ABOUT

Ruth Wandhöfer is a regulatory expert in the field of banking and one of the foremost authorities on transaction banking regulatory matters. Ruth's key responsibilities include driving regulatory and industry dialogue and developing product and market strategy in line with the evolving regulatory and innovation landscape. 

Ruth chairs a number of influential industry bodies such as the Global Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs Committee of BAFT and the BAFT Innovation Regulatory WG, the European Banking Federation Payments Regulatory Expert Group and the European Payments Council (EPC) Payment Security Group. She is also a board member of the EPC and the EBA Association, a member of the European Commission Payment Systems Market Expert Group (PSMEG), a member of BAFT’s Global Innovation Council, a member of the European Biometrics Advisory Council and a member of the UK Payment Systems Regulator Payments Strategy Forum. 

In her spare time she mentors FinTech start-ups in London and the US, while pursuing a PhD on blockchain/distributed ledger and other technology innovation in relation to financial market infrastructures.

Ruth was named as one of 2010s 'Rising Stars' by Financial News; named in Management Today's 2011 ‘35 Women under 35’ list of women to watch (Sunday Times), and one of the 100 Most Influential People in Finance 2012 as named by Treasury Risk Magazine. In 2015 she was the recipient of the ‘Women in Banking and Finance Award for Achievement’ and in 2016 she was named on the global ‘Women in Fintech Powerlist’ of Innovate Finance.

She speaks five languages (EN, DE, F, ES, IT) and has completed studies in various countries, including an MA Financial Economics (UK), an MA International Politics (FR) and an LLM in International Economic Law (UK). She published two books: “EU Payments Integration – the tale of SEPA, PSD and other Milestones along the Road” (2010) and “Transaction Banking and the Impact of Regulatory Change: Basel III and other challenges for the global economy” (2014), both Palgrave MacMillan. She occasionally lectures at Queen Mary London School of Law.