Compliance's role in disrupting markets (ft. Ambreen Khasru, Head of compliance) Artwork

The Mergers Podcast

The official podcast of The Mergers! Listen to learn from those currently rising up the ranks in High Finance and from those who have already built their empire! Frequent guest episodes including those who run their own Private Equity, Family Office or Venture Capital Firms! We cover:

- Industry Insights into: Investment Banking, Private Equity, Venture Capital
- Bulge Brackets to Niche: Goldman Sachs & Blackrock to Sports & Media Private Equity.
- Career Advice for how to get ahead.

Expect a healthy mix of anecdotes, advice and laughs from those at the top of their game!

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The Mergers Podcast

Compliance's role in disrupting markets (ft. Ambreen Khasru, Head of compliance)

May 21, 2026 • The Mergers

0:00 | 57:44

"I helped break up a human trafficking ring in Stockholm. That was one of my first forays into compliance."

Ambreen Khasru isn’t your typical corporate executive. As the Head of Compliance at eToro and a former leader at Zilch, Juni, and Monese, she has spent her career at the bleeding edge of the Fintech revolution. But her journey didn't start in a boardroom; it began in the music industry of Paris and Sydney before a "zigzag" move into the high-stakes world of international money transfers.

In this episode, Ambreen pulls back the curtain on the "dark side" of finance - from romance scams to human trafficking. We discuss the "growth at all costs" era of VC-backed startups, the reality of personal liability of being an FCA-approved person, and why she believes the "Darth Vader" reputation of compliance is finally being dismantled.

We also dive deep into the 2026 tech landscape: Will AI models replace human oversight? Can a bank really be modernized in a weekend? And what is the one skill every graduate needs to survive a world of automation...

Episode Chapter:

00:00 Introduction
08:23 Romance scams & The "Pig Butchering" epidemic.
13:11 Why Compliance is the "Shield," not the blocker.
16:27 The Fintech Revolution: How we hit 3-minute onboarding.
24:38 The "Death" of easy VC money: Quality over quantity.
32:20 Personal Liability: Is your neck on the line?
36:29 eToro & the rise of Social/Copy Trading.
40:29 AI: The future of machine-led regulation.
54:22 Career Advice: Why you MUST move around the world.