Head of Compliance, Europe

Xe.com; Amsterdam; On-site; EUR 130,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Xe.com is seeking a Head of Compliance to lead the European compliance function, oversee licensing with Dutch authorities, and drive governance across the EU regulatory perimeter. You will manage financial crime risk, liaise with regulators (DNB/AFM), and partner with product and engineering to deliver compliant solutions in a fast-evolving fintech environment.

The role requires extensive experience in FX/payments/EMI-PI compliance, strong leadership, and excellent English communication.

Qualifications

• 8+ years experience in compliance within FX, payments, EMI/PI or similar regulated environments.
• At least 2 years in a senior Compliance role, with readiness to act as dagelijks beleidsbepaler / MLRO.
• Strong knowledge of Wft, PSD2, PSD3/PSR, Wwft, Sanctiewet 1977, EMD2, DORA, EBA Guidelines, AMLR and AMLD6.
• Excellent communication skills in English (Dutch preferred).
• Strong people management and stakeholder engagement experience.

Responsibilities

• Maintain the entity's Dutch licence in good standing with DNB
• Execute the compliance roadmap supporting expansion across the EU
• Lead the next stage of licensing, including adding new services
• Stay ahead of regulatory developments
• Own the financial crime and regulatory risk framework end-to-end
• Oversee first-line teams and act as senior decision-maker on high-risk matters
• Act as the compliance lead with DNB, FIU and Dutch authorities
• Build and maintain relationships with key financial partners such as banks, safeguarding providers and card issuers
• Represent compliance at Board and Risk Committee level
• Participate in industry forums and working groups
• Partner with business, product and engineering teams to deliver compliant products efficiently
• Support the EU compliance team and promote a strong compliance culture

Skills

Regulatory leadership

PSD2/EMI/PI expertise

English communication

Financial crime risk

Job description

About Us

At Xe, we live currencies. We believe that behind every currency exchange, query or transaction is a person or business trying to accomplish something important. We work together to develop new and better currency services that put our customers first.

Description

About Us

At Xe, we live currencies. We believe that behind every currency exchange, query or transaction is a person or business trying to accomplish something important. We work together to develop new and better currency services that put our customers first. Xe was one of the first businesses built on the internet, having begun its life in Canada in 1993 as Xenon Laboratories. Our Universal Currency Converter was launched in 1995 and has grown into one of the most popular currency sites in the world, with over 280 million users worldwide. In 2015, Xe was purchased by Euronet Worldwide, Inc. (Nasdaq: EEFT), and joined forces with Euronet's HiFX brand, a leading international money transfer business. This enabled us to offer Xe users access to reliable money transfer services alongside currency information. Today, our platform is used by thousands of businesses, from small-to-medium-sized enterprises to Fortune 500 companies. We continue to have ambitious growth plans as we work towards becoming the world's most used, most loved and most trusted currency exchange service, helping more than a billion people globally. Our main goal is to expand our full product offering and become a key player within the fintech industry across currency and international payments. We are proud of what we do and how we do it, but most importantly why we are here. We empower people to know more and do better, because behind every currency exchange, query or transaction is a person trying to accomplish something important.

Job Overview

The Head of Compliance (HOC) is a Controlled Function under De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) and the Autoriteit Financiele Markten (AFM), and is put forward as dagelijks beleidsbepaler (day-to-day policymaker) for Compliance and as MLRO for the EU regulated entity in the Netherlands. Reporting into the Compliance Director EMEA, the HOC is responsible for Xe's European financial crime management, governance and compliance function. This role drives and embeds quality practices to ensure systems and procedural excellence and effective regulatory planning across the EU regulatory perimeter. In collaboration with other HOCs, you will drive key strategic projects to create and control all types of account-based products across the EU. We are seeking a highly analytical, forward-thinking professional with strong industry knowledge in Payment Institutions and Electronic Money Institutions (EMIs), digital payments, and financial product ecosystems under PSD2 (and the move toward PSD3/PSR), the Wet op het financieel toezicht (Wft) and the Wet ter voorkoming van witwassen en financieren van terrorisme (Wwft). The ideal candidate balances risk, licensing and regulatory priorities, demonstrates sound judgement and cross-functional decision-making, and brings a proactive, innovation-driven mindset in a fast-evolving fintech environment. Compliance must evolve with a changing world to make a meaningful impact. A product- and systems-driven mindset will help drive automation while ensuring client money is safeguarded where it matters most. A key priority will be to build strong relationships with DNB and AFM, maintaining open communication with regulators and industry counterparties (Holland FinTech, MoneyMoves NL, EMA) to identify and apply best practices.

What You Will Do

Regulatory Compliance and Licensing

• Maintain the entity's Dutch licence in good standing with DNB
• Execute the compliance roadmap supporting expansion across the EU
• Lead the next stage of licensing, including adding new services
• Stay ahead of regulatory developments

Risk and Governance

• Own the financial crime and regulatory risk framework end-to-end
• Oversee first-line teams and act as senior decision-maker on high-risk matters

External Relationships and Board Engagement

• Act as the compliance lead with DNB, FIU and Dutch authorities
• Build and maintain relationships with key financial partners such as banks, safeguarding providers and card issuers
• Represent compliance at Board and Risk Committee level
• Participate in industry forums and working groups

Business and Product Partnership

• Partner with business, product and engineering teams to deliver compliant products efficiently

Team and Culture

• Support the EU compliance team and promote a strong compliance culture

Who You Are

• 8+ years experience in compliance within FX, payments, EMI/PI or similar regulated environments
• At least 2 years in a senior Compliance role, with readiness to act as dagelijks beleidsbepaler / MLRO
• Strong knowledge of Wft, PSD2, PSD3/PSR, Wwft, Sanctiewet 1977, EMD2, DORA, EBA Guidelines, AMLR and AMLD6
• Proactive, with strong ownership and decision-making capability
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Excellent communication skills in English (Dutch preferred)
• Strong people management and stakeholder engagement experience

Minimum Requirements

EMI / PI Knowledge and Expertise

• Strong understanding of Payment Institution and Electronic Money Institution frameworks under PSD2 and EMD2
• Knowledge of outsourcing models, third-party risk and regulatory expectations

Product Knowledge - Electronic Money and Payments

• Strong knowledge of electronic money products, including:
• Payment cards (debit, prepaid, virtual)
• Virtual IBANs and account structures (SEPA Inst, SCT, SDD)
• Product integrations (card processors, banking partners, payment rails, wallets)
• Data-driven and analytical approach to decision-making
• Experience overseeing critical outsourcing arrangements, including:
• Card processors and BIN sponsors
• Banking partners and safeguarding accounts
• Core banking providers
• Fraud and transaction monitoring vendors