If fintech were a superhero comic book, Casper Munk Christiansen would be its star. With his Superman-like appearance, technical expertise, and background as a pro-athlete who consults the Danish police on financial crime cases, Casper brings a unique mix of skills to Finshark. As part of our second line of defence, he covers every detail of our financial crime prevention (FCP) work. In this interview, we take a moment to dive into his background and his new role at Finshark.

Hey Casper! We’re happy you heard our calling and joined Finshark. Could you tell us about your role?

As Head of Risk and Compliance, I keep an overview of all types of risk and compliance issues at Finshark. This primarily consists of financial crime risks, but also operational, regulatory, financial and other risks. I follow the latest regulations, guidelines, and trends in AML, payments, GDPR, DORA, fraud, etc.

In our organisation, I sit in our second line of defence. This means I monitor the first-line team and help and advise to ensure that we don’t create products, take in customers, or design processes or systems that will get us into trouble in the future.

What are you currently working on? Anything exciting?

It’s still early days, so I’m still getting to know all the products and processes. However, the first period was spent helping the FCP team strengthen our internal FCP setup. We are also preparing for the upcoming DORA regulation, which comes with many new requirements for financial companies.

Dora sounds like a kids’ cartoon, but I expect it’s not… What is the DORA-regulation?

DORA, short for Digital Operational Resilience Act, is an EU regulation coming into effect on January 17, 2025. It ensures that banks and fintech companies can keep operating smoothly, even during cyberattacks or system failures. The goal is to protect customers by making sure companies are prepared, can respond quickly, and keep data secure. Essentially, it’s an extra layer of protection for our money and information. At Finshark, we fully support regulations like DORA and are actively preparing to be 100% compliant.

Compliant is the name of the game, that’s for sure! You started working for Finshark this summer, but what made you join the team in Lund?

I had many conversations with the Finshark management team before joining, as the cultural and personal fit was essential to me. We all realised how my specific knowledge could be very well utilised here. My background, ways of working and personal values are a perfect match for what is needed in this role. It also helps that all the people in Finshark are cool individuals!

Aew, that’s nice! It sounds like you’re still excited about working in fintech, even after all these years?

Yes, fintech is very exciting. I like the pace of changes and decisions, the constantly changing problems to solve, and the work style needed to operate a small or medium-sized team.

Let’s dive deeper into your background. What were you doing before joining Finshark?

Before joining Finshark, I worked at Fuse Energy in London, leading compliance and financial crime prevention. Prior to that, I managed the financial crime program at a Danish crypto exchange and held leadership roles in FCP at some of Scandinavia’s largest banks. I’ve spent nearly 10 years in financial crime compliance, and I love it!

Earlier in my career, I worked as a web developer and even played professional volleyball, which taught me invaluable lessons in work ethic, teamwork, and performance culture.

What would you be doing if you weren’t in FCP?

I like to think I would have become a great policeman. It still plays in the back of my mind sometimes. I think my sense of justice, empathy, teamwork skills, and large physical nature would make me a great police officer.

What about the volleyball, I thought I laid it up for a perfect smash… Would you not like to continue on that path?

Haha, I appreciate the volleyball reference! I have been incredibly fortunate to play pro volleyball for several years. It was amazing: making a living from your sport, living abroad, meeting amazing players and coaches, playing in front of large crowds etc. It was very cool and has shaped my life and personality in many ways, but I also have other ambitions.  That’s why I ended up here at Finshark!

What’s your ultimate work ambition?

My ultimate ambition is to have a long, fulfilling career working on projects I’m genuinely passionate about. When I’m older, I want my kids to think I was cool and that my work made a real difference!

I think you’re cool, that’s for sure! But that’s work. What do you like to do when you’re not protecting the future of finance?

I spend most of my free time with my two children and wife. We like to be active, do sports, and travel to adventures. In the volleyball club, I spend my time coaching and helping a local elite team improve. I’m a board member and also an assistant coach/team manager. It’s very rewarding to help young people improve, work on themselves, and develop great collaboration skills through sport.

When I have time, I like to geek out with my smart home, trying to automate things. I just got coloured lights outside the house. That should be fun for Christmas!

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Ena Šapčanin | Head of People and Culture

Passionate HR expert focusing on talent development, employee engagement and fostering a supportive culture! Creates workplaces where individuals thrive and drives organizational success through a genuine passion for the well-being of Finshark’s teams.

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