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Trusted by Fintechs & Financial Institutions

Financial Services

Pillars FinCrime Advisory works exclusively within the financial services ecosystem. Whether you're a fintech, a payments company, a sponsor bank, or an established financial institution, we understand the regulatory environment you operate in, the pressures you face, and what it actually takes to build a compliance program that works in your world.
Fractional Compliance Services

Financial Crime Compliance Built for the Financial Services Industry

Every service Pillars offers is designed specifically for the financial services ecosystem. We understand your regulatory environment, your operational pressures, and what effective compliance actually looks like in your world.

Fintech Compliance

Fintechs move fast and compliance programs need to keep up. We help early-stage and high-growth fintechs build programs that satisfy sponsor banks, meet regulatory expectations, and scale alongside the business without becoming a bottleneck.

Payments Compliance

Payments companies operate in a complex regulatory environment with high transaction volumes and significant financial crime exposure. We build compliance frameworks that manage that risk without slowing down your operations.

Sponsor Bank Support

Sponsor banks carry real compliance responsibility for the fintechs they work with. We help sponsor banks build the oversight structures, due diligence processes, and monitoring frameworks needed to manage that responsibility effectively.

Financial Institution Advisory

Established financial institutions face their own set of compliance challenges, from evolving regulatory expectations to program gaps uncovered during examinations. We step in with the expertise to address them head on.

Growth Stage Companies

Companies in growth mode often outpace their compliance programs. We help organizations at this stage build the infrastructure they need to support expansion without creating regulatory risk that could derail it.

Program Remediation

When a compliance program has been flagged by a regulator, an auditor, or a bank partner, the response needs to be fast, credible, and thorough. We come in, identify the issues, and build a remediation plan that actually resolves them.

Built for Financial Services

We Don't Do Generic Compliance. We Do Financial Services Compliance.

A lot of compliance consultants work across industries. Pillars doesn't. We focus exclusively on financial services because that's where the complexity lives, where the regulatory stakes are highest, and where deep industry knowledge actually makes a difference. Joshua Douglas has spent his entire career in this space. He understands how fintechs operate, what sponsor banks expect, how regulators think, and what it takes to build a compliance program that holds up in the real world of financial services.

financial-services-compliance
Our Expertise

The Financial Crime Services We Deliver Across the Industry

From program development to ongoing advisory, every service Pillars provides is designed to help financial services organizations manage risk, meet regulatory expectations, and grow with confidence.

AML & BSA Programs
We build and enhance Anti-Money Laundering and Bank Secrecy Act programs that are operationally sound, regulatory ready, and built around how your business actually works.
KYC & KYB Design
We design customer and business onboarding processes that apply the right level of due diligence, meet regulatory standards, and create a clear audit trail your program can stand behind.
Transaction Monitoring
We optimize transaction monitoring frameworks so your alerts are meaningful, your team isn't overwhelmed with noise, and your detection capabilities actually reflect your risk profile.
Fractional Leadership
We provide fractional CCO and BSA Officer services for organizations that need senior compliance leadership without the cost and commitment of a full-time executive hire.

Focused Exclusively on Financial Services Because That's Where It Matters Most

Financial services compliance is its own world. The regulations are complex, the stakes are high, and the consequences of getting it wrong are real. Pillars stays in that world so you don't have to navigate it alone.

Pillars FinCrime Advisory was built specifically for the financial services industry because that's where Joshua Douglas has spent his entire career. He has worked with fintechs at every stage of growth, helped payments companies navigate increasing regulatory pressure, supported sponsor bank relationships through complex compliance challenges, and built programs that have held up under real examination. That industry focus isn't just a positioning statement. It means every recommendation we make, every program we build, and every engagement we take on is informed by deep, firsthand knowledge of how financial services compliance actually works in practice.
12+ Years
Financial Services Experience
100% Focus
Financial Services Only
Full Spectrum
Fintechs to Financial Institutions
Client Impact

Built for the Challenges Fintechs Actually Face

From first-time compliance builds to regulatory remediation and bank partner readiness — see how Pillars FinCrime Advisory helps organizations move forward with confidence, clarity, and programs that hold up under scrutiny.

Pillars helped us navigate a complex regulatory review with confidence. Their hands-on approach and deep understanding of fintech compliance made all the difference. Our program is now scalable and audit-ready.

JD

James Donovan

Chief Compliance Officer

The fractional CCO service provided exactly what we needed—senior-level expertise without the overhead. Joshua and his team integrated seamlessly with our operations and gave us the strategic guidance to grow safely.

SW

Sarah Wagner

Head of Risk

From transaction monitoring optimization to KYC redesign, Pillars delivered measurable improvements. Alert quality is up, operational friction is down, and we're better prepared for regulatory exams.

MT

Michael Thompson

VP, Compliance Operations

Pillars helped us navigate a complex regulatory review with confidence. Their hands-on approach and deep understanding of fintech compliance made all the difference. Our program is now scalable and audit-ready.

JD

James Donovan

Chief Compliance Officer

The fractional CCO service provided exactly what we needed—senior-level expertise without the overhead. Joshua and his team integrated seamlessly with our operations and gave us the strategic guidance to grow safely.

SW

Sarah Wagner

Head of Risk

From transaction monitoring optimization to KYC redesign, Pillars delivered measurable improvements. Alert quality is up, operational friction is down, and we're better prepared for regulatory exams.

MT

Michael Thompson

VP, Compliance Operations

Frequently Asked Questions

Who does Pillars FinCrime Advisory work with in the financial services industry?
Pillars works with fintechs, payments companies, sponsor banks, and established financial institutions. The common thread is financial services. Whether you're a startup building your first compliance program or a mature institution dealing with regulatory findings, we bring the same depth of industry knowledge and hands-on expertise to every engagement.
Why does it matter that Pillars focuses exclusively on financial services?
Financial services compliance is a specialized field with its own regulatory framework, its own examiner expectations, and its own operational realities. A consultant who works across multiple industries has to context-switch constantly. Pillars doesn't. We live in this space full time, which means our advice is always grounded in current industry knowledge and real-world financial services experience rather than general compliance principles that may not apply to your situation.
What size organizations does Pillars typically work with?
We work across the spectrum, from early-stage fintechs with no compliance infrastructure to established financial institutions managing complex, multi-layered programs. The right fit isn't about size. It's about whether your organization needs experienced financial crime expertise and a partner who will actually invest in your outcomes. If that describes you, we're the right fit.
Can Pillars support organizations going through rapid growth or significant change?
Absolutely and that's actually one of the situations where Pillars adds the most value. Organizations in rapid growth mode often find their compliance programs can't keep pace with the business. New products, new markets, new bank partner requirements, and increased regulatory attention all create compliance pressure that needs to be managed proactively. We step in and make sure your compliance program grows with your business rather than becoming an obstacle to it.

Who We Work With

Pillars FinCrime Advisory partners with a range of organizations across the financial services ecosystem — from early-stage startups to established institutions managing complex compliance demands.

Houston, Texas

Headquarters

United States

Remote & On-Site Engagements

Founded 2025

By Joshua Douglas

Fintechs

Payments Companies

Sponsor Banks

Financial Institutions

Why Pillars
What Makes Pillars Different in the Financial Services Space
Industry Exclusive Focus
Pillars works only in financial services. That focus means every engagement benefits from deep, current knowledge of the regulations, the regulators, and the operational realities that define your industry.
We Understand How Fintechs Work
Compliance advice that doesn't account for how fintechs actually operate isn't very useful. We've worked inside the fintech ecosystem long enough to know how to build programs that are rigorous without being a burden on the business.
Compliance That Fits the Business
The best compliance programs are ones that actually work inside the organization they're built for. We design everything around your specific business model, risk profile, and regulatory environment so nothing feels forced or out of place.
Ready to Strengthen Your Financial Crime Program?
Let's discuss your compliance needs today
Reach out to Joshua Douglas and the Pillars team at 281-825-1603 or pillarsfincrimeadvisory@gmail.com . Whether you're launching a new product, preparing for regulatory review, or scaling your compliance program—we're here to help.
Headquarters: Houston, Texas (Serving clients nationwide)
Contact Us Today