The World We Share: Meet Kenan Haskovic

Kenan Haskovic is not just the Vice President of Euronet’s Compliance and Digital Products, he is also a child of migration, perseverance and hope.

In this new instalment of The World We Share, we sat down with Kenan to discuss his family’s escape from the civil war in Yugoslavia, his dream as a child to later work for a money transfer company, and how migration has influenced his current mindset. To get the full story, make sure to watch the video at the end of the article.

Key Takeaways

▪ Kenan Haskovic’s migration story highlights resilience, displacement, and the lasting impact of growing up as a child of war and migration.

▪ Staying connected to cultural roots is central to migrant identity, even as belonging evolves across generations and borders.

▪ Many migrants experience a sense of in‑between belonging, feeling both at home and like outsiders when returning to their country of origin.

▪ Living abroad can be transformative, fostering personal growth, cultural awareness, and deeper alignment with one’s values.

▪ Money transfers and remittances play a critical role in supporting migrant families, especially in times of crisis.

▪ Blending cultural influences can shape a balanced migrant mindset—family‑first, ambitious, and focused on enjoying everyday life.

Fleeing the War as a Child

Kenan was born in Bosnia in the late 1980s. His life started in Sarajevo, Bosnia’s capital city, surrounded by his parents and his sister. At the time, Bosnia was one of the six republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a country in Central and Southeast Europe, established following World War II. But when Kenan was a child, the war erupted in Yugoslavia, and on the 5th of April 1992, hostilities broke out in his birth country. The city of Sarajevo was under siege for 1,425 days, making it the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare.

So, when he was six years old, Kenan and his family escaped the war to find safety in the Netherlands. “We had to flee through a tunnel that was built underground,” he recalls. To reach their final destination, the family had to endure a long bus drive through the rugged mountain terrain and pass through multiple checkpoints along the way. A journey that takes two and a half hours by plane today took the Haskovic family more than two weeks. “It’s not that big in distance, it was just really, really hard to get out of here”, explains Kenan.

Living through a civil war and escaping from it is a different experience for children than it is for adults. “From my point of view as a kid, I didn’t really realize what was happening,” Kenan observes. “But when I speak to my mom, I know that it was really, really tough.”

Despite the hardships they faced, it was their parents’ unwavering strength and sacrifice that ultimately gave Kenan and his sister the chance to grow up in a safe and hopeful environment.

Staying Connected to Your Roots

When Kenan’s family left Bosnia, they maintained strong ties with the country. “Actually, as soon as the war ended, we went back to visit the family there,” Kenan recalls. “My parents felt a deep responsibility to care for the people who were still there.” This meant that, for the first few years, the family would only cover their basic needs. The rest would be sent back home or used to fund visits.

Over the years, the family has tried to stay connected to their loved ones in Bosnia as well as uphold their cultural ties. How successful they have been is “really hard to measure” according to Kenan. While he and his sister still listen to Bosnian music, his nieces, born in the Netherlands, listen exclusively to American and Dutch music. “It’s one of those cultural connections that tend to fade if you’re not born in the country,” says Kenan. “It affects the type of movies you watch, the type of jokes you make…”

Additionally, being born in a country doesn’t automatically guarantee a lifelong sense of belonging. Migration and living abroad can profoundly change a person, making even those who grew up there feel like visitors when they return. Kenan has experienced this dynamic before. “Every time I travel to Bosnia, I feel super at home, but I am still very distinct from the people who stayed there,” Kenan explains. “I think it’s a very common feeling for a lot of people who moved to a new country.”

To this day, the Haskovic family remains strongly attached to Bosnia, with Kenan’s mom visiting every year and now retiring in her own apartment there, bought by Kenan himself. “That is by far what I am the most proud of,” he explains, visibly moved.

Moving Abroad and Discovering the World

In 2017, Kenan moved from the Netherlands to Spain. This time, the move was organized to pursue his Ria career at the company’s European headquarters in Madrid. “I would say it’s the best decision I have ever made in my life,” Kenan notes. “It opened up my eyes to how big and different the world is.”

In his new host country, Kenan also found something unexpected: by stepping outside his comfort zone, he actually reconnected with his authentic self. Kenan discovered that, just like Bosnian culture, Spanish culture places great importance on family. “All of a sudden, things that felt kind of abnormal in my Dutch childhood became completely normal again.” For Kenan, feeling out of place often doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you, but rather that your surroundings don’t reflect who you truly are.

Now that Kenan lives away from his family in the Netherlands, he uses some tips to avoid feeling disconnected from them. “The tradition is that every day, when I come back from work, I start cooking and videocall them,” Kenan explains smiling. “I tell them about my day, they tell me about theirs, and we go through it all together.” Kenan also mentions how lucky he is to be only a two hour and a half flight away from his past two homes, the Netherlands and Bosnia. “There are a lot of people whose families live on the other side of the ocean, so they don’t get to see them every few months or every year”, he reflects. “This makes me very privileged.”

The Impact of Money Transfers

For Kenan, things have not only come full circle culturally but also professionally. 

When we ask Kenan about his career at Ria, he recalls when his family escaped the war. During their long and difficult journey to safety, the Haskovics received helped from an uncle in Germany who sent them money. This was life-changing, as the family couldn’t work to earn money but still needed to buy food. “If he hadn’t sent us that money, maybe I wouldn’t be in the position I am today,” explains Kenan. “So I am deeply tied to the mission of money transfer.”

Kenan revealed that he had always wanted to work in this field, surely influenced by this chapter of his life. “When I was a kid, I’m not making this up, I always thought I would end up working for a money transfer company”, he shares smiling. “After I started working, it was everything I expected, and a little bit more.”

With presence in 200 countries and territories, Ria helps millions of migrants send money to their loved ones, including individuals in vulnerable countries where remittances are a lifeline.

Thriving as a Migrant

When you have lived in different countries, it’s very likely that you have picked up on different cultural elements from those places. Kenan surely has. From Bosnia, he kept the importance of family. He is really attached to this value and says it is engraved in him forever. From the Netherlands, he kept a strong sense of fairness, and a desire to strive for greatness. Kenan finds the Dutch society remarkable, and an incredible example of excellence. From Spain, he kept the overall lifestyle. For him, out of the three countries he has lived in, Spain is where people enjoy life the most. “So I’m trying to be family-first, to be as productive and hard working as possible, and I try to enjoy my life as much as I can,” Kenan concludes.

Beyond embracing those cultural aspects, Kenan’s lived experiences have also shaped his current mindset. According to him, it is in everyone’s best interest to live more in the present and enjoy their everyday life. It’s very normal to want to do as good as possible, as fast as possible, but for Kenan, this mindset is a “superpower you can practice”. It is important to find the good in simple moments like watching a movie, reading a book or even doing groceries. “If you can keep that hunger, that passion and drive to go forward, but at the same time you find a way to reflect and enjoy the moment itself, I think it’s going to make you a happier person,” Kenan explains. You can tell he’s been working at Ria for many years, deeply resonating with our mission to “open ways for a better everyday life.”

Need to send money to a loved one abroad? Download our app, go to our website or visit a Ria location to get started.

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