Why is Your Knowledge Taken for Granted?
Most FinTech compliance professionals feel overworked, underpaid, and unable to influence important decisions. The compliance function is often criticised for being slow, inefficient, inflexible, and not business-friendly. It is no secret that at the same level of seniority and experience, compliance managers are paid less than their peers in sales, finance, or engineering.
Why?
Because most CEOs and CFOs find it hard to quantify the value added by compliance activities, clean audits, risk ratings, or sanctions checks. Indeed, what annual bonus is justifiable when "nothing really bad happened"?
The compliance profession attracted a lot of hard-working and diligent experts who thought compliance would be a safe and respected job because it will always be needed. But what you as a regulatory expert may have discovered is that you work long hours, see little or no appreciation, deal with a lot of uncertainties, and almost everyone blames compliance for not having all the answers.
Can you relate?
- Are you a FinTech compliance expert working long hours over-preparing for audits or board presentations, over-researching regulatory nuances and double checking the content of your management updates often to find out that many of your (already minimized) recommendations are ignored, your budget requests are postponed with a comment “sure, but not now” and you are often not a part of important decisions made without you?
- Have you ever felt like you may have no reliable friends or allies within the company and cannot really share with anyone your growing concerns about the compounding risks?
- Do you think that nobody will listen if you tell them that the risks are everywhere and it’s a miracle that your management is still in business?
- Have you ever felt reluctant to make a recommendation, because you needed more information and more details to be sure that you didn’t miss anything important?
- Have you tried changing jobs hoping that the new senior management team will value and appreciate what compliance has to offer only to be disappointed in a few months?
- Do you feel capable of doing so much more but currently find yourself completely underutilized and frustrated by dysfunctional company decision-making?
- Maybe you took on more responsibilities and volunteered for new projects and you regret this decision because nobody seems to listen or takes your opinion seriously.
- Have you started/completed a few professional certifications or Oxford/Harvard/Wharton FinTech courses hoping to become more "strategic", add credibility to your voice and take your professional reputation to the next level, only to find out that you still depend on the old hierarchy and important decisions are still made by people who know much less than you?
If this feels true... then read on!
Why is Compliance Hard?
Despite all the free content, advice, and many paid seminars that exist on every single compliance topic imaginable, why is it that most startups, founders, and their compliance teams continue to be annoyed by compliance and don’t know what to do?
FinTech Founders or a CEO want to build and grow a uniquely successful business, have more customers, and launch new products. AND – never worry about compliance (ideally – never spend any money or time on compliance).
Their little "problem" is that to launch anything in FinTech you need TONS of approvals, licenses, permissions, and audits. Your regulators, banks, and partners rely on compliance information, documentation, and policies much more than they rely on financial projections, market research analysis, or innovative technology. Investors, regulators, and banks often want to know if the thing you are doing is legit before they ask when it will become profitable.
The worst possible mistake you, as a compliance leader, can make is to argue that your business should pay for compliance simply because it's required by law. Why? Because when you tell your CEO and CFO that they need to pay for something just because it's required by law, their next question will be "What is the minimum of the minimum required by law that we need and when is the latest possible date to do it?"
Once your business partners are in the cost-saving budget-reducing mode, they will never appreciate compliance because they don't see the commercial value in spending money just because it's required by law.
Most struggling compliance experts think that to get better results they need to work harder, know more about regulations, and have more resources. But the real truth is, you need to focus on a few things that make a difference for your business and do the right things at the right time.
How Can Compliance Become a Valuable Business Partner and True Enabler?
The good news is that great results, solid reputation, rewards, and success in FinTech compliance do not require you to work longer or study more regulations. Successful compliance professionals who get results and reap impressive financial benefits all follow very similar foundational principles around how they prioritize important goals and refuse to be taken for granted.
The bad news is that most people don’t know or don’t apply this simple framework and as a result keep struggling and changing jobs.
You could learn from successful experiences, examples, and case studies of other FinTech experts who are well rewarded by their companies, respected and constantly referred to new projects or invited to join boards of directors, who find time and energy to write and publish books, who own small but valuable stakes at up-and-coming FinTech startups, all of that without sacrificing health, sanity or personal time and without being pushy, aggressive or having massive networks.
In my years of working in FinTech compliance, I came to believe that the majority of people don’t realize that the “just in time” (and not “just in case”) approach is the new most efficient way to get things done, create a professional track record and be paid well in FinTech compliance.
Think about it… If you work hard in FinTech compliance, you have probably failed multiple times already at the “just in case” approach, where you prepare for all possible risks and document all possible gaps, and assess multiple adverse consequences, but nobody ever promotes or grants you a salary increase you for doing this. Quite the opposite, since this is your only income, you may find yourself working longer and longer, while your management is never satisfied and blames compliance for being too slow and inefficient no matter what you do.
You’d love to diversify your income, become a board member, learn something new, and explore how to become a speaker or teacher, but you keep putting this off until you have more time and energy.
Every successful professional will tell you that to get paid well for your know-how and have options to choose from, you need a track record of proven results created by you in your field for more than just one company. This trusted name and reputation in the industry will convey legitimacy, professionalism, and authority. It will allow you to stand out in the noisy space amongst the sea of amateurs.
Being able to consistently get things done and deliver results is what forms the core of your reputation, and this professional identity is the one thing that catapults real experts to new levels of success.
If allows you to choose projects you love, it gives you the confidence to ask for resources you need, and it also allows you to diversify your income and explore other opportunities because you no longer need to justify your value.
A lot of compliance people who are new in their roles or otherwise insecure about their positions, hesitate to act because they are afraid to make a mistake and lose their credibility. They have this crazy idea that it’s better not to make progress and delay the decision rather than make a mistake. However, if you want to build your professional reputation and create better opportunities for yourself, you need to learn how to get things done even with incomplete information and limited resources, you must act with the imperfect information you have. There is no way of getting things done without action and the best news of all is that when you apply just-in-time compliance principles, you will see that action will create clarity.
Another common mistake: many struggling compliance professionals hope to get appreciated and valued by trying to demonstrate to their management how complex and difficult and serious compliance challenges can be. The real truth is that your success in compliance will come easier and faster when you find a way to demonstrate to your management that compliance can be easy, simple, and actionable.
"Just in Time" compliance is similar to applying the 80/20 Pareto principle to your work or, in other words...
Do Less Better... and spend the extra time on building your expert authority and recognition!
So
- If you are a FinTech regulatory or compliance expert who has a lot to offer and sees that your old ways of doing compliance are no longer working,
- If you no longer want to be overworked, underutilized and waste time on projects that never got approved,
- If you are ready to FINALLY make time to build your industry reputation, get strategic about reaching more people, becoming a board member, a lecturer, or a public speaker, or otherwise creating an expert name for yourself so that you have better professional opportunities and can diversify your income by applying the “just in time” principles,
I’m excited to be able to help you gain clarity and confidence about your next steps toward expanding and accelerating your professional growth!
INTRODUCING
FINTECH COMPLIANCE COLLECTIVE
Compliance Collective is a monthly group coaching experience limited to 30 participants and built on two main pillars: individual coaching calls with me each month and group monthly Office Hours where you can ask me and other participants any questions about your “situation” or a problem that makes you feel stuck.
BONUS 1 - VISIBILITY: Get instant access to the Compliance Accelerator recorded training focused on networking skills, building authority, and establishing your credibility in FinTech (valued at 1200 EUR and FREE for you):
- Changing jobs in FinTech Compliance. Strategies for resume building, interview conversations, assessing whether this company is a right fit for you.
- How to find and secure board seats and paid advisory roles with FinTech startups.
- How to select your specialization or expert niche within FinTech compliance so that you get known for your signature know-how and start sharing your unique perspective and insights.
- How to start building relationships with media, industry experts, and influencers
- How to engage with your growing audience, create a following, and build your future clients’ pipeline.
- NEW! How to optimize your LinkedIn profile and earn the Top LinkedIn Voice status within your category.
BONUS 2 - TIME SAVERS: Instant access to recorded trainings helping you master and implement two most misunderstood compliance projects of all times (valued at 600 EUR and FREE for you):
- implementing FATCA/CRS requirements (for your own customers and for you as a bank client completing the 8W BEN E form);
- completing due diligence reviews of your financial partners (to avoid the next Wirecard, FTX, or SVB situation).
BONUS 3 - STAY UP-TO-DATE: for each month you remain a member of the Compliance Collective you will be granted an access to one of our 12 Project Management Workshops from the list below (valued at 297 EUR each and FREE for you). You choose which one and in which order.
- Annual Compliance Reporting
- FinTech Licensing for Self-Starters
- How to Open Bank Accounts
- FinTech Business Wide Risk Assessment
- Structuring White-label Solutions in FinTech. Choosing White-Label vs Licensing
- E2E Scope of Crypto Compliance (including a special training on how to comply with Apple and Google Appstore requirements for crypto activities)
- Faster Onboarding of Corporate Clients
- Creating your Privacy Policy and GDPR Compliance
- Managing Outsourcing Documentation
- MICA implementation
- Managing Compliance Resources and Compliance Budget
- Preparing your FinTech for external AML, operational and other audits
How It Works
Let me show you what’s waiting for you once you join the Compliance Collective:
- Office Hours calls on the 1st working day of each month. Previous and ongoing recordings available.
- Scheduled 1:1 calls - 60 minutes each month + Email / Whatsapp support.
- Instant access to the Compliance Accelerator
What current students and alumni say...
I’ve got so much to share about Yana and her impact on my professional journey! About a year ago, I randomly stumbled upon Yana's podcast just by searching ‘compliance’ in Spotify, and I got hooked instantly. I couldn't wait for the next episode each week; it was like a revelation to me. I come from a legal background, and my mindset was all about being conservative, risk-averse, and disconnected from the business. But then Yana's podcast changed everything. I was shocked when I first heard that compliance should genuinely care about the business, understand marketing, care about conversions. It hit me like a lightning bolt - "Wait, aren't we the second line of defense, independent from the business and guarding company from the risk?" It took me a little time to realize that I had been wrong all along, even with my four CAMS certificates feeling useless and like a waste of money (despite some companies still requiring them!). Before long, I discovered Yana's concept of 'business-like and just in time compliance,' and it was like magic. Suddenly, compliance was being heard, invited to important meetings, and kept in the loop about product changes way ahead of time. We became trusted partners to the business, no longer just the department of 'NO.' It's crazy to think about how far we've come. From a company in its 'age of innocence,' with undocumented growth, to a compliance function that's now a 'leverage' for the company. We're securing crucial partnerships, opening bank accounts, obtaining licenses and authorizations, and acing audits. Yana's guidance has been invaluable. I wholeheartedly recommend her products, especially the Compliance Collective. They have been one of the absolute best investments in my professional career. Yana rocks!
About me:
Yana Afanasieva has led regional European compliance teams for PayPal and Amazon in Luxembourg for several years. In late 2016, she started her compliance-as-a-service business in Zug, Switzerland, and delivered great results for Mara, Lirium, TenX, LCX, BitPesa, BitFlyer, and several other prominent FinTech startups.
AS SEEN IN:
LET’S ADDRESS YOUR BURNING QUESTIONS
I don't think I'm ready, I have no unique insights or special know-how, what's the point of calling myself an expert, when there is so much more to learn... What if I have nothing special to say?
Very often people who feel they have nothing to say are people with very unique and specialized experience, people who know maybe just one area but know it super well. Getting known for something specific is the best place to start. You can take just one area (compliance in gaming, audit remediation, working with trusts/foundations/NGOs, bringing your business to country XXX, card scheme compliance, fraud investigations...) and become known for it on a massive scale.
I don’t need help and have no time to follow through with this content – I just need more time to do what’s on my desk already.
If you work in compliance, you may be thinking that you don't need help – you just need more resources and time to do what you need to do. I'm not saying you need help with reading laws and regulations. You probably don't! But look around – have you noticed that many of your bosses and expensive consultants and executives know less than you do about compliance, but have much more say and influence?
To be successful at delivering on compliance projects and to be paid accordingly you need more than just technical compliance expertise – you need to learn and master know-how that you cannot find in compliance policies, such as how to estimate and articulate your function's value, learn where and how to rely on technology and stop doing manual reviews, to change the way you communicate and ask for resources, to reach out to more people and build a foundation for becoming a board member, a speaker, a writer. Will it give you some time back and more opportunities in the near future? – I think so.
How do I know that your experience will work for my case? What if my situation or area is very unique?
During my years at PayPal as a head of regional compliance, a part of my job was to review and vet startups and merchants who wanted to work with PayPal. Later on, I helped dozens of startups either as my direct clients or students or as a part of working with acceleration programs. This experience confirms that about 90% of compliance documentation and strategies can be standardized. With respect to building your industry authority and getting ahead, being unique and being known for something rare and specific is a huge advantage. It allows you to stand out.
Is there a refund policy?
Yes, you can benefit from the 30-days 100% satisfaction or money-back guarantee if you change your mind. See the Guarantee section.
How long will I have access to the content?
Once you have access, all content within your relevant modules and templates is made available to you on the first day of the training. The recordings of all call will be available on the next day. If you cancel the membership, your access will be revoked on the last day you paid for. Everything you downloaded you can just keep it for as long as you wish.
How quickly do I need to catch up with the content? Is there any homework?
There is no homework, but you will be given guidance and action points on what to do when you asked questions, or, for example, if you would like to reach out to industry influencers or media or make an inquiry about the possible board directorship. You can go at your own pace, but it's better when you take action immediately during the program so that we can discuss your results. If you cannot attend a live workshop, you can watch the recordings. We will use Zoom for our workshop calls.
I still have a question, who can I talk to to make sure this offer is right for me?
You can send me a direct message on LinkedIn or email me at [email protected] – All questions get answered!
I have helped dozens of FinTech companies get licensed and make progress... Now – it's your turn!
My consulting clients pay me anywhere from 100k to 200k EUR a year to work with me. My templates are tested by dozens of FinTech professionals and hundreds of participants have joined my workshops and shared raving reviews. I appreciate how valuable my time and expertise are.
But over the last few years, I noticed that many FinTech compliance professionals continue being underpaid and overworked. They keep struggling to make the time they need to build up their credibility and professional reputation. It keeps them stuck and stops them dead in their tracks. Many of them never make it to the level where they would be as valued and appreciated as CFOs, COOs, or Heads of Sales.
Even when I offer my templates package for about 3700 EUR, most compliance officers don't have the power or budget to make this decision and need to go and ask their senior management for approval. It's not quite right that the experts who are going to be using the resource are not empowered to make this decision.
This is the first and potentially the only program designed by the compliance expert to empower other FinTech compliance and regulatory professionals, just like you, so that you can build the skills, authority, visibility, and influence. This cannot be learned at regulatory seminars or by reading laws and circulars.
My ultimate goal is to elevate the prestige and reputation of compliance as a function by helping as many regulatory experts as I can become not just more efficient or competent, but also more influential and impactful.
It's for that reason that I designed this program to be compact, action-focused, and as affordable as possible.
I will give you the practical tools and resources to reduce your workload, become more efficient and free up your time, and simultaneously I will be offering you guidance on how to start reaching more people and building the foundation for diversifying your income. You can start today for just 400 EUR a month. It's a small investment in yourself that can bring huge dividends in your future.
So, tell me – are you still in?
FinTech Compliance Collective
Monthly Payment
€ 400
- Monthly Office Hours
- 1:1 calls
- Monthly access to pre-recorded workshops
- Surprise Bonus Trainings
- Compliance Accelerator pre-recorded tutorials... and
- Instant access to a massive study vault with past Q&A recordings for most areas of FinTech compliance
I HAVE GOT A ROCK-SOLID 30 DAYS 100% SATISFACTION OR MONEY BACK GUARANTEE
I totally understand that you may have been disappointed or misled in the past by other service providers or online programs. This is exactly why this offer includes a full 100% refund within the first 30 days of the program to make sure that you have an opportunity to join and experience what FinTech Compliance Collective has to offer with complete peace of mind. It means that if within the first 30 days, you attend the workshop and the Office Hours and then decide you don't like the program because it's not what you expected or you simply changed your mind, all you have to do is to email [email protected] and we will gladly issue you a full refund and we will give you a big thank you for giving us a chance.
If there is even a slight chance that this program can help you save time, increase efficiency, or create new opportunities, to make a difference in your professional life, you should invest today, because you can try the materials and apply some strategies from day one and see if it works for you.
Now you can invest in this program and in yourself with confidence and absolutely risk-free, no guesswork needed.
Now It’s Time for You to Make One of Two Choices:
At this point, you may be asking yourself if you know enough to continue and figure things out on your own or join FinTech Compliance Collective to get help and support.
This is actually the wrong question to ask because every successful professional will tell you that they got where they are because they had mentors, advice, and support from more experienced people in the field.
So the more powerful question you should be asking is WHO can support you and WHERE you can find help and continued guidance.
Many FinTech compliance professionals know in their hearts that they need to better manage their time, be more confident and assertive in asking for resources, and be more strategic ... but still they find themselves hesitant, lacking confidence, and not doing what they should be doing.
And as you already know, if you choose nothing... then nothing changes. Just knowing rules and regulations won’t be enough to get where you'd like to go.
If you are still here and still reading and thinking that you just cannot find the time to join, this may actually be an example of how you refused to do what’s important and prioritize your long-term goals in other areas of your job.
- Are you going to be a person who plays a victim of circumstances or takes responsibility?
- A person who sees obstacles or opportunities?
- A person who waits for the perfect time or the person who knows when enough excuses are enough excuses, and it’s time to take action even when you don’t have all the answers?
Well, if you are an action taker and ready to commit, simply click the button below and I will be waiting for you inside of FinTech Compliance Collective.
