Wio Bank is redefining banking in the region through a digital-first, data-driven approach. As we continue to scale our payments and merchant acquiring capabilities, we are looking for a
Lead – Merchant Underwriting & Fraud Risk to play a critical role in safeguarding growth, strengthening controls, and enabling secure innovation.
This role sits at the intersection of
risk, fraud, compliance, payments, and product, and is ideal for a senior professional with deep expertise in merchant risk within banking or digital payments environments.
Key Responsibilities
Merchant Underwriting & Onboarding
- Lead end-to-end merchant risk assessments, including KYC/KYB, digital footprint analysis, financial health reviews, and MATCH/VMSS screening
- Design, implement, and continuously enhance tiered underwriting frameworks for SMEs, corporates, and higher-risk merchant segments
- Partner closely with Sales, Compliance, Operations, and Product teams to enable efficient yet robust merchant onboarding
- Develop underwriting playbooks tailored to different merchant verticals (e-commerce, retail, travel, F&B, high-risk services, etc.)
Fraud & Transaction Risk Management
- Define and oversee fraud monitoring strategies across card-not-present (CNP), POS, and alternative payment channels
- Establish early-warning indicators including velocity checks, chargeback monitoring, BIN attack detection, and anomaly detection
- Work with internal teams and external fraud technology partners (e.g. Feedzai, Onlayer, Riskified) to enhance fraud detection models
- Lead fraud investigations and deliver root-cause analysis with clear mitigation actions
Risk Policy, Governance & Regulatory Alignment
- Own merchant onboarding and continuous monitoring policies aligned with CBUAE regulations, AML/CFT requirements, FATF guidelines, and internal risk appetite
- Manage merchant risk rating frameworks, escalation triggers, and periodic reviews
- Support internal audits, regulatory reviews, and risk reporting related to merchant acquiring and payments
Cross-Functional Leadership
- Collaborate with Product, Technology, and Data teams to build automated decisioning, dashboards, and scalable risk controls
- Act as a subject-matter expert on merchant risk for new product launches, new verticals, and market expansion initiatives
- Provide training and guidance to internal stakeholders on merchant risk awareness and fraud typologies
Required Experience & Skills
- 7–10 years of experience in merchant acquiring risk, underwriting, or fraud prevention within a bank, digital bank, PSP, or fintech
- Strong understanding of merchant fraud typologies, chargebacks, and high-risk business models
- Solid knowledge of CBUAE regulatory frameworks, AML/KYC/KYB standards, PCI-DSS, and GCC acquiring practices
- Hands-on experience with fraud and risk platforms such as Feedzai, Actimize, Onlayer, SAS, Taktile, or similar tools
- Ability to balance risk discipline with commercial enablement
- Strong analytical capability and excellent stakeholder-management skills
Preferred
- Experience working with UAE and GCC merchants and regulators
- Exposure to digital onboarding, wallets, instant payments, BNPL, or marketplace models
- Arabic language skills are an advantage but not mandatory
