Underwriting & Compliance Specialist

Coral Springs, United States | Posted on 03/09/2026

Location: Remote (U.S.)

Department: Risk, Compliance & Merchant Operations

Company: Approvely

Approvely is a payments and compliance infrastructure platform built to support merchants operating in complex and regulated industries. Our platform helps businesses accept payments while maintaining compliance with sponsor bank requirements, card network rules, and regulatory frameworks.

We specialize in industries often underserved by traditional processors—including online gaming, fantasy sports, sweepstakes, and other emerging digital platforms—providing both payment acceptance and compliance infrastructure.

Approvely is seeking a Underwriting & Compliance Specialist responsible for evaluating merchant applications, assessing risk, and ensuring merchants meet compliance standards before onboarding onto the platform.

This role sits at the intersection of risk management, compliance, and merchant onboarding
, helping protect the platform while enabling growth. The position requires strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, and familiarity with payment processing risk and regulatory frameworks.

You will work closely with Sales, Customer Success, Product, Engineering, and sponsor banks to ensure merchants are onboarded properly and monitored throughout their lifecycle.

Review merchant applications and supporting documentation to assess risk and eligibility.

Evaluate merchant business models, ownership structures, and operational risk.

Assess financial stability, processing history, and potential chargeback exposure.

Ensure merchants operate within:

• Sponsor bank requirements
• Card network rules (Visa / Mastercard)
• Internal risk policies

Identify high-risk indicators including fraud risk, chargeback exposure, or regulatory concerns.

Manage merchant onboarding from application submission through account activation
.

Collect and verify required onboarding documentation, including:

• Ownership and KYC/KYB verification
• Banking information
• Processing statements
• Compliance policies and licensing

Ensure merchant files are complete and “in good order” prior to approval.

Coordinate with internal teams to ensure smooth merchant launches.

Conduct KYC / KYB verification and business due diligence.

Ensure merchants meet regulatory and compliance requirements for supported industries.

Review licensing, legal opinions, and other regulatory documentation when required.

Ensure merchant activities align with sponsor bank and network compliance standards.

Monitor merchant processing activity and risk indicators.

Investigate alerts related to:

• ACH returns

Conduct periodic portfolio reviews to reassess merchant risk profiles.

Recommend risk mitigation measures such as:

• Processing limits
• Reserve requirements
• Enhanced monitoring.

Help refine internal underwriting workflows and policies.

Identify opportunities to improve onboarding efficiency and reduce manual work.

Support tooling improvements and internal documentation.

Partner with:

• Customer Success
• Product
• Compliance partners and sponsor banks

Escalate complex or high-risk merchant cases when needed.

Assist with maintaining underwriting documentation and internal policies.

• 2–5 years experience in payments, fintech, banking, or merchant acquiring
• Experience with merchant underwriting, onboarding, or risk review
• Understanding of payment processing and merchant risk
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• High attention to detail and documentation

• Experience with high-risk or regulated industries
  , including:
  Crypto, Sweepstakes
• Knowledge of Visa/Mastercard rules and sponsor bank programs
• Experience with KYC/KYB processes
• Familiarity with CRM, underwriting platforms, or risk monitoring systems

• Risk analysis and critical thinking
• Compliance and regulatory awareness
• Ability to manage multiple merchant cases simultaneously
• Clear communication with internal teams and external partners

• Merchant applications reviewed quickly and…