It’s an opportune time to be a financial technology (fintech) startup, free to enjoy rapid growth without the burden of strict regulatory oversight. But as scrutiny over this new and burgeoning industry grows, so does the urgency for fintechs to get their compliance house in order.

Jaclyn Jaeger is a freelance contributor to Compliance Week after working for the company for 15 years. She writes on a wide variety of topics, including ethics and compliance, risk management, legal,...