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Regulatory compliance has evolved from a purely operational requirement into a strategic pillar for the expansion of financial services, one of the most highly regulated industries in the world. This shift is especially relevant for Latin American companies seeking to operate across multiple jurisdictions.
The concept of regulatory compliance originated in the United States in the 1970s, following major corruption scandals that led to the enactment of the FCPA in 1977 (Foreign Corrupt Practices Act). This law established strict anti-bribery rules and required greater control over financial records.
Since then, compliance has focused on ensuring that companies and their employees act in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and ethical standards governing their activities, according to a blog published by Santander Open Academy.
The financial sector is considered one of the most regulated industries in the world due to its central role in managing money. As a result, compliance policies are essential within organizations to mitigate operational and reputational risks.
Regulatory compliance integrates a series of processes and monitoring mechanisms that span financial, legal, and operational dimensions. High-profile cases such as the collapse of Lehman Brothers, associated with the origins of the 2008 financial crisis, highlight the importance of compliance.
In that specific case, the bank collapsed after repeatedly ignoring internal warnings regarding deficiencies in its credit risk management.
Despite the lessons learned, challenges persist amid the emergence of new technologies and their adoption by non-financial companies.
Embedded finance, which integrates financial services into non-financial products or platforms, has transformed the traditional relationship between consumers and banks. Instead of turning to a separate financial institution to pay, finance, or access banking services, users can now access these functions directly within the platforms where they conduct their primary activities.
This simplifies processes, increases customer loyalty, and accelerates conversion in sectors where immediacy is critical, such as digital commerce and on-demand services. However, it also introduces key challenges from a regulatory compliance perspective.
From Inswitch’s perspective, a TransNetwork company that simplifies financial services integration, regulatory compliance is critical within the fintech sector to build a solid industry reputation and, above all, to avoid sanctions and service disruptions.
Many BaaS providers struggle with the complexity of regulatory frameworks, which directly impacts their clients. Inswitch addresses this challenge by prioritizing compliance in every country where it operates, ensuring services aligned with local regulations and delivering a stable, reliable platform protected against regulatory risk.
New Challenges for Regulatory Compliance
Today, compliance teams must navigate a digital environment where risks evolve rapidly, regulations change frequently, and ethical expectations from customers and investors are higher than ever.
This reality requires increased use of technology, stronger coordination across teams, and reinforced controls to effectively respond to these challenges.
The expansion of embedded finance is not only transforming the financial services landscape in the region but is also accelerating competition between digitally native companies and those beginning this journey.
For many businesses, embedded finance represents an opportunity to position themselves, scale operations, and enter new markets. In this context, companies are increasingly integrating compliance as a competitive differentiator that can determine how quickly and securely a financial product can scale.
When applied to the integration of financial services such as payments, card issuing, cross-border services, and core banking, compliance policies play a decisive role.
In 2024, global fines for non-compliance totaled USD 14 billion, with incidents costing an average of USD 2.5 million in North America. Additionally, loss of trust resulted in revenue declines of 15 to 25 percent for many companies, according to figures compiled by StarCompliance from multiple reports.
In practical terms, these policies ensure compliance with financial regulations, including anti-money laundering, tax fraud prevention, and banking regulations, according to Santander. From a technology standpoint, Santander also notes that compliance ensures adherence to regulations related to data protection, cybersecurity, and the ethical use of new technologies.
As compliance departments take on a more prominent role within organizations across industries, the market for services and products designed to help companies comply with laws, regulations, and sector requirements continues to grow.
The global regulatory compliance market reached USD 18.024 billion in 2024 and, driven by increasing regulatory complexity, is projected to reach USD 28.009 billion by 2031, with an annual growth rate of 6.5 percent, according to a report by Cognitive Market Research.
As technology platforms continue to evolve, solutions such as those offered by Inswitch will play a decisive role in sustaining adoption and maintaining the competitiveness of the Latin American digital ecosystem.
Integrating Financial Services with Regulatory Compliance
Inswitch has developed a technological architecture that brings together regulatory compliance, payment processing, and digital product issuing within a single ecosystem, with a focus on banks, neobanks, and the Gig Economy.
This integrated approach enables companies to launch secure, ready-to-operate solutions from day one, even when they need to simultaneously adapt to regulatory frameworks in Latin America and the United States to support seamless financial operations.
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The platform incorporates KYC and KYB validations, along with transaction monitoring processes built into the infrastructure’s original design to protect every transaction.
This enables real-time anomaly detection and continuous risk control without slowing down the user experience or increasing operational complexity for companies adopting the technology.
As regulators across Latin America and the United States introduce new requirements, the platform updates its mechanisms to ensure clients remain compliant without interrupting operations. The result is an adaptable environment capable of responding to regulatory changes without requiring additional development or costly redesigns.
For Inswitch, compliance will become an increasingly critical differentiator for business expansion in 2026, as more companies integrate financial solutions into their services. This is particularly relevant for remote work platforms and Gig Economy applications that require cross-border payments, instant payouts, digital wallets, and earned wage access.
For these companies, automated reporting, full transaction traceability, and tools designed for auditors and supervisors can facilitate expansion into markets with different regulatory frameworks. A proactive approach to fraud and anti-money laundering prevention can also support scalable growth without compromising security.
In the context of expanding digital commerce and embedded financial services, this combination of compliance, payments, and digital issuing will be one of the main enablers of cross-border expansion.
For companies seeking to operate in markets with high regulatory standards, this technological backbone will be essential to remain competitive. By integrating efficient payments and embedded financial capabilities, businesses across industries can scale faster, optimize operations, and meet consumer expectations for secure, seamless, and frictionless experiences.
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