Inside Swan: Where regulation meets human judgment

At Swan, KYC (Know Your Customer) isn’t a formality. It’s the first safeguard protecting partners, end-users, and the businesses they serve.

Any company opening an account through a Swan-powered app goes through a verification process built to be fast, secure, and human. Behind the scenes, a team of analysts examines each case with a mix of expertise, intuition, and European regulatory knowledge.

We sat down with Daniela Matos Méndez, KYC Team Manager at Swan, to explore what makes this function essential and why it's become one of the most exciting engines of growth at Swan.

So, what does the KYC team actually do at Swan?

“Imagine you’re opening a business account. You submit your ID, company registration, proof of address, maybe a website. Our team reviews all of it: checks that it’s complete, consistent, and compliant with European regulations.

Some steps are automated: the system reads your ID, matches it with your selfie.

But understanding the nature of a business? That requires human eyes. We look for nuances by analyzing the activity of the company, the type of client, the partners use case, amongst other characteristics

We’re protecting not just that client, but every other client in the ecosystem.”

What makes doing KYC at Swan different from a traditional bank?

“In a traditional bank, everything’s very segmented — one team for documents, another for escalation, another for risk. Here, we’re building. That means you can contribute to improving the process, propose changes, and see your ideas implemented fast.

You can specialize (like scaling procedures for a specific country) or help make processes faster and more efficient. It’s dynamic. You’re part of shaping how compliance evolves as Swan grows across Europe.”

What’s the most misunderstood part of KYC?

“That it’s just paperwork. It’s not! It’s connecting dots. It’s pattern recognition. It’s spotting the detail that don’t fit.

We sometimes see websites created the day before, or activity descriptions like ‘anything that’s nice and brings me money.’

It really is a detective job. You need analytical skills, investigative skills and sharp decision making. We need to make decisions based on what we have received from our customers and other sources. ”

Sounds like there’s a real investigative side to it.

“Our team encounters complex scenarios during KYC/KYB (Know Your Business) analysis — cases that push us to learn, refine our processes, and grow as a team. What’s fascinating is that each case is unique, just like our clients.

There’s a true investigative dimension to what we do.”Every case teaches us something new. That’s why we collaborate closely with the FinCrime (Financial Crime) and Compliance teams. KYC is the first gate, but behind it, there’s a whole network of expertise working together.”

Why is KYC such a big deal for partners using Swan?

“Because doing it well is hard. Onboarding requires tools, regulatory expertise, and people who understand fraud patterns.

Most software companies launching financial features don’t have that, and they shouldn’t need to.

That’s where Swan comes in. We handle KYC end-to-end: smoothly, securely, and at European scale.

It’s a huge relief for partners. They can focus on product, while knowing their users are onboarded safely.”

How do you balance speed and safety?

“We’re always improving the flow: better forms, clearer requests, smarter automation.

We work closely with Product to collect all necessary information upfront, because missing data slows everything down.

We automate wherever possible so analysts can focus on cases where human judgment truly matters.

We want to make it smoother for our customers but we also need to establish the right procedures and protocols to avoid unnecessary risks.”

What kind of people thrive in KYC at Swan?

“Curious people. People who like solving puzzles, spotting patterns, improving processes.

It’s for those who enjoy thinking critically and appreciate precision.

And because our team is international (France, Spain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands) we learn a lot from each other.

Each analyst brings their set of skills and everyone has different talents (structure, intuition) and we all can spot different details while analyzing the same case.  Together, it works beautifully.”

What’s the culture like inside your team?

“It’s intense but fun. KYC is fast-paced. Everyone’s waiting for us to verify accounts! So we keep things light. We joke around, share cakes, celebrate birthdays, and post funny AI images about the weekend. It’s multicultural, energetic, and full of good humor.

We deal with serious things, but we never forget that behind every account, there’s a person trying to make their business work. That’s what motivates us, helping small businesses open accounts so they can focus on what they do best.”

What’s next for the team?

“We’re scaling fast. Next year we’ll expand in new markets, keep improving automation, and build more robust processes for each market. I want every analyst to have the tools, training, and knowledge they need to work efficiently and confidently.

There’s so much to build, and that’s what makes it exciting.”

What would you say to someone considering KYC as a career?

“If you like investigating, solving problems, and improving how things work: join. KYC is where law, logic, and empathy meet. And if you enjoy multicultural teamwork and fast-paced environments, you’ll love it in KYC.”

KYC at Swan is far more than verification. It’s a craft. A blend of regulation, investigation, and empathy that keeps thousands of businesses safe every day.

And as Swan expands across Europe, this team is becoming an even greater engine of trust and growth for our partners.

If you’re someone who loves patterns, puzzles, multicultural teamwork, and meaningful impact, you might belong here.

Explore our open roles here.