Head of Compliance, Europe
Key Skills
Job Description
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
Core Responsibilities
Lead Xe’s European compliance and financial crime functions, maintain the Dutch regulatory licence, and oversee regulatory risk, governance, and licensing expansion across the EU. Serve as the compliance lead with regulators and financial partners, advise the Board and Risk Committee, and work with business and product teams to deliver compliant payment products while supporting the EU compliance team.
Requirements
Requires at least eight years of compliance experience in FX, payments, EMI/PI, or a similar regulated environment, including at least two years in a senior compliance role and readiness to serve as day-to-day policymaker and MLRO. Candidates should have strong knowledge of relevant Dutch and EU financial regulations, electronic money and payment products, outsourcing and third-party risk, and demonstrate analytical, decision-making, communication, and people-management skills; Dutch is preferred.
About Xe.com
Industry: Financial Services
Company size: 501-1,000 employees
At Xe, we live currencies. We provide a comprehensive range of currency services and products, including our Currency Converter, Market Analysis, Currency Data API and quick, easy, secure Money Transfers for individuals and businesses. We leverage technology to deliver these services through our website, mobile apps and over the phone. Last year, we helped nearly 300 million people access information about the currencies that matter to them and over 350,000 people used us to send money overseas. Thousands of businesses relied on us for information about the currency markets, advice on managing their foreign exchange risk or trusted us with their business-critical international payments. At Xe, we share the belief that behind every currency exchange, query or transaction is a person or business trying to accomplish something important, so we work together to develop new and better currency services that put our customers first. We are proud to be part of Euronet Worldwide (Nasdaq: EEFT), a global leader in processing secure electronic financial transactions. Xe is part of the Money Transfer Division of Euronet and is the unification of HiFX and Xe.com. Dandelion Payments, Inc. dba Xe USA is registered as a Money Services Business with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and is licensed as a Money Transmitter by the Department of Financial Services of the State of New York; licensed by the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance, NMLS ID 920968; licensed as a Foreign Transmittal Agency by the Massachusetts Division of Banks (License Number FT920968); Licensed by the Connecticut Department of Banking, NMLS MT-920968; and authorized to operate as a money transmitter in all United States jurisdictions where it conducts business.