Digital Bank Director

Freedom24; Paris; On-site; EUR 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Freedom24 in Paris leads a greenfield project to build a digital bank from scratch, owning strategy, licensing and team building. You will drive product, finance, and regulatory work, and scale the business across France and Europe.

You will assemble a senior executive team, design the core banking architecture with BaaS and payment rails, manage regulator interactions and risk/compliance, and champion an entrepreneurial, startup mentality across the organization.

Qualifications

• Proven experience launching a bank/neobank/fintech product from scratch, preferably in Europe.
• Understanding of French or European banking regulation; experience obtaining a banking or EMI license is a strong plus.
• Experience building a team from the ground up (hiring key executives, organizational structure).
• Background in digital banking/fintech in a senior management role (COO, startup CEO, Head of Digital Banking, Country Manager, etc.).
• Understanding of technology: core banking systems, BaaS providers, payment infrastructure, mobile development (deep understanding of product and architecture, not necessarily hands-on technical expertise).
• Fluent in French and English (French is critical for working with the regulator and hiring the local team).
• Entrepreneurial mindset: ready to work in startup mode — from strategy to operational details.

Responsibilities

• Leading the turnkey launch of a digital bank: from concept to operational go-live.
• Product and operating strategy: retail products, SME, payment services, cards, online channels.
• Fintech architecture: designing the architecture and managing development of the bank's digital platform.
• Licensing: managing the banking license application process — liaising with the regulator, consultants, and auditors.
• Operating model: building risk management, compliance, KYC/AML, and customer service processes.
• Team: building and leading the team, hiring key executives and experts.
• Finance and planning: financial and strategic planning, budget formation and execution control.
• Representation: representing the company to regulators, partners, and investors.
• Negotiations and partnerships: negotiating with vendors, fintech providers, and payment systems.

Job description

About the Company

Freedom24 is a brokerage and investment company headquartered in Cyprus, with representative offices in France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spaiт and Poland. The company provides clients with access to global stock exchanges, investment products, and brokerage services across the European market.

We are currently launching a new strategic project — a digital bank in France.

About the Project

This is a greenfield project: there is no product, team, license, or infrastructure yet — all of it needs to be built from the ground up. We are looking for a director who will take full end-to-end ownership of the project: from strategy, licensing and team building to the first customer and scaling.

Key Responsibilities

Leading the turnkey launch of a digital bank: from concept to operational go-live:

• Product and operating strategy: retail products, SME, payment services, cards, online channels.
• Fintech architecture: designing the architecture and managing development of the bank's digital platform.
• Licensing: managing the banking license application process — liaising with the regulator, consultants, and auditors.
• Operating model: building risk management, compliance, KYC/AML, and customer service processes.
• Team: building and leading the team, hiring key executives and experts.
• Finance and planning: financial and strategic planning, budget formation and execution control.
• Representation: representing the company to regulators, partners, and investors.
• Negotiations and partnerships: negotiating with vendors, fintech providers, and payment systems.

• Proven experience launching a bank/neobank/fintech product from scratch, preferably in Europe.
• Understanding of French or European banking regulation (ACPR, ECB, PSD2, AML5/6, GDPR); experience obtaining a banking or EMI license is a strong plus.
• Experience building a team from the ground up (hiring key executives, organizational structure).
• Background in digital banking/fintech in a senior management role (COO, startup CEO, Head of Digital Banking, Country Manager, etc.).
• Understanding of technology: core banking systems, BaaS providers, payment infrastructure, mobile development (deep understanding of product and architecture, not necessarily hands-on technical expertise).
• Fluent in French and English (French is critical for working with the regulator and hiring the local team).
• Entrepreneurial mindset: ready to work in startup mode — from strategy to operational details.

Nice to Have

• Personal network of contacts at ACPR/Banque de France or among licensing consultants.
• Experience working with BaaS platforms or partner banks in France.
• Experience raising investment/capital for a fintech project.

• Competitive salary and bonus scheme — the exact figure to be finalized at the final stages.
• Operational and business support from our operating hub in achieving the project's goals.
• A key leadership role in a strategically important project for the group — with real influence over architecture, product, and launch outcomes.
• Backing and resources of an established international investment group: the holding's legal, financial, HR, and IT infrastructure.
• The chance to build a bank and a team from a blank slate — a rare full-cycle launch experience for a professional at this level.