Payments risk expertise,
built from the inside.

Strategy and operations consulting for fintech, payments, and platforms. From someone who has spent a decade doing the work from the inside.

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Andy Vrabel.

More than a decade building and scaling risk programs, working up through compliance operations, AML, and high-risk merchant monitoring at a leading payments platform, then leading the payments intelligence side at a risk services firm: launching products, scaling monitoring 10x, and helping acquirers and platforms make better decisions about risk.

I’ve been on both sides: building internal programs and advising from the outside. That perspective is what I bring to consulting engagements. CAMS certified. Veteran. Based in St. Louis.

“The best risk work I’ve seen doesn’t come from better frameworks. It comes from people who’ve been in the room when it mattered, and learned something they can’t unlearn.”

Andy Vrabel

Where I can help.

Payments Risk Program Design
Build or rebuild the risk framework your program actually needs, scoped to your business model, not a generic template.
High-Risk Merchant Onboarding & Monitoring
Practical controls for the verticals that require real judgment, not just rules. Onboarding workflows, ongoing monitoring, and escalation design.
AML & Compliance Operations
SAR programs, KYC/EDD processes, regulatory readiness. Operational, not just policy. CAMS-certified perspective.
Scaling Risk Operations
How to do more with the same team: prioritization frameworks, BPO strategy, tooling, and the metrics that actually move the needle.
Strategic Advisory
For product and leadership teams navigating a risk decision, regulatory question, or vendor relationship.

How I work.

Engagements are typically advisory or embedded, ranging from a few hours a week to full project work, depending on what the problem needs. I work best when there’s a real problem to solve and people willing to engage honestly about tradeoffs.

I’m not selling a methodology. I’m lending judgment from time spent inside these problems, at scale, under pressure, with real stakes.

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Spare Canary: Risk in the Wild

A podcast about how risk really works, across payments, fraud, trust & safety, and the messier corners of the internet. The conversations that should travel further.

Coming Soon

Let’s talk.

If you’re working through a risk challenge and want a second opinion from someone who’s been there, reach out directly.