Chief Compliance Officer MLRO

About The Role:

The CCO/MLRO serves as the principal executive responsible for ensuring that Paysend UAE operates in full compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and standards issued by the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE). This includes proactive engagement with regulators, oversight of compliance monitoring systems, and implementation of AML/CFT controls across all digital money exchange and cross-border payment services. The role is central to the integrity and governance of Paysend UAE’s financial operations, ensuring that the business maintains consumer trust, regulatory confidence, and ethical conduct in every aspect of its operations.

Reporting to the Board of Directors you will conduct objective, independent risk assessments ensuring compliance with relevant AML and ATF requirements. Specifically, as the Chief Compliance Officer & MLRO for Paysend UAE, you will be the regulator-approved CCO/MLRO who owns the entire compliance and financial-crime agenda. Your mandate is to design and embed a best-in-class, tech-enabled framework that safeguards customer funds, keeps Paysend ahead of CBUAE expectations, and enables innovative products (digital wallets, prepaid cards, P2P payments, and cross-border remittances), while fostering a culture of integrity across the firm.

What Youll Do (Responsibilities):

The CCO/MLRO is responsible for establishing and maintaining a comprehensive compliance framework covering regulatory compliance, AML/CFT obligations, conduct risk, and consumer protection. The role oversees compliance with prevailing UAE AML/CFT Laws, Regulations & Standards, CBUAE regulations including the Stored Value Facility Regulation (2020), Market Conduct Regulation (2023), and Consumer Protection Regulation (2021) and Exchange Business Regulations (2025). Responsibilities include regulatory liaison, monitoring of systems, and reporting through the Paysend Notification Gateway (PNG) and goAML platforms. The MLRO will also ensure continuous employee training, timely reporting of suspicious transactions, and proactive risk mitigation through structured internal controls.

The CCO/MLRO has the following responsibilities vis-a-vis the compliance program:

• Regulatory ownership & external liaison: Act as the named CCO & MLRO with the CBUAE (independent of revenue functions) leading license applications, onsite inspections, supervisory meetings, and on-time submission of all regulatory returns (AML, prudential, statistical, safeguarding). Approve marketing and financial promotions before release to ensure AML, conduct-risk, and consumer-protection compliance
• Compliance & governance framework: Design, implement, and continuously improve the compliance architecture covering SVF, AML/CFT, RPSCS overlaps, consumer protection, outsourcing, data-privacy, and cybersecurity. Chair (or co-chair) the Risk & Compliance Committee, maintain up-to-date registers, calendars, and policies, and deliver clear MI to the board
• Customer-fund safeguarding & operational controls: Establish and monitor segregation/escrow arrangements in line with CBUAE safeguarding rules, conduct periodic Risk & Control Self-Assessments (RCSA) and system gap analyses, and drive remediation through to closure
• AML/CFT & Financial-Crime program: Oversee the full Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) lifecycle, sanctions/PEP screening, transaction-monitoring rules, and fraud-detection controls, calibrating RegTech tools, Own the Business-Wide Risk Assessment (BWRA) and ensure ongoing CDD/EDD with periodic customer-risk re-ratings. Serve as the primary FIU and law-enforcement contact.
• Tech-enabled compliance & product advisory: Partner with Product, Engineering, and Data to embed controls in onboarding flows, payment rails, and new features (e.g., multicurrency wallets, joint accounts). Vet vendor integrations, APIs, and outsourcing arrangements for regulatory, data-privacy, and cybersecurity compliance.
• Incident & complaint management: Investigate client complaints or operational incidents with potential regulatory, AML, or reputational impact; lead root-cause analysis; and report outcomes to the board and regulator as required
• Training, culture & stakeholder influence: Deliver mandatory AML/compliance training to all UAE staff, maintain training logs, and promote a culture of transparency and ethical conduct, continuing personal education, to develop and maintain knowledge of AML and CTF compliance requirements and industry best practices.
• Timely escalation of concerns relating to the company’s compliance obligations to the Paysend CEO, as well as the Global Head of Compliance & MLRO and Board of Directors or regulatory bodies as appropriate.
• Influence senior leadership to put compliance first in strategic decisions
• Regulatory-change surveillance: Track CBUAE circulars, UAE federal legislation, and FATF updates; conduct impact assessments; and execute timely policy and control updates to keep Capital-com ahead of regulatory evolution
• Support the business in the evaluation of new business opportunities from a regulatory compliance and conduct perspective.
• Chair or participate in relevant regional governance oversight committees, as necessary.
• Maintain a secondary (dotted-line) reporting to the Group Head of Compliance, while preserving full functional independence locally.
• Ensure UAE-specific risk factors (products, customers, geographies, corridors) are accurately reflected in group-wide risk management.
• Provide timely and accurate compliance, AML/CFT, and risk reporting to relevant Group governance and oversight committees, as requested
• Ensure Group sanctions screening standards and risk tolerances are applied consistently by the UAE entity, without compromising UAE legal or regulatory requirements.
• Ensure group-provided systems and RegTech tools meet CBUAE requirements and are appropriately configured and calibrated for UAE-specific rules, thresholds, and risk profiles.
• Coordinate with Group Internal Audit and Risk Management teams to support assurance activities, remediation tracking, and consistent risk oversight.

1. AML/CFT and Regulatory Liaison:

The MLRO is directly accountable for AML/CFT governance under Federal Decree-Law No. (20) of 2018 and Cabinet Decision No. (10) of 2019. This includes oversight of KYC, sanctions screening, transaction monitoring, STR filing, and regulatory correspondence. All AML/CFT operations must align with FATF recommendations, CBUAE AML Guidance, and internal AML policy frameworks. The MLRO is the primary liaison with the CBUAE AML Department and Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), ensuring that Paysend UAE’s AML infrastructure remains robust, technology-driven, and responsive to emerging typologies and risk indicators.

2.Conduct Risk and Consumer Protection:

The role integrates conduct oversight within Paysend UAE’s business model, ensuring adherence to the Market Conduct and Consumer Protection Regulations. The MLRO ensures that marketing, product design, and customer onboarding processes remain transparent and compliant. The Complaints Management System (CMS) must be operated under defined service-level timelines with periodic CBUAE reporting. The Compliance Officer monitors partner performance to ensure that consumer protection standards are consistently applied across distribution channels.

3. Governance and Independence:

The Compliance Officer / MLRO operates independently of revenue-generating activities and reports functionally to the Board Risk & Compliance Committee. The role has unrestricted access to all company records, systems, and personnel required to fulfil compliance obligations. The MLRO possesses the authority to halt non-compliant operations, escalate breaches directly to the CBUAE, and recommend disciplinary actions for control failures. The Compliance Officer oversees intra-group outsourcing and shared services, ensuring arrangements comply with CBUAE outsourcing requirements, are formally documented, subject to appropriate governance and audit rights, and do not undermine local decision-making authority.

4. Performance Metrics and Review:

Key performance indicators include regulatory audit outcomes, AML/CFT compliance effectiveness, timely STR submissions, consumer protection metrics, training completion rates, and CBUAE supervisory feedback. The role is reviewed annually by the Board Risk & Compliance Committee to ensure alignment with evolving regulatory expectations and Paysend UAE’s operational maturity.

What You’ll Need To Be Successful In This Role:

• 8-10+ years of experience in a same or similar position with a similar financial institution, preferably FinTech or payment institution, covering a wide range of subjects across retail and business customer bases, such as KYC, CDD/EDD, Transaction Monitoring, Risk Assessments, and Reporting (SARs)
• Bachelors degree in business, Finance, Law, or a related field.
• Relevant certifications in compliance and AML (e.g., CAMS, ACAMS)
• Compliance Management, Regulatory Compliance, and Legal Compliance skills
• Analytical Skills for interpreting and implementing regulations and understanding of regulatory requirements and compliance frameworks
• Experience in working with regulatory authorities (CBUAE/DFSA/ FSRA/ SCA)
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills
• Able to work under pressure and manage own workload.
• Strong people skills and the ability to interface with all levels within the corporation and various business units.
• Demonstrated excellent verbal, interpersonal, and written communication