You get a named, senior Data Protection Officer embedded in your fintech or crypto team, ready when financial regulators, enterprise banking clients, or investors start asking about privacy.
What you get:
- A named senior DPO on your account
- GDPR, GLBA, DORA, and PSD2 data protection covered by one team
- KYC/AML data, enterprise due diligence, and breach response handled to deadline
Fintech and crypto companies face overlapping privacy and financial regulations (GDPR, GLBA, DORA, PSD2) that most privacy providers don’t understand deeply enough to handle properly, especially at the pace fintech moves.
Key takeaways
- If you process financial and personal data at scale in the EU, you likely need a Data Protection Officer (DPO)
- DORA entered into application 17 January 2025 and may apply if you provide ICT services to EU financial entities
- GDPR and financial regulations overlap but don’t replace each other; you need compliance with both
- You work directly with a senior DPO. Experience across 100+ companies including Amazon, Coinbase, and Robinhood.
- For financial entities subject to DORA’s ICT third-party risk requirements, Engage’s named partner-bench model meets continuity expectations
You work directly with a senior DPO. Experience across 100+ companies including Amazon, Coinbase, and Robinhood. We know what financial regulators expect and what it takes to pass enterprise due diligence in this space. Note: outsourced DPOs are also referred to as external DPO, virtual DPO, fractional DPO, or DPaaS.
Why is fintech privacy different?
Fintech and crypto companies sit at the intersection of privacy law and financial regulation. You’re handling financial data, transaction records, KYC/AML data, and often biometric data for identity verification. Regulators pay attention, enterprise customers run deep due diligence, and investors want to see a mature compliance posture.
The regulatory overlap is where it gets complex. GDPR governs how you handle personal data. GLBA adds requirements for US financial data. DORA adds operational resilience requirements for EU financial services. PSD2 has its own data protection provisions. And KYC/AML requirements create tension with data minimization principles.
What does a fintech DPO handle?
- DPO appointment and notification to the supervisory authority
- GDPR and financial data compliance
- GLBA compliance for US financial data
- DORA compliance (Digital Operational Resilience Act, entered into application 17 January 2025) for financial services in the EU
- KYC/AML data protection frameworks
- Vendor risk management for payment processors, banking partners, and identity verification providers
- Enterprise deal support for banking and institutional clients
- Investor due diligence packs
- AI compliance for fraud detection, credit scoring, and automated decisioning
- Cross-border data transfers for international financial operations
Common Fintech compliance scenarios
Payment platforms processing transaction data across EU and US need GDPR, CCPA, GLBA, and PCI DSS privacy alignment.
Crypto exchanges handling KYC data (identity documents, and biometrics where used for identification purposes) may face GDPR special category data requirements alongside AML regulations.
Lending platforms using automated credit scoring need GDPR automated decision-making assessments and EU AI Act high-risk classification compliance.
Banking-as-a-Service providers processing data on behalf of financial institutions need robust DPA frameworks and DORA compliance.
Regulations
GDPR, UK GDPR, CCPA/CPRA and other US state privacy laws (Virginia, Colorado, Texas, and more), GLBA, DORA, EU AI Act, PSD2 data protection requirements, and financial sector privacy regulations across 30+ jurisdictions worldwide, including Canada, Brazil, and China, with local counsel support where required.
These rules apply wherever your company is based. If you offer financial products or services to people in the EU or UK, they reach you, even with no European office. Our services are for any company serving EU or UK users, not only European companies.