A Curious Mind and an Indelible Legacy

My Life in Treasury: Francis De Roeck

Francis De Roeck has played a vital role in the European payments story, helping to create SEPA’s ISO 20022 messaging standard, the European Payments Council rule books, and BNP Paribas’ direct debit mandate management system, among many other initiatives. As he prepares to retire from the bank, De Roeck looks back on his career, discusses how curiosity is vital for innovation, and reveals his future plans to TMI.

Currently the Head of Industry Engagement for Payments, Global Cash Management, at BNP Paribas, De Roeck’s career in finance began after graduating from KU Leuven, Belgium’s oldest university, with a Master’s degree in commercial engineering. This combination of subjects meant that he could apply his talents to various professions after graduating. At that early age, there was only one career path he was sure he did not want to follow.

“My only certainty was that I would never work for a bank,” he smiles. Fortunately, that proved not to be the case. Fast-forward to 2024 and De Roeck is wrapping up a successful career in banking and payments, with the past 12 years spent with his current team.

Indeed, after beginning his career at an insurance company, it was only two years before De Roeck started working in the industry he had previously eschewed. He joined AGF Belgium Bank, a domestic savings institution that handled payments, deposits, and loans.

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