With a dynamic background that spans from advising the Dutch Authority for Financial Markets to co-managing a legal tech firm, Fleur de Roos has a unique, multifaceted view of the regulatory landscape. Her recent promotion from General Counsel to Chief Operating Officer at Fourthline, a leading Dutch regtech firm, marks a significant milestone. In this new capacity, she is tasked with steering the company’s operational expansion across Europe, building on a foundation she was instrumental in creating. We’ll explore her transition, the strategic priorities for scaling Fourthline’s infrastructure, and her vision for navigating the complexities of European compliance while serving major fintech players like Revolut and N26.
Your move from General Counsel to COO is a significant transition. How did your work navigating complex regulatory landscapes and supporting strategic initiatives prepare you to oversee a broader scope including HR, risk management, and business operations? Please share a specific example.
It’s a natural evolution, really. As General Counsel, my role was never confined to a purely legal box. From the moment I joined in 2022, I was deeply involved in the strategic fabric of the company. A great example is our work in building out the governance frameworks. This wasn’t just about drafting policies; it was about creating a resilient operational backbone that could withstand the scrutiny of multiple European regulators. I had to work hand-in-hand with our compliance, tech, and business teams to ensure our legal strategy was not just compliant, but also commercially viable and scalable. That experience of integrating legal foresight with operational reality was the perfect training ground for stepping into the COO role.
Your new role focuses on scaling infrastructure to support growth across European markets. What are the top operational priorities for this expansion, and what specific steps will you take to ensure a robust, unified compliance framework while adapting to diverse national regulations?
Our primary focus is on creating a seamless, yet highly adaptable, operational infrastructure. The first priority is to unify our core processes—from HR to risk management—so that we operate as one cohesive European entity, not a collection of separate national offices. To manage the regulatory diversity, we are strengthening our central compliance hub while empowering local teams with the autonomy to address specific national requirements. This involves investing heavily in our technology to automate as much of the compliance monitoring as possible, allowing our human experts to focus on the nuanced, high-stakes decisions. It’s a balancing act between centralized efficiency and localized expertise.
Fourthline serves prominent clients like Revolut, N26, and Qonto. From an operational standpoint, what specific internal frameworks or processes were most critical in securing these partnerships, and how will you enhance them to attract the next wave of major fintech players?
Securing clients of that caliber hinges on demonstrating unquestionable operational integrity and technological superiority. The most critical element has been our robust, AI-powered identity verification framework. It’s not just about the technology itself, but the entire operational process built around it—from the speed of our onboarding to the thoroughness of our compliance checks. For instance, when Qonto chose our onboarding technology last December, it was a testament to our ability to deliver a seamless user experience without compromising on security. To attract the next wave, we are doubling down on enhancing this integration, making our solutions even more deeply and easily embeddable into a client’s existing ecosystem, ensuring they see us as a true growth partner.
Having co-managed daily operations at a legal tech firm and advised the Dutch Authority for Financial Markets, you’ve seen compliance from multiple angles. How will these distinct experiences inform your strategy for scaling Fourthline’s operational units in a practical, efficient, and regulator-friendly way?
Those experiences gave me a 360-degree perspective that is absolutely invaluable. My time at the Dutch Authority for Financial Markets taught me exactly what regulators look for—not just what the rules say, but the spirit behind them. Conversely, co-managing a legal tech firm gave me a gritty, on-the-ground understanding of the operational pressures businesses face. My strategy for Fourthline is to embed the regulator’s mindset directly into our operational DNA, making compliance a proactive function rather than a reactive one. This means building processes that are not only efficient but are also transparent and easily auditable, which ultimately makes us a more trusted partner for both our clients and the authorities.
What is your forecast for the European regtech industry over the next three to five years?
I believe the European regtech industry is poised for a period of both consolidation and intense innovation. We will see a flight to quality, where companies with proven, robust, and truly scalable solutions will pull ahead, while smaller, niche players may be acquired. The regulatory bar will only get higher, especially concerning AI, data privacy, and cross-border financial crime. This will drive a huge demand for integrated compliance platforms that can offer a single, unified view of risk across multiple jurisdictions. The winners will be those who can successfully blend cutting-edge AI with deep regulatory expertise to deliver solutions that are not just compliant, but that create a real competitive advantage for their clients.
