Compliance Officer & MLRO - (VARA)

Compliance Officer & Money Laundering Reporting Officer (CO/MLRO)

Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Regulatory Coverage: FSRA and DFSA, with VARA exposure

Regulatory Status: Approved Person – Compliance Officer and MLRO

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Compliance Officer and Money Laundering Reporting Officer to lead the compliance and financial crime framework for regulated digital-asset activities in the UAE.

This is a senior control-function role responsible for regulatory compliance, AML/CFT oversight, licensing, governance and regulatory engagement across FSRA- and DFSA-regulated businesses, with additional exposure to VARA requirements.

The successful candidate will combine strong UAE regulatory knowledge with practical experience across institutional markets, digital assets, virtual assets or crypto-exchange operations.

Key Responsibilities:

Regulatory Licensing and Authorisations

• Lead end-to-end licensing, authorisation and variation-of-permission applications with the FSRA, DFSA and, where applicable, VARA.
• Manage applications relating to digital assets, virtual assets and institutional crypto-exchange activities.
• Act as the principal point of contact for regulatory applications, submissions and post-authorisation supervisory matters.
• Prepare and oversee regulatory business plans, compliance manuals, AML/CFT frameworks, governance documentation and Approved Person applications.
• Coordinate responses to regulatory enquiries, information requests, thematic reviews and inspections.
• Monitor compliance with licence conditions, regulatory commitments and supervisory action plans.

Compliance Oversight

• Serve as the principal compliance contact for the FSRA and DFSA.
• Design, implement and maintain proportionate compliance frameworks for institutional digital-asset and crypto-exchange operations.
• Provide compliance oversight across products and services including token listings, spot trading, custody, wallets, staking and stablecoins.
• Monitor regulatory developments across the FSRA, DFSA and VARA regimes, ensuring policies and procedures remain current.
• Develop and execute the annual compliance plan and risk-based Compliance Monitoring Programme.
• Oversee regulatory filings, notifications, approvals and periodic reporting requirements.
• Provide clear and timely compliance reporting to the Senior Executive Officer, governing body and relevant Board committees.
• Advise the business on the regulatory implications of new products, markets, partnerships and commercial initiatives.

AML/CFT and Financial Crime

• Act as MLRO and the primary contact for the UAE Financial Intelligence Unit and other competent authorities.
• Establish and maintain effective AML/CFT, sanctions and counter-proliferation financing frameworks aligned with applicable FSRA and DFSA requirements.
• Oversee digital-asset financial crime controls, including blockchain analytics and transaction-monitoring systems.
• Ensure compliance with Travel Rule requirements, customer and transaction monitoring, sanctions screening and STR/SAR reporting obligations.
• Lead enterprise-wide AML and financial crime risk assessments covering custody, smart contracts, cross-border flows, fraud and emerging digital-asset typologies.
• Review and escalate suspicious activity, regulatory breaches and material financial crime matters.
• Deliver effective AML/CFT and financial crime training to employees, senior management and Board members.

Governance, Risk and Assurance

• Advise the Board and senior management on regulatory, compliance and financial crime risks.
• Identify, assess and support the mitigation of regulatory, operational and conduct risks.
• Coordinate regulatory inspections, external audits and independent compliance reviews, managing remediation actions through to completion.
• Maintain accurate regulatory records, including breaches, complaints, training, regulatory correspondence and suspicious activity.
• Embed compliance-by-design principles across technology, product development and blockchain integrations.
• Promote a strong culture of compliance, accountability and regulatory integrity throughout the organisation.

Experience and Competencies

• A university degree in law, finance, compliance, risk management or a related discipline.
• Significant compliance and regulatory experience within institutional financial markets.
• Demonstrable experience across digital assets, virtual assets, crypto exchanges or related financial services.
• Previous experience as an Approved Person, Compliance Officer, MLRO or Head of Compliance within a regulated organisation.
• Strong working knowledge of the FSRA and/or DFSA regulatory frameworks.
• Practical exposure to VARA requirements is highly desirable.
• Hands-on experience developing and operating AML/KYC, sanctions, transaction-monitoring and financial crime frameworks.
• Understanding of institutional trading, custody, token-listing and digital-asset product risks.
• Experience engaging directly with regulators and managing licensing or authorisation processes.
• Ability to operate independently and exercise sound commercial and regulatory judgement.
• Strong communication skills, personal integrity and credibility with regulators, senior management and Board-level stakeholders.