Head of Compliance, Netherlands

About the team:

At Aspire, we understand the importance of maintaining a strong culture of Compliance to protect our organization and ensure the trust of our customers. Our Compliance Team is at the forefront of identifying and addressing regulatory risks, implementing controls, and ensuring that our policies and procedures align with regulatory requirements. This allows Aspire to stay ahead of evolving regulations, proactively identifying potential risks and developing comprehensive risk mitigation strategies, hence contributing to our long-term success.

About the role:

You are an experienced Compliance professional with experience in the Payment Services, FinTech, Banking or Financial Services industries, and have a strong track record of execution of Compliance programs. You will play a critical role in working with the Global Head of Compliance (based in Singapore) to develop a regulatory framework and compliance program for Aspire’s payment products and services as it prepares to scale its operations in Europe.

You will be closely supporting Aspire’s Global Head of Compliance which includes dealing with any and all regulatory and compliance matters, such as designing compliance strategies in line with legal requirements and guidelines, drafting and implementing policies, SOPs, systems, governance, internal controls, and support Aspire in complying with our regulatory obligations.

What will you be doing?

• Develop our Netherlands Compliance and AML programs to meet the needs of local regulators.
• Act as a subject matter expert on compliance matters in the Netherlands.
• Act as a key stakeholder for our Netherlands license application projects.
• Develop, maintain, and enforce corporate compliance policies and procedures, including risk assessments.
• Establish, chair and report to appropriate governance structures including working groups and committees.
• On a regular basis, report and advise the organization’s Executive Risk Committee and Board of Directors. Minimum Qualifications:
• At least 10 years of experience in senior compliance roles within regulated companies.
• Strong knowledge of Compliance topics (KYB/KYC, AML/CFT, Sanctions, etc.).
• Good understanding of the Payments/Fintech industry, especially in the Netherlands.
• Deep knowledge of the regulations and guidelines set by the De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) for electronic money institutions, including safeguarding, reporting, and supervision requirements.
• Familiarity with the Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2) and its implementation in the Netherlands, including requirements for strong customer authentication (SCA) and operational resilience.
• Experience with the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) and its role in overseeing market conduct and compliance within the financial services sector.
• Regulatory Expertise in Dutch Financial Law including DNB Regulations, PSD2 Knowledge and AFM Requirements:
• Experience interacting with DNB, including responding to regulatory inquiries, audits, and ensuring timely and accurate regulatory reporting.
• Strong knowledge of the Dutch Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Prevention Act (Wwft) and relevant European regulations, with experience implementing and overseeing AML/CFT compliance programs.
• Strong analytical skills and experience in problem-solving and implementing solutions.
• Team player with collaborative qualities and experience or willingness to build, lead, and motivate a team.
• Willingness to learn continuously and stay updated with the Payments industry and regulatory landscape globally. Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience in a FinTech Scale Up
• Experience in compliance across other European countries a plus