Hands-On Regulatory Solutions with KPMG's Risk & Regulatory team

As a Regulatory Consultant, I support financial institutions like banks, insurance companies, or asset managers with their regulatory challenges. These challenges mainly arise from obligations that come from sector-specific legislation, such as anti-money-laundering laws, rules on investor protection, investment-fund legislation, and other compliance-related matters. However, the role is not just about analyzing and interpreting these legislative texts, but also about implementing these rules into everyday practice and collaborating with different departments within a financial institution.

I’ve noticed that the conventional path for law graduates often leads to law firms, where the focus is mainly on legal analysis, resulting in legal opinions or trial briefs. Nevertheless, during my application process I realized that I wanted to do something more hands-on, where legal analysis is not the end goal, but rather the starting point of the services we provide for our clients. After six months in the job, I can confidently say that this is exactly what KPMG Regulatory has to offer. I’ve experienced how we implement our advice in the day-to-day operations of our clients and how our regulatory knowledge can transform entire business processes. 

What I truly enjoy about my job is the variety it brings. Not only in terms of location (I alternate between the clients’ premises, our KPMG Zaventem office, and my home office), but also in terms of projects. During the short period that I have been working here, I have already supported internal audits, performed regulatory gap analyses, reviewed regulatory policies, provided compliance advice to commercial departments, and provided operational support on a ‘know-your-customer’ (KYC) review project. In addition, my colleagues are working on projects to improve the client onboarding process, define scenarios to detect anti-money laundering patterns, and remediate investment service offerings upon an inspection of the supervisor. Every assignment is different and helps me to discover new aspects of financial law. It's amazing how I constantly gain new insights and how much I have learned in such a short time.

Although I was given a lot of responsibility from the start, I don’t have the feeling that I am alone and I can rely on the expertise of our experienced team. My managers really take the time to help me navigate through the complexities of the financial sector and share their extensive knowledge. I also appreciate that, in our team, every voice matters and every perspective is valued. Although KPMG is a large company, I don’t feel like I am treated as a number.

Finally, I want to stress how rewarding it is to work in a dynamic environment that is driven by a shared commitment to quality and constant improvement. That does not mean there is no place for fun; there is a very enjoyable working atmosphere amongst our colleagues and there are many fun activities to participate in.

To sum up, working as a consultant at KPMG Regulatory has offered me the unique opportunity to explore the financial sector from different angles. So, for anyone who has an affinity with the financial sector and is interested to learn about the practical implementation of the sector-specific legislation, let your enthusiasm lead the way, and don’t hesitate to apply. You won’t regret it!

Lena Commers, Junior Regulatory Consultant