Merchant Acquisition Director

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Director, Merchant Acquiring to lead and scale our merchant acquiring business in Singapore.

This role will take full ownership of the acquiring business P&L, driving revenue growth, commercial strategy, operational performance, and risk management while ensuring compliance with local regulatory requirements.

The ideal candidate brings deep knowledge of Singapore's acquiring and payments ecosystem, with a proven track record in business development, merchant acquiring operations, risk management, and regulatory compliance.

Key Responsibilities

1. Business Leadership & P&L Ownership

• Own the end-to-end P&L of the Singapore merchant acquiring business, including revenue, profitability, cost management, and business performance.
• Develop and execute business strategies to drive merchant acquisition, transaction volume (TPV), net revenue, and sustainable profitability.
• Establish business targets, budgets, and performance metrics, and take accountability for business results.

2. Business Development & Strategic Partnerships

• Drive new merchant acquisition and expand strategic partnerships with banks, payment service providers (PSPs), payment gateways, and enterprise merchants.
• Develop competitive acquiring solutions, pricing strategies, and commercial models.
• Build strong relationships across Singapore's payments ecosystem to accelerate business growth.

3. Risk Management & Regulatory Compliance

• Oversee acquiring-related risks, including merchant underwriting, fraud, chargebacks, transaction monitoring, and settlement risks.
• Ensure business operations comply with applicable MAS regulatory requirements, card scheme rules (Visa/Mastercard), and internal risk and compliance policies.
• Work closely with Risk, Compliance, Legal, and Operations teams to establish effective risk controls and support regulatory and scheme-related requirements.
• Balance commercial growth with prudent risk management and regulatory compliance.

4. Operations & Business Performance

• Oversee merchant onboarding, acquiring operations, payment processing, settlement, and service performance.
• Monitor key business indicators, including TPV, revenue, profitability, merchant activation, fraud rates, and chargeback ratios.
• Collaborate with Product, Technology, Risk, and Operations teams to improve acquiring capabilities, operational efficiency, and customer experience.

Requirements

• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in Singapore's merchant acquiring or payment processing industry, with strong knowledge of the local payments ecosystem.
• Proven experience managing an acquiring business, business unit, or commercial portfolio with P&L accountability.
• Strong understanding of merchant acquiring, payment processing, settlement, pricing, and revenue models.

• Practical knowledge of merchant risk, fraud prevention, chargeback management, and regulatory compliance.
• Familiarity with MAS regulatory requirements and Visa/Mastercard acquiring rules.
• Established relationships with Singapore-based banks, PSPs, payment gateways, or major merchants.
• Strong commercial judgement, leadership, negotiation, and execution capabilities.
• Fluent in English and Mandarin, with strong business communication skills in both languages.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a licensed payment institution, acquiring bank, or established fintech/PSP.
• Experience launching or scaling acquiring products or business lines.
• Exposure to cross-border acquiring, alternative payment methods, or digital asset-related payment solutions.