Most fintech founders are obsessed with speed, launching fast, scaling fast, fundraising fast. And rightly so. But at our recent AMA session at Skaletek, we uncovered a critical truth: if you’re not building compliance from day one, you’re building on shaky ground.
The AMA, held on March 26th, brought together two experienced compliance leaders: Lolade Osibanjo, Legal Counsel and Compliance Manager at Klasha , and Timothy M. , Head of Compliance for Africa at Waza (YC W23) . The session was moderated by Hamid Barry, CEO of Skaletek, and set out to answer one of the most pressing questions for high-growth fintechs: How do you balance speed with compliance without sacrificing either?
Lolade’s entry into the compliance space was born out of necessity. With a strong background in law and governance, her first experience came when a product she was supporting required licensing from the Central Bank of Nigeria. As she put it, “I stumbled into compliance”— but what kept her there was the realization that legal knowledge was just one part of the puzzle. The real challenge, she explained, was operationalizing compliance across departments: turning policy into product, making regulation real for teams that speak code, not legalese.
Timothy, on the other hand, started in consulting at KPMG before navigating the compliance landscape in crypto and fintech. He’s helped build compliance infrastructure at startups like Yellow Card , Chipper Cash , and now Waza (YC W23). For him, the issue is that many startups still treat compliance like a later-stage concern. “Too many founders ignore it early on,” he noted. “Then they raise funding or enter new markets, and suddenly they’re scrambling to retrofit the right processes.”
This is the trap many startups fall into, viewing compliance as a tax rather than a tool. But as both panelists emphasized, compliance is not just about ticking boxes or avoiding fines. It’s about enabling scale, building trust, and staying in the game long enough to matter.
And yes, founders often raise the same objection: “But compliance is expensive.” Lolade had a sharp response to this. It’s not the cost that’s the issue, it’s the value. “When you do a proper cost-benefit analysis,” she said, “compliance enables growth. It gives you credibility with partners, investors, and regulators. That’s not a cost. That’s a long-term investment.”
One of the biggest challenges for African fintechs, both speakers agreed, is navigating regional regulatory differences. While compliance requirements may sound similar across borders: AML, KYC, data privacy, the details vary widely. “Even when they’re saying the same thing,” Lolade said, “it’s packaged differently. It’s fragmented and frustrating.” Timothy added that high capital requirements, in-person verification mandates, and outdated licensing processes make things even harder for startups looking to scale across multiple countries.
Their advice? Prepare early. Partner with local experts. Design flexible compliance systems that adapt to each market. Don’t just “launch and learn”, learn, then launch.
The conversation also turned to technology, and how it’s changing the way we think about compliance. Both speakers emphasized the role of RegTech and automation in helping startups move faster without increasing risk. Timothy mentioned the rise of decentralized identity and privacy-preserving technologies, while Lolade pointed to how AI and transaction monitoring tools are becoming essential—not optional.
But perhaps the most important point of all was cultural. Compliance isn’t the job of one person or team, it’s an organizational mindset. “It’s not just the compliance team’s responsibility,” Lolade said. “It’s product, it’s engineering, it’s finance. Everyone plays a part.” That shift from compliance as a function to compliance as a culture is what separates resilient startups from vulnerable ones.
By the end of the AMA, the message was clear: compliance doesn’t kill speed, rather it enables sustainable scale. And for fintechs operating in emerging markets, it’s one of the strongest advantages you can build.
At Skaletek, we believe in embedding that advantage early. That’s why we’re building tools that help fintechs verify users globally, monitor transactions in real time, and stay ahead of changing regulations, all through a single, intelligent platform.
If you’re building a startup and want to get compliance right from the start, we’d love to show you how we can help.
Book a demo with us at skaletek.io
