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
$132.5k - $165.5k
Location
Austin
Team
Product
Locations
Austin
Description
Your mission: Wise has already pioneered new ways for people to transfer money across borders and currencies. Your mission is to shape the Product Risk and Compliance Program, for Wise to offer its se
Reference
21613f3a-8b04-4031-af22-2d5d4bcf81a4
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
-
Location
Tallinn
Team
Product
Locations
Tallinn
Description
We’re looking for a Product Compliance and Risk Manager to play a central role in the expansion of our Assets product in Europe. With Assets, we’re changing how people think about holding money. Our c
Reference
39c132f0-63c8-4acc-89f5-caa26586560c
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
Salary range: SGD 112k - 140k per annum + RSUs
Location
Singapore
Team
Product
Locations
Singapore
Description
Salary range: SGD 112k - 140k per annum + RSUsWe’re looking for a (Senior) Product Compliance & Risk Manager based in Singapore to join our growing APAC Wise Platform team, to support building new and
Reference
8fddc8c8-1ac2-459e-bcf2-39f609cb71cd
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
70,000 - 110,000 GBP Annual
Location
London
Team
Product
Locations
London
Description
We are seeking a passionate and experienced Business Continuity Planning Manager to support the design, development, and rigorous testing of our global business continuity plans. This critical role wi
Reference
89b639a6-d6d9-41b3-89a6-207161dd1a88
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
118000 - 135000 GBP Annual
Location
London
Team
Product
Locations
London
Description
About the role Our Platform Tribe is building the foundations for Wise’s rapid pace of innovation and customer trust. By providing an internal platform as a product, we create a best-in-class develope
Reference
52a6cc18-0fb9-4232-abfe-2237d8d0e77b
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
R$23,076 - R$32,692 / month
Location
São Paulo
Team
Product
Locations
São Paulo
Description
The LATAM & MEA team is responsible for 50+ markets across both regions. The team maintains our customer experience and infrastructure that moves billions of customer money every quarter. We’ve seen
Reference
c5e8ddab-3f7a-4210-b327-6bf034227348
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
112000 - 164000 GBP Annual
Location
London
Team
Product
Locations
London
Description
We are looking for a Product Risk and Compliance Lead to join our Financial Crime Product team, working in our first line of defence, to take our AML/CTF programme to the next level. This role is a un
Reference
82dc95e7-ec1d-42fa-9a0a-7d8124e8dad2
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
-
Location
London
Team
Product
Locations
London
Description
We’ll look to you to help drive our growth objectives while consulting closely with our product, sales, and delivery teams to design solutions that we can deliver efficiently and with quality.As a Sen
Reference
5161c483-b766-4b93-b834-be0172774e95
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
169,000 - 213,000
Location
Austin
Team
Product
Locations
Austin
Description
You will be a Senior Account Manager within a fast-growing Account Management team, responsible for driving growth with our platform partners in North America. You’ll identify upsell and cross-sell op
Reference
63f1bf3a-59cc-4d05-b644-f29ce66fbe76
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
18000 - 28000 SGD Monthly
Location
Singapore
Team
Product
Locations
Singapore
Description
We’re looking for an ambitious, hands-on and independent enterprise sales manager to focus on our Hong Kong and China pipeline, who is passionate about the Wise mission – money without borders. You’ll
Reference
3135e84d-f7c9-48cd-b9aa-4fa921ec4e11
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