In this episode of Voices in Compliance, host Jason Thomas speaks with Deirdre Murphy, VP and Head of Group Financial Crimes Compliance at Bitpanda’s UK entities, about Bitpanda’s UK expansion and its global regulatory landscape across Europe and the UAE. Murphy compares financial crime risks in crypto versus traditional finance, challenges the perception that crypto is more crime-prone, and debunks the myth that crypto is anonymous by highlighting blockchain analytics and traceability. They discuss major compliance priorities including MiCA, the UK financial promotions regime (cooling-off periods and appropriateness tests), margin trading safeguards, and the difficulty of Travel Rule compliance. Especially interoperability, “sunrise” jurisdictions, and verifying self-hosted wallets. Murphy also covers balancing AML controls with customer experience, the value of pragmatic compliance partnerships, AI use cases in financial crime, hiring for culture and principles, and staying current through seminars and peer networks.

00:00 Welcome and Introductions
00:45 Bitpanda Overview
01:51 Compliance Priorities
02:32 Crypto vs TradFi Crime
05:29 Debunking Crypto Myths
06:59 Evolving Criminal Tactics
08:31 UK Promotions Regime
10:24 Margin Trading Launch
12:58 MiCA and Licensing
14:34 UK vs Europe Regulation
16:06 Travel Rule Challenges
19:14 AML vs Customer Experience
20:35 Being a Pragmatic Partner
22:04 Career Advice in Compliance
23:18 AI in Financial Crime
24:29 AI boosts compliance scale
25:36 Are firms AI ready
25:52 Managing multi jurisdiction teams
27:22 Budgets and next gen skills
28:54 Speed versus risk tradeoffs
29:56 Policy papers and engagement
30:40 Compliance as competitive edge
31:41 Future rules and travel rule
33:49 When things go wrong
34:52 Magic wand regulation change
36:21 Staying current and hiring
39:47 Mentors career paths and wrap

In this episode of Voices in Compliance, host Jason Thomas from Alexander Barnes is joined by John Stathacopoulos, Global Head of Compliance at Velocity.

John sits at the intersection of traditional finance and digital assets, bringing deep expertise from both regulated financial services and the fast-evolving world of crypto. At Velocity, he’s helping build next-generation financial infrastructure that connects fiat and blockchain rails, while ensuring compliance keeps pace with innovation.

The conversation explores the rapid rise of stablecoins, breaking down what they are, why they’ve become such a dominant force in financial services, and how their use cases have evolved alongside increasing institutional adoption. John also challenges common misconceptions around crypto, including its perceived links to illicit activity, and explains why transparency in blockchain can actually be a strength.

Jason and John dive into the growing role of regulation, particularly MiCA and how it’s shaping the future of digital assets across Europe and beyond. They discuss whether regulation slows innovation or strengthens the space, and what “good” compliance really looks like in high-growth fintech environments.

The episode also offers a behind-the-scenes look at the role of a modern Head of Compliance, including how to navigate tensions between commercial ambition and regulatory responsibility and why collaboration, not conflict, is key to success.

00:00 – Intro & crypto vs cash misconceptions
00:36 – Guest introduction: John Stathacopoulos (Velocity)
01:44 – Episode overview & welcome
02:18 – John’s background & role at Velocity
03:21 – Building compliance in a fast-scaling startup
04:01 – Where Velocity operates globally
04:21 – What are stablecoins? (simple explanation)
05:18 – The purpose of stablecoins & how use cases evolved
06:43 – Why stablecoins are booming right now
07:57 – Institutional adoption & “Stablecoin Summer”
08:39 – Why regulators are focusing on crypto now
09:37 – Stablecoins vs e-money vs other crypto
10:08 – Risks & challenges in the crypto market
11:06 – What is MiCA? (explained simply)
11:48 – How hard is it to get licensed?
13:11 – What regulators are really looking for
15:15 – Does regulation slow innovation?
16:43 – How MiCA is shaping the global market
17:53 – Staying up to date in compliance
19:03 – Difficult conversations as Head of Compliance
20:43 – Compliance vs commercial teams: finding balance
21:31 – The future: who wins in 5–10 years?

In this episode of Voices in Compliance, host Jason Thomas sits down with Ross Osborne, UK CEO of Rippling, to explore the complexities of scaling compliance functions within high-growth fintech environments. Ross shares his perspective on why compliance should be a business enabler rather than a "policing" unit and discusses the critical importance of building a "compliance culture" from the ground up.

The conversation covers the tactical realities of international expansion, the "red flags" to watch for during rapid hiring, and how to maintain a strong relationship with the regulator while moving at pace. Whether you are navigating a new license application or managing a global compliance footprint, Ross provides a roadmap for balancing commercial ambition with regulatory integrity.

Episode Timestamps:

• [00:00:15] Introduction: Jason welcomes Ross Osborne, CEO of Rippling, to discuss his extensive background in the fintech and payments space.
• [00:01:30] The Growth Friction: Ross explains how to manage the natural tension between commercial targets and compliance guardrails.
• [00:03:45] Compliance by Design: Why tech and product teams must be aligned with compliance goals from the very beginning of the development lifecycle.
• [00:06:20] Navigating Global Footprints: Tactical advice on managing different regulatory requirements across multiple jurisdictions.
• [00:09:50] Building the Right Team: The qualities Ross looks for when hiring compliance professionals who can thrive in a fast-paced environment.
• [00:13:10] The Role of Technology: How automation and AI are being utilized to streamline the "first line" of defense.
• [00:16:45] Engaging the Regulator: Why transparency and proactive communication are the foundations of a successful relationship with the FCA.
• [00:20:15] The Strategic MLRO: Shifting the perception of the MLRO role from a cost center to a value-add for the business.
• [00:24:40] Quick Fire Section: Ross reveals his favorite morning habits, his "Queen for a day" regulatory change, and his guilty pleasures.