Fraud Risk Leader & PropTech enthusiast
Peter Jan Zeilstra
A decade of global experience, specialized in scaling FinTech Banking & Card fraud strategies across 10+ EU and US markets. Builder of depto.eu.
I am a fraud risk leader with over a decade of experience building and scaling fraud prevention functions at some of the world's most prominent FinTech companies. My career spans professional services consulting, global travel e-commerce, and buy-now-pay-later payments — giving me a broad and deep perspective on how fraud risk evolves as companies grow.
I specialize in translating complex fraud risk challenges into clear strategy, robust operations, and measurable outcomes. I have a proven record of significant fraud loss reductions while improving acceptance rates.
I lead international, multi-disciplinary teams and have a strong command of machine learning-driven defense systems, risk-based authentication, and cross-border regulatory frameworks including PSD2, FCRA, and Consumer Duty.
Alongside my professional work, I pursue a passion for PropTech — exploring how technology can reshape traditionally conservative real estate markets. I believe PropTech is one of the most underserved frontiers in European tech — a market where better data, smarter tooling, and user-centric design can unlock enormous value for buyers, renters, and investors alike. This passion led me to build depto.eu, a PropTech platform transforming the experience of managing rental properties in Germany.
Based in Berlin. Originally from the Netherlands.
Career
Professional Experiences
A decade of fraud risk leadership across consulting, travel e-commerce, and FinTech — scroll to travel back through time.
Promoted to lead a team of analysts focused on Card Issuing and Bank Account Fraud, directly aligning with Klarna's strategic pivot to full-service neobanking. Responsible for driving US and EU-wide fraud risk coverage for the Klarna Bank Account and Klarna Card products, designing end-to-end prevention processes to support market launches. Leads cross-functional alignment of Fraud and Financial Crime (AML/CFT) controls, supporting SAR Monitoring, SAR filings, and OFAC reporting across our banking products.
Appointed to build and lead a dedicated Card Fraud team from the ground up, establishing a stronger defense posture for Klarna's growing card portfolio. Delivered the internalization of a third-party fraud engine for transaction risk underwriting — achieving superior fraud and acceptance metrics — and rolled out risk-based authentication across high-risk markets. Oversaw fraud prevention for Klarna Balance across 10+ EU and US markets, navigated PSD2 and FCRA regulatory requirements, and improved sign-up approval rates by refining risk-based fraud rules.
Led a high-performing team of analysts and data scientists to deliver a significant reduction in fraud losses while simultaneously increasing payment acceptance rates across a large number of EU and APAC markets. Owned and optimized multiple machine learning models powering fraud detection across diverse payment methods and geographies, and drove significant monthly savings through strategic authentication enhancements. Directed cross-functional readiness for five successful international market launches, implementing fraud prevention infrastructure ahead of schedule in each case.
Drove an 80–90% reduction in fraud losses (€300K/month) and cut detection times from days to hours by leading cross-functional initiatives and implementing advanced tooling, including Google Vision API. Rebuilt decision accuracy and process efficiency through new quality guidelines and investigation workflows, and designed specialized data tables and monitoring tools that reduced investigation times by 50% — improving productivity across a team of 15+ analysts.
Delivered financial crime analytics engagements for banking and government clients across the Netherlands. Automated 2,500+ reports for a major Dutch government organisation and streamlined a Dutch bank's management information tool by enhancing data analysis and dependency mapping using Python.
Personal Projects
Personal Projects
Outside of my professional career I explore ideas at the intersection of technology and real estate.