Payments Consulting

Cosmo Element is an owner managed boutique payments and e-commerce strategy consulting business. Special focus set on projects in cross border transaction processing and regulatory advisory. N. is working in the Acquiring business since 2005.

• Kooperationen
• Kostenoptimierung
• Prozessberatung
• Reputationsmanagement
• Strategisches Management
• Swot-Analyse
• Unternehmensberatung
• Unternehmensstrukturen
• Unternehmenszielsetzung
• Wissenschaftler Regulatory Affairs

N. H. is the Managing Director of Cosmo Element, a boutique advisory firm for Payment Services headquartered in Frankfurt. She started working in the payments industry in 2005 and held several management positions at international financial institutions. Her main field of expertise is payment acquiring and the regulatory compliance of payment service providers. She is a member of several international consultancy networks and acts as a licensing expert for several working groups for cross border payment providers. N. is an independent member of the Dispute Resolution Committee at the European Payments Council and a member of the IFAD Remittance Community Task Force.

Selected Projects:
Strategic advisory for a German private bank on BIN Sharing options, licensing issues with the Card Schemes Mastercard/ Visa and China Unionpay, including SEPA. Special focus on ATM and Cash Management in the European Union via Central Bank target2 accounts. New ATM operators are applying with the bank to manage their ATM business across Germany. The bank holds several licenses and is interested in sharing them with Fintechs to enter the Open Banking market and generate new streams of revenue. The strategy consulting included the communication and preparations with international mobile operators to team up on a mobile banking solution where the bank would act as the transaction processor.
Decisive advice on market entry for several PSPs in Europe including application process with Card Schemes Mastercard/ Visa and China Unionpay. Remittance providers and Internet Payment Services that are choosing to start their operations in Europe have taken advice from Cosmo Element on the regulatory background and on setting up banking partnerships.
A Remittance Provider asked for consulting services around designing new products and services such as Airtime Payments and Bill Payments. We provided advisory on the problems of de- risking and international sanctions management. We have provided AML and Due Diligence guidelines for the client and have engaged with the Board of Directors to write a Code of Conduct for the employees.
A Remittance Provider hired Cosmo Element to analyze the Sustainable Development Goals for the company and give advice on how to reduce the costs for their remittance flows. We drafted a digitalization strategy for the client.
Brexit related meetings with Financial Institutions headquartered in the UK for relocation activities to Luxembourg in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Economy represented by the ministers of each department.
Setting up an Acquiring Bank in Malta for a client that needed assistance on their regulatory application files and needed practical help to set up the operations department by defining reporting lines, creating operational policies for the targeted client sectors. Regulatory and Operational set up of the infrastructure for starting and running the acquiring business. The internal guidelines and work descriptions enable the onboarding and management of the acquirer’s clients.
Management of several EMI/ PI and banking license applications across EU member states (Cyprus/ Malta/ Luxembourg/ Netherlands/ Belgium/ UK/ Germany/Lithuania) for FinTechs. Drafting the necessary documentation and policies and leading the communication with the financial regulators.
A retail client asked for more support in defining the overall PSD2 compliance design and underlying (business/technical) requirements for the mandatory services of internet vendors. We restructured the payment department and set up procedures and policies. We provided advisory on new banking solutions and strategic outlining of regulatory terms in respect of becoming an acquiring institution with the Card Schemes.
Advisory of an international cloud storage company on payments, payment ecosystems and rules and regulations by the Payment Card Schemes and the European Commission on Technology, Communication and Payments.
Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Payments in Europe: A joint venture of 3 European/ US consultancies helping the Financial Services Industry to understand and communicate with regulators and EU institutions as well as providing updates on payment regulation.
Strategic and Operational Advisory for a French Neo Bank on setting up banking and financial services for refugees and migrants to provide cross border services.
Strategic Consulting Services for a Neo Bank in the United Kingdom to provide payment accounts and cards to international expats across Europe.