Hiring for AML & Risk as Regulation Tightens

For payments businesses operating across multiple member states, that means a shift from a patchwork of national AML rules to one harmonised rulebook, with sanctions of up to 10% of annual turnover for serious or systemic breaches once the regime is in force.

The direction of travel is consistent across regulators, not just the EU's: closer scrutiny of beneficial ownership, faster reporting timelines, and higher expectations for how risk is documented and evidenced.

For payments businesses, that translates directly into headcount. Regulatory change of this scale typically pushes organisations to build out dedicated AML and compliance functions rather than stretch existing risk teams further - more specialised roles, more senior oversight of frameworks that now have to hold up under harmonised, cross-border supervision.

That's the conversation we're having on the ground with payments businesses right now, and Neill Butcher, PaymentGenes' Chief Strategy Officer, will be at SBC Summit 2026 in Lisbon to talk it through with anyone facing it.

Compliance has its own dedicated ground at this year's event: alongside the Regulation & Compliance stage, the Payment Expert Summit is running a new Global Payment Compliance track on 30 September, bringing together operators, compliance specialists, and payment leaders to examine payment regulation, fraud prevention, and AML controls specifically.

If AML and compliance hiring is on your list before the event, get in touch, or find the team in Lisbon between 29 September and 1 October.