From Sociology Graduate to Product Compliance
Matthew Way, Senior Product Compliance Manager, gives us an inside look at his role at Wise, sharing his day-to-day role, and offering valuable advice for anyone looking to interview for a position at Wise 🚀
"Knowing that I play a part in creating a safe and compliant experience for customers is incredibly rewarding. Even wins, like resolving a potential financial crime issue, have a significant impact."
Matthew Way (He/Him)
Senior Product Compliance Manager
Tell us a bit about your background and how you got into the world of Product Compliance
I graduated in Sociology with the goal of becoming a writer, but after graduating, I entered the finance industry and discovered financial crime prevention. I was drawn to the idea of protecting customers from financial crime like money laundering and fraud. After spending several years in banking, I moved into fintech in 2017, seeking a faster, more impactful environment.
A former colleague then introduced me to a role at Wise. Though I wasn’t hired for the position I applied for, which was a FinCrime Product role, I was offered a Product Compliance role, which was an area I hadn’t heard of before. After speaking with the team, I saw that Wise was a great fit—everyone was passionate, knowledgeable, and excited about the mission.
Three years later, I’m excited to be part of a team that blends innovation with regulatory requirements to ensure our products are secure, compliant, and trusted by customers. It’s been an amazing journey, and I’m excited to see how Product Compliance continues to evolve at Wise.
For those that don’t know, what is Product Compliance?
Product Compliance is all about enabling Wise to grow while ensuring everything we do stays compliant with the relevant regulations. We work closely with Product teams to make sure that both existing and new products meet the regulatory requirements in each region. This includes areas like Anti-Money Laundering (AML), sanctions, fraud prevention, and more.
Our role is to ensure that the products we offer are fully aligned with financial crime regulations, so customers can use them safely and with confidence.
A significant part of our work involves assessing the risks associated with these products, but we also collaborate with the financial crime teams to help build and maintain new controls. This allows us to safeguard both customers and Wise.
What do you find most rewarding about your role?
At Wise, everything we do is driven by our mission and the impact we have on our customers. Knowing that I play a part in creating a safe and compliant experience for them is incredibly rewarding. It’s fulfilling to see how our work helps mitigate or eliminate risks for the products and features they rely on. Even wins, like resolving a potential financial crime issue, have a significant impact. Achieving this often involves strong collaboration across teams—Product, Engineering, Compliance, and Fincrime.
For example, I’m currently working with the Product team to launch a new feature for our UK customers. As part of the process, we had to ensure that the financial crime controls met UK regulatory requirements, while also considering how it would affect internal teams at Wise.
This project is a great example of how product growth and compliance are closely tied. Watching it go live for customers and knowing I played a role—especially in implementing financial crime controls while maintaining a seamless customer experience—was incredibly rewarding.
What do you enjoy about working in the London office?
I absolutely love being based in London—it’s one of the most diverse cities in the world, and that diversity is reflected in our teams. We have people from all over the globe, speaking different languages and bringing unique ideas and experiences to work.
What advice would you give for someone looking to join the Product Compliance team Wise?
Embrace challenges—they accelerate learning and help you understand the business. Don’t hesitate to engage with people from different teams, even if you’re not the expert. A growth mindset is essential at Wise, both for personal development and driving the business forward.
And what about advice you would give someone who has an interview with Wise?
Familiarise yourself with the initiatives we’re driving, the new products we’re launching, and the partners we’re working with.
Focus on where the business is heading and think about how your skills and experience can contribute to our mission.
Roles you might be interested in
Salary
88000 - 135000 GBP Annual
Location
London
Team
Product
Locations
London
Description
We’re looking for a Product Manager in London to lead the Safeguarding team within our Treasury.Safeguarding our customer funds is mission-critical, meaning this role is high-impact and high-visibilit
Reference
c38bc250-76f8-49a1-b335-8b59875a3b88
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
£120,000 - £145,000+
Location
London
Team
Product
Locations
London
Description
We’re looking for an experienced Product Lead to join the Pricing Squad.The Pricing Squad set company-wide pricing principles, set & calculate the right prices and own the platform to reliably delive
Reference
39d7b54c-88e8-4f03-a125-4191ebe44018
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
120000 - 145000 GBP Annual
Location
London
Team
Product
Locations
London
Description
We’re looking for a Principal Product Manager to join our growing Spend Team in our London office. This role is a unique opportunity to have an impact on Wise’s mission, grow as a product leader and h
Reference
f712f326-85a2-48bb-b3ef-a73341cd96ca
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
118000 - 135000 GBP Annual
Location
Budapest
Team
Product
Locations
Budapest
Description
SummaryWise is looking for a Product Manager for Account Capabilities to join our team in London or Budapest. You'll be responsible for crafting the vision and strategy for a world-class platform that
Reference
92a90bb5-fffa-46a9-b284-cc08d3dffa94
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
118000 - 135000 GBP Annual
Location
London
Team
Product
Locations
London
Description
SummaryWise is looking for a Product Manager for Account Capabilities to join our team in London or Budapest. You'll be responsible for crafting the vision and strategy for a world-class platform that
Reference
28db5889-a172-42d5-9c16-3706b533718c
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
83000 - 118000 GBP Annual
Location
London
Team
Product
Locations
London
Description
Your MissionWe are looking for a Senior Product Compliance Manager to develop Wise's Financial Crime control framework for Digital Assets from the ground up. This is a unique opportunity for the first
Reference
8bddd256-c241-4251-8d8a-1a105fa183ff
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
120000 - 145000 GBP Annual
Location
London
Team
Product
Locations
London
Description
We’re looking for a Product Lead to join our growing Account squad in London. The role is an unique opportunity to join one of the largest fintech companies in the world. You'll be leading and growing
Reference
e42763a0-408c-44f6-9968-c273d0c7928a
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
83000 - 118000 GBP Annual
Location
London
Team
Product
Locations
London
Description
This new role sits within our UK Product Compliance and Risk team which is part of the 1st line of defence. The need for this role comes from the rapid growth of our product and offerings as well as t
Reference
90307b20-40af-4a4c-8209-c472450309ba
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
83000 - 118000 GBP Annual
Location
London
Team
Product
Locations
London
Description
We are looking for a candidate ready to leverage their Global regulatory experience in a dynamic, fintech environment. This is an exciting, hands-on opportunity working directly with our world-class M
Reference
e33a240b-fcf0-4f3d-886f-412a1215e7cc
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
3917 - 4750 EUR Monthly
Location
Tallinn
Team
Product
Locations
Tallinn
Description
What is Product Academy?It’s a 10 week tailored programme in which every week you will get to spend time both on dedicated sessions to learn about Product Management, and also with learning on the job
Reference
efd803a3-4c98-4021-95a3-b2f206b5e149
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Articles you might like
.jpeg)
Teaser
People profileContent Type
BlogPublish date
05/21/2025
Summary
Ilya Leyrikh, Senior Product Director at Wise, shares how he transforms customer experiences with innovative financial solutions 💰🔍 “Wise genuinely prioritises solving customer pr

by
Sapphire Birmingham

Teaser
People profileContent Type
BlogPublish date
03/04/2025
Summary
Curious about how our Product Managers found their way into the world of Product Management? 🤔Tanya, Product Manager, takes us through her unexpected journey—from a gap year to exploring fint

by
Verona Hasani
.jpg)
Teaser
People profileContent Type
BlogPublish date
01/06/2025
Summary
From managing a 200-person crew on a Bollywood film set to leading Product teams at Wise, Surendra Chaplot, Product Lead in Singapore shares his unique journey into the world of Product Manageme

by
Verona Hasani
+(1).jpg)
Teaser
People profileContent Type
BlogPublish date
11/29/2024
Summary
We sat down with Asya Kuznetsova, Product Manager at Wise, to hear about her career journey as well as all things product at Wise. 🚀 “What really sets Wise apart is how close we are to our

by
Sapphire Birmingham
.png)
Teaser
Our workContent Type
BlogPublish date
08/18/2024
Summary
Introducing our first ever Product Academy At Wise, we're committed to fostering innovation and growth, not just in our products but in our people. This year, we launched a new
.jpg)
Teaser
Our workContent Type
BlogPublish date
05/04/2023
Summary
Meet Ankita D’Mello, one of our Product Senior Managers here at Wise.Ankita joined Wise in March of 2020 but started out as a customer back in 2013. While she was an international