How we work
Buying compliance advice is hard to judge: you are buying a judgement, and you only see it once it lands. So here is, as precisely as we can put it, how an engagement runs, what you get, what it costs and what we will not do.
- Fixed fee wherever possible
- You speak to the advisor directly
- No software interest
- Handover always included
Five steps
| Step | What happens | Your input |
|---|---|---|
| 1. First call | Thirty minutes. You outline the situation, we ask questions. By the end you know whether this is something we are good at — and if not, where to go instead. | Half an hour, no preparation |
| 2. Scope and proposal | On a single page: what we do, what you get, when it is finished, what it costs — and explicitly what falls outside it. | Two working days |
| 3. Intake and documents | NDA signed, a secure channel agreed, and existing documentation requested. | Providing what exists |
| 4. Delivery | We work; you get a short weekly note: what is done, what stands out, what we need. Surprises at the end are not part of the job. | A few short conversations |
| 5. Handover | Deliverables in editable form, a list of open points, and a session so your people can carry on. | One two-hour session |
What you always get
- A written scope before we start, including what is excluded.
- Editable documents. No PDFs you cannot change — it is your policy, you have to live with it.
- Sourced conclusions. Every finding says what it rests on: a legal provision, a guideline, or your own file.
- One point of contact. The person doing the work is the person you call.
- An honest verdict — including that it is already good enough.
What we will not do
Review our own work
Whoever builds a framework cannot independently assess it. Where we already have an engagement, we limit the scope or refer you elsewhere.
Sell you software
No platform, no vendor fees. If your system is unsuitable you will hear it, even when we have nothing to offer instead.
Take over your liability
Legal responsibility sits with your institution and its day-to-day policymakers. Anyone claiming to assume it is selling something that does not exist.
Leave a report on a shelf
Every engagement ends with handover. If your people cannot carry it forward, the work is not finished.
How we handle your information
- NDA before documents. Yours or ours, signed before anything is shared.
- Never through the contact form. Client files and investigation material go through a secure channel agreed after the intake — preferably your own environment.
- Copy as little as possible. Where we can, we work inside your systems.
- Clear up afterwards. Working copies are deleted once the engagement closes, except what we are legally required to keep.
- Raise it when something is wrong. If we find something reportable, that is a conversation we start — not a line in an appendix.
Who does the work
We are small, deliberately. Mitchell Zandwijken built his expertise as CEO of a fintech, where customer due diligence and sanctions rules were a daily condition for doing business. Tarik Binnekade is senior advisor and MLRO, carried AML/CFT frameworks at regulated crypto and payment firms in the Netherlands, France and Poland, and holds a PhD in neuropsychology.
On volume work we add analysts, always under Tarik's quality control. More about Mitchell and Tarik →
Frequently asked questions
How does a first call work?
Thirty minutes, free of charge and without preparation. You outline the situation, we ask questions, and by the end you know whether this is something we are good at. If not, we say so and point you elsewhere. You speak directly with Mitchell or Tarik; there is no account manager in between.
Do you work on fixed fees or hourly?
Fixed fees wherever the scope can be defined in advance: gap analyses, effectiveness reviews, independent reviews, remediation per file and training all carry a fixed price. For interim work and supervisory examination support we use a day rate, because the scope there is set from outside. Either way the scope is agreed in writing first.
How do you handle our confidential information?
We sign a non-disclosure agreement before receiving any documentation. Client files and investigation material never travel by email or through the contact form: after the intake we agree a secure channel, preferably your own environment. We keep no more than necessary and delete working copies once the engagement closes.
What happens at the end of an engagement?
Every engagement ends with a handover. You receive the deliverables in editable form, a list of open points and recommendations, and a session so your people can carry on. We do not deliver reports that only work while we are there.
Will you review your own work?
No. Whoever builds a framework cannot independently assess it. If we already have an engagement on a component, we say so up front and limit the scope of the review, or refer you elsewhere.
No concrete engagement yet, but a question? That half hour is for that too. Book a call.