Banking Partnerships Manager

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Cyprus.

📋 Description

• Enhance xpate's banking and payments network across various markets, currencies, rails, and products.

• Assess current coverage and develop a pipeline of banks, EMIs, payment institutions, and BaaS providers.

• Implement backup routes to minimize single points of failure.

• Leverage personal network to unlock partnership opportunities and keep track of market trends.

• Take ownership of commercial terms for existing partnerships, including pricing, fees, FX spreads, limits, and settlement cycles.

• Regularly review partner performance and service quality, renegotiating terms when necessary.

• Extend existing relationships into new markets, currencies, rails, and products.

• Compare partnership costs against market offerings.

• Assess partners based on coverage, products, pricing, limits, licensing, reputation, and financial health.

• Lead commercial conversations and negotiate pricing, fees, FX, limits, SLAs, and contract conditions.

• Develop internal business cases for partnerships.

• Collaborate with Compliance and Legal on partner due diligence.

• Manage relationships from initial introduction through contract, launch, and ongoing management.

• Facilitate onboarding with Compliance, Legal, Tech, and Operations post-signing.

• Monitor timelines, owners, and next steps for both parties.

• Handle multiple partner conversations and onboarding processes simultaneously.

⛳️ Requirements

• Established network among banks, EMIs, PSPs, or other financial institutions, with contacts who will respond to your outreach.

• 5+ years of experience in payments, banking, or fintech, directly engaging with financial institutions.

• Proven track record of initiating banking or payment partnerships from scratch.

• Experience in renegotiating existing commercial terms to achieve better outcomes.

• Practical experience with SEPA, SWIFT, Faster Payments, or local payment rails.

• Familiarity with IBAN and account products, as well as FX or cross-border payments.

• Background in fostering relationships with regulated financial institutions in Europe and/or the UK.

• Comfortable discussing pricing, fees, volumes, limits, and contract terms with senior-level counterparts.

• Ability to manage multiple partner initiatives simultaneously.

• Experience guiding a partnership from initial contact through due diligence, contract signing, and go-live.

• Ownership mindset and capacity to resolve stalled initiatives.

• Bonus: Experience on the EMI or PSP side.

• Bonus: Experience managing partner due diligence from the applicant's perspective.

• Bonus: Experience in a rapidly growing fintech environment where processes were still being developed.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive salary along with an appealing employee benefits package.

• Health insurance to promote your well-being.

• Educational bonus to assist with your professional growth and ongoing learning.

• A modern and comfortable office space.

• A flexible working environment founded on trust and accountability.

• Opportunities to grow, lead, and influence the expansion of xpate's banking network across markets.