Job Description
Description
Who we are
Over the last 16 years, Equals Money has helped over a million satisfied customers move and manage their money. Our award-winning product portfolio allows our customers to make low-cost multi-currency payments across various payment products. From travel money to transfers, currency hedging, to expense management, open-banking to card acquiring, we are focused on a single goal of making it easy for our customers to manage and move their money.
As a business, we are committed to delivering value to our customers through the combination of advanced payments technology and personal expert service.
With headquarters in London and Brussels and teams in Chester, Amsterdam and Los Angeles, the Equals Group operates a portfolio of successful and exciting business lines and brands - Equals Money, FairFX and CardOneMoney in the UK and now Equals Money Europe in Belgium. You will join a very close-knit, talented and supportive team from various backgrounds who believe that bringing different perspectives together helps us understand our customers’ needs. United, by one thing, making money management straightforward and cost-effective for our customers.
About the Role
The EU MLRO will be the designated Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer (AMLCO) for Equals Money Europe, responsible for owning and executing the second-line Anti-Financial Crime (AFC) requirements in Belgium and Europe including Anti Money Laundering (AML), Sanctions Compliance, Anti-Bribery & Corruption (ABC) and Fraud Oversight. The role holder will be the primary AFC point of contact with the National Bank of Belgium (NBB) and will ensure that the AFC programme meets all applicable Belgian and EU regulatory requirements, including obligations under the Belgian AML Law of 18 September 2017 and the EU Anti-Money Laundering Directives (6AMLD and its successors).
This is a senior leadership role within a global function. The EU MLRO will work closely with the Group MLRO, the Group Chief Compliance and Risk Officer, the wider Global Anti-Financial Crime and Group Risk and Compliance teams to ensure consistency of standards across jurisdictions while maintaining a locally compliant and independently governed EU programme.
Regrettably we cannot offer this role to individuals who do not possess the legal right to reside and work in Belgium.
Who you are
You are a compliance and financial crime prevention specialist with a strong understanding of the Belgian and EU AML/CTF legislation and regulations for regulated entities. You possess the expertise to provide leadership and oversee execution and you have the ability to identify opportunities for strengthening processes. You strive to implement and build systems and controls that support a strong risk and compliance culture.
Responsibilities
Embody at all times our values of:
Be the customer
Succeed together
Go beyond
Make it happen
Regulatory Leadership & NBB Relationship
Serve as the registered AMLCO with the National Bank of Belgium (NBB) and act as the primary regulatory contact for all AFC and AML-related matters
Maintain a thorough and current understanding of Belgian AML legislation, NBB circulars and guidance, and applicable EU AML directives
Programme Ownership
Own and continuously improve the EU AML/CFT Programme, including risk assessment, CDD/KYC/KYB, EDD, ongoing monitoring, suspicious transaction reporting (STR), training, and independent testing
Oversee transaction monitoring governance, tuning, and STR/SAR workflows in line with Belgian and EU requirements, including reporting to the Belgian Financial Intelligence Processing Unit (CTIF-CFI)
Maintain and develop all EU-specific policies and procedures, including AML/CFT, Sanctions, Customer Due Diligence, Transaction Monitoring, Investigations, Recordkeeping, and Model Governance
Risk & Governance
Conduct and maintain the EU business-wide risk assessment (BWRA) and ensure it reflects current regulatory expectations and the Group’s evolving risk profile
Produce Management Information and regulatory reporting for the NBB, Group Risk & Compliance, and the Board of Equals Money Europe
Maintain issues and actions logs; coordinate with Group on enterprise risk assessments relevant to financial crime
Sign off on Country Risk Assessments and support the maintenance of the Group’s prohibited jurisdictions framework in an EU context
Advisory & First Line Support
Advise and guide the first line of defence on AFC matters, including complex customer due diligence, escalations, and sanctions queries
Support AFC-related projects and change programmes across the Group
Contribute to Group deliverables alongside the UK and US AFC functions, ensuring a globally consistent yet locally compliant approach
Training & Competency
Ensure EU AML training and competency requirements meet NBB and EU regulatory standards
Foster a strong AFC culture across all Group teams
Regulatory Horizon Scanning
- Track regulatory changes at Belgian, EU, and international level (FATF, EBA, etc.) and assess their impact on the Equals Money Europe programme
Essential Skills
Minimum 8 years’ experience in financial crime compliance, majority of which is in financial or payment services.
A subject matter expert in AML/CTF compliance and compliance more broadly. You are currently working or have worked within the area of compliance within payments, e-money or a challenger bank.
Higher education qualification in relevant discipline (ICA, Febelfin, ACAMS)
Experience building and challenging frameworks and processes, preferably across multiple product lines.
An open and effective communicator and form strong relationships with ease. You can provide simple analyses of complex issues to internal and external stakeholders.
Works well under pressure to competing deadlines and is able to prioritise, delegate and deliver.
Possesses strong attention to detail and upholds high standards of doing so within reporting lines.
Fluent oral and written skills in English and French are essential. (Oral and written skills Dutch are desirable)
Benefits
A competitive salary benchmarked against a peer group
25 days holiday per year (20 legal holidays and 5 extra-legal holidays)
Opportunities for progression, development and learning new skills.
Meal vouchers - EUR 10.00 per day
Group insurance
Hospitalisation insurance DKV Premium Pro & Plan AZ
Home working allowance - EUR 122.00 per month
Mobility Allowance
Phone Allowance - EUR 85 per month
Where possible we offer the opportunity to work flexibly and the opportunity to balance some remote working with time in the office collaborating, taking part in events and developing the social connections that make working with us rewarding. For this role a minimum of 2 days in the office will be required with remote wording offered for the remaining working days.
Equals Group strives to create a workplace where we can all be ourselves. We believe in inclusion, equality and the power of diversity, so you’ll be encouraged to bring your unique perspectives and experiences, and help us understand what you need to do your best work.
