Decision rights before the licensing questionnaire
Early fintech startups often decide quickly in group chats. That speed helps shipping — until a questionnaire asks for the named role that can approve a new payment corridor, an exception to customer due diligence, or a material vendor.
Write decision rights while the team is still small. Name the role, the backup, and where the decision is recorded. Governance framework audits repeatedly find that missing decision rights, not missing policies, cause the longest follow-up cycles.