratulations and continued success on their tenth anniversary, and confidently provide my highest recommendation for their services. – Tom O’Reilly, Institutional Global Sales and Business Development
Working Out What Contentworks Was
To be honest, we had a distinct advantage when it came to setting up a marketing agency. And this might sound somewhat obvious. We were (and are) marketers. We’ve seen many talented entrepreneurs and startups struggle to get off the ground due to lack of knowing how to communicate and market their offering/product.
We knew at the start what we wanted to be and the services we felt confident in offering. And only a few things have changed over the years. Digging into our first business plan we had written “Financial content doesn’t have to be boring”. At the time that was all we saw, the same generic, non-distinguishable content. If we had a dime every time we saw “trade anywhere, anytime” promoting the broker’s mobile app, we’d be eating a lot more cake.
Here’s also what we said about ourselves 10 years ago:
Led by experienced financial marketers, our marketing agency delivers strategy & consulting, forex analysis, content marketing, social media, PPC, video marketing, PR and reputation management. Our financial content is well researched and compliant, which is why Contentworks Agency is trusted by leading forex, fintech and banking brands.
Again, not much has changed. We set out to build a boutique financial marketing agency that prioritised long-term relationships over short-term wins. We aimed to retain clients through consistently high-quality work and hands-on support by the directors, rather than chasing the next sale and churning through accounts. Growth was never about magnitude, but about building something stable, reputable, and that we would be happy to say “we did that!”
Niki and Charlotte have been a trusted partner for years. From Revolut to Snappi and other exciting projects, I always felt I was in good hands when it comes to creativity, professionalism and high quality content. Contentworks is a boutique agency that gives clients full support, from strategy to execution, they have consistently delivered results as promised. Highly recommended if you’re in the Fintech space! – Dimitris Litsikakis, Corporate Development Director
The Early Days: Fast, Carefree, and Slightly Chaotic
Charlotte comes from Surrey England with a publishing/English literature background. Niki from the land of down under (NZ. Not! Australia) and an eclectic theatre resume. They met in Cyprus and recognised each other’s respective talents knowing how to put them to use. Director Niki says: “Getting into a business partnership is like any personal relationship. There are always decisions to be made and you don’t always see eye-to-eye with your partner. Success comes from respecting the other person’s strengths, where they are better than you, and knowing when to give way to that.”
Charlotte says: “Niki and I have always had plenty of healthy debates when it comes to trying new things. We never had any Alexis Colby/Krystle Carrington style fights but there’s still time. We’re hopeful! ”
Working with Niki and Charlotte has been a genuinely refreshing experience. They bring a different way of thinking, paired with a deep understanding of our industry that shows in the results. Not only are they highly capable, but they’re also a ray of sunshine to work with. – Nikki Carpenter, Co-Founder, Acuity Trading
Top 5 Funny Contentworks Agency Memories
Our 10 year look back wouldn’t be complete without including a few funny memories from the Contentworks Agency team. Charlotte looks back on our favourites:
#1 When we decided to give out “we want you” chocolate gift packs for our launch but it was 35 degrees in Cyprus. We delivered them ourselves in an icebox with the AC on!
#2 When Niki’s car broke down as we were due to visit one of our first potential clients. We had to borrow her Dad’s muddy pickup truck and then got stuck in a prestigious forex office car park trying to reverse it. The client was watching from the window and we did not get the job!
#3 Realising that AI note takers distribute notes from the entire meeting if you add them before the client joins the call. Luckily it was just us talking about our cats and nothing bad!
#4 More recently we were asked if we could help promote a gentleman on OnlyFans. It seems our “financial marketing” SEO went a bit wrong that week. We were also asked to market a cattle ranch, cigarette company, kebab shop, exclusive yacht club and something to do with fizzy drink ICOs. We politely declined on all of those.
#5 Walking arm in arm to an event and realising we looked like we were on the yellow brick road in The Wizard of OZ.
It’s always a pleasure working with Contentworks. The team has a strong understanding of both the retail and B2B fintech space, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them for any of your outsourced content needs. – John Lewis, CMO @ FP Markets
Becoming Blockchain Experts
Like many successful companies, a bit of luck came our way. The year we launched, was the crypto ICO boom. Charlotte and Niki saw the trend and studied like the good little nerds they are to understand what this new technology meant. Charlotte obsessed about getting bitcoin out of an ATM and Niki would roll her eyes and patiently explain why not. In actual fact, Charlotte was just ahead of her time. There was also the time they created the crypto monopoly game, only to learn they were 2 months too late and someone had already done it.
But enough of the reminiscing, why was this important? By upskilling quickly, they were able to offer advanced-level content for blockchain websites, article and white papers. And it was an absolute boon for the fledgling agency. World -renowned gamers, top-tier financial firms and multinational corporates, all came to Contentworks for videos, white papers, social media, articles and website content.
Expertise is what Contentworks came to be known for. Charlotte and Niki are often invited to speak at industry events and webinars, and create and moderate panels. The agency is media partner to most of the high-profile financial events globally. And they have always stood by the idea that knowledge should be shared openly.
Niki moderating hot seat panels at Vision Forex Forum
Great people to work with, sound advice and authoritative in their domain, professionals in every way. – Andrew Lane, CEO Acuity
Growing Up Alongside the Finance Industry
When we started, content marketing in fintech and forex was a very different landscape. Less saturated, less regulated, and often less sophisticated. Compliance is now tighter, competition is global, content expectations are higher, and AI has come stumbling into the room like the creepy Uncle nobody remembers inviting to the party.
While writing has always been at the heart of our business, it is our strategic approach to content that has enabled us to evolve and remain resilient through the latest shifts shaping the industry. Trends, platforms, and algorithms may continue to change, but our core philosophy around content marketing has remained consistent: create meaningful, audience-focused content that delivers genuine value, builds trust, and supports long-term brand growth.
What has changed is the way we apply that philosophy. We have expanded beyond content creation alone to focus on strategy, positioning, distribution, SEO, social engagement, and performance-driven storytelling. In an increasingly crowded digital landscape, success comes from creating content with purpose, relevance, and a clear role within a broader marketing ecosystem. By combining strong financial writing with strategic insight, we help brands remain credible, authoritative, and connected to their audiences.
We’ve seen:
- Binary options go and Prop trading arrive
- NFTs … well we never quite got that into those
- Cryptos rise, fall, rise, fall and fall a bit more
- SEO evolve from keyword stuffing to something far more nuanced
- Social media shift from organic reach to pay-to-play
- Forex marketing move from aggressive acquisition tactics to more regulated, trust-driven approaches
- AI go from novelty to daily tool (and overused crutch)
- Finance expos go from 50 booths to 300+ booths in mega event centres
Charli and Niki are both remarkably adept at creating all types of content with little instruction or oversight needed. Both a joy to work with. This continued with them setting up the agency, and I’ve had the pleasure to provide them with various types of projects over the years – always executed without fuss, to a high professional standard and on time. Congratulations to you both on building a premier agency for content solutions! – Dominic Poynter, COO, OneRoyal
What’s Next?
We’d love to tell you that after our planning weekend in Bali, we have a new vision, roadmap and tan. The truth is, that like our beginning, there is no ‘next 10 years’ plan. What we do know is that the industry will continue to shift and pivot and we’ll keep working to get that couch around the next corner.
We want to thank our team for their incredible reliability and dedication over the years. Our partners who have shown immeasurable trust in us. And the clients who continue to support and challenge us. Many of you are here from the beginning!
Congratulations on a decade of making markets make sense. Over the years, we’ve turned complexity into clarity and insight together. Grateful for our partnership—here’s to the agency’s next chapter. The best story is still ahead! – Avelyn Ng, Marketing Manager, Global Brokerage