Nikolai Layne, MSc, CFRMC

Nikolai has spent his career on all sides of the lending decision, demonstrating his competence and ability to help business owners reach a “yes” to receive financing.

Nikolai began in commercial finance at First Citizens Bank, where he spent more than five years directly adjudicating credit files, conducting customer due diligence and reviewing compliance documentation. He was responsible for leading the AML and KYC record update project, eventually bringing 20,000 client accounts to international standards. Working in collaboration with relationship managers and the risk division, he resolved material discrepancies across 300 high-risk credit facilities. This experience provides him with a unique and practical understanding of the internal credit underwriting processes that govern whether a loan meets the requirements for approval.

Nikolai then joined the Financial Services Commission (FSC) as an Examiner, assessing the capital adequacy and risk management frameworks of regulated institutions across the insurance and securities sectors. This led to his collaboration on the development of supervisory frameworks that are still used in the market today.

Upon leaving the FSC, he joined EY’s Strategy and Transactions practice, where he advised clients across the Caribbean, supporting buy-side and sell-side due diligence on regional financial institutions, valuing businesses in Curaçao and Suriname, supporting the divestment of a large regional insurer in excess of US$125 million, and advising a distillery on a US$60 million private bond placement.

Nikolai currently supports credit and risk frameworks at a regional development fund, assessing financial institutions across CARICOM member states for participation in a facility designed to expand access to credit for small, medium and large enterprises.

At Hillaby Advisory, he leads the firm’s engagement with banks, credit unions and development finance institutions involved in the provision of financing and technical assistance to businesses. His experience across lender, regulatory and advisory perspectives gives him a comprehensive understanding of the roles, requirements and decision-making processes of each stakeholder in a financing transaction. This enables him to effectively navigate the interests of each party, identify key credit and risk considerations, and translate them into practical approaches for structuring, assessing and executing transactions.

Nikolai’s professional credentials include the Chartered Financial Risk Management Consultant (CFRMC), Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst (FMVA) and Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) designations. He holds an M.Sc. in Finance, Leadership and Management from the University of York and a BSc in Banking and Finance from the University of the West Indies.