UAE Compliance Officer and MLRO

About the role

OpenFX is on a mission to move money as freely as data, unrestricted by time zones, banking hours, or legacy systems. We are building the infrastructure that will power the next generation of cross-border payment systems for institutions. The team's execution has been exceptional, and we're scaling at a remarkable pace. Our stellar early team comes with experience in companies like J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, FalconX, Paypal, Affirm, Polygon, Kraken, Nium & others. We're backed by Accel, Lightspeed, NfX and other top-tier investors. Role Overview We are seeking a Compliance Officer (CO) and Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) - someone who is hands-on and can take full ownership to build and scale our compliance program across the UAE. This is a foundational role critical to establishing OpenFX's Compliance infrastructure for our UAE regulated entities, which serve as the hub for our Middle East and global operations. You will lead the UAE compliance function, adapting and implementing OpenFX's global policies, procedures, and controls to enable strong growth alongside effective compliance and risk management across our virtual asset (VA) and payments activities. As the appointed CO and MLRO, you will be the primary point of contact with UAE regulators, supporting licensing activities across the broader UAE regulatory landscape.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support licensing initiatives in the UAE, serving as the primary point of contact with UAE regulators; support licensing workstreams across other UAE regulatory perimeters as the business scales
• Leverage compliance tools, RegTech solutions, and analytics to enhance program effectiveness, efficiency, and scalability, including transaction monitoring systems and blockchain analytics platforms
• Stay current on UAE regulatory developments, assess impact on OpenFX operations and develop and implement expanded compliance policies and procedures as needed
• Partner with Product, Engineering, Legal, and Operations and provide compliance advice on market expansion, new product development, and operational changes to ensure compliance as the company scales
• Manage compliance requirements from banking partners, digital asset partners, and payment networks to ensure operational alignment and trust, and serve as the primary compliance point of contact for partner-related compliance inquiries and audits
• Report on the UAE AML/CFT and sanctions program to the UAE Board

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree
• 5+ years of compliance experience in virtual assets, payments, fintech, or financial services
• Strong understanding of UAE financial regulations including UAE AML/CFT legislation, applicable regulatory requirements for virtual assets and payments, UAE Payment Services Regulations
• Hands-on proven experience building and executing compliance programs, policies, and controls at a financial services company, including administration of AML/KYC processes, transaction monitoring, and suspicious activity reporting
• Proven experience serving as MLRO or in a senior AML compliance role at a UAE-regulated virtual asset or payment entity
• Attention to detail and excellent communication skills
• Proven track record working effectively with cross-functional partners and external stakeholders including UAE regulators
• Commitment to teamwork and ability to work in a fast-paced start-up environment
• What helps you stand out:
• Experience in cross-border payments, FX, and/or virtual asset compliance
• Prior work at a start-up or high-growth company
• Familiarity with compliance technology platforms including transaction monitoring systems (e.g., Actimize, SAS, ComplyAdva

Your Match

How well this role fits your profile.

Company Intel

What employees say

Worked at openfx? Share your experience