Willem Wellinghoff

Willem Wellinghoff is an experienced Executive Director, Chief Compliance Officer, General Counsel and Fintech and RegTech Advisor and Mentor with over 20 years’ professional experience in the financial services, financial crime and technology sector focused on payments and lending.

He has multi-faceted experience in senior legal and compliance roles in start-up, scale-up and high-growth financial services firms with a proven track record of providing strategic guidance and pragmatic and commercially minded advice to executives, Board of Directors, and key stakeholders. Well-versed in acting within challenging in-house environments, he has been responsible for legal, regulatory and compliance strategy and execution throughout his career with excellent capability of managing regulatory engagement.

Beyond his professional background, Willem has a great passion for giving back and has been an active mentor to tech startups and compliance professionals. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge and expertise with emerging companies, helping them navigate the complex legal and regulatory landscape. His ability to maintain strong and sound relationships with founders and entrepreneurs has made Willem a trusted advisor in the fintech community.

In 2025, Willem was elected to the Advisory Board of The Payments Association, for his experience in financial crime prevention, technology and legal affairs.

Willem is regularly invited to speak at industry events, join webinars and panel sessions, and contribute expert commentary for the press. Recent examples: