We are seeking an experienced Compliance Officer / Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) to lead and oversee the compliance and financial crime framework for our Capital Markets Services (CMS)-licensed entity in Singapore. The role will be responsible for ensuring compliance with applicable MAS regulatory requirements, maintaining an effective AML/CFT control environment, and serving as the key compliance point of contact with senior management, internal stakeholders, and regulators.
Reporting directly to the Regional Compliance Director, the ideal candidate will have strong experience in Singapore regulatory compliance for CMS-licensed entities, together with a practical understanding of AML/CFT, sanctions, and broader control frameworks. Familiarity with the payments / fintech space will be an advantage, particularly where business models intersect with cross-border flows, payment operations, or financial technology.
Key Responsibilities
Regulatory Compliance
- Act as the designated Compliance Officer for the Singapore CMS-licensed entity.
- Oversee the entity's compliance with applicable laws, regulations, MAS notices, guidelines, licence conditions, and internal policies.
- Provide regulatory compliance advice to the business and control functions on new initiatives, products, services, and operational changes.
- Monitor regulatory developments in Singapore and assess their applicability and impact on the entity.
- Coordinate and manage regulatory submissions, notifications, inspections, and ongoing engagement with MAS where required.
- Support the Board and senior management on compliance-related matters, including preparation of compliance reports, dashboards, and governance materials.
AML/CFT and Financial Crime
- Act as the designated MLRO for the entity.
- Maintain and enhance the AML/CFT framework, including customer due diligence, transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, suspicious transaction reporting, and ongoing monitoring.
- Review and assess escalations relating to AML/CFT, sanctions, fraud, and other financial crime risks.
- Determine whether suspicious transaction reports or other regulatory escalations are required, and manage such filings where applicable.
- Oversee periodic AML/CFT risk assessments and ensure control measures remain appropriate to the entity's business and risk profile.
- Ensure adequate oversight of higher-risk customers, transactions, intermediaries, and business relationships.
Governance, Controls and Monitoring
- Develop, maintain, and review compliance and AML/CFT policies, procedures, and controls.
- Conduct or oversee compliance monitoring reviews and thematic testing to assess control effectiveness and regulatory compliance.
- Track, report, and follow up on incidents, breaches, audit findings, and remediation actions.
- Support governance forums, including management committees and Board meetings, by providing clear and practical compliance updates.
- Work closely with internal audit, risk, legal, operations, and business teams to strengthen the overall control environment.
Advisory and Business Partnership
- Partner with business, operations, onboarding, and product teams to provide practical and commercially aware compliance advice.
- Review new products, new business initiatives, marketing arrangements, outsourcing arrangements, and distribution or onboarding models from a regulatory and AML/CFT perspective.
- Provide guidance on client onboarding, risk classification, ongoing review, and transaction-related escalations.
- Contribute to the design and implementation of scalable compliance processes suitable for a growing regulated business.
Training and Culture
- Deliver compliance and AML/CFT training to staff and relevant stakeholders.
- Promote a strong compliance culture and awareness of regulatory obligations across the organisation.
- Support senior management in embedding sound governance, escalation, and conduct standards.
Requirements
Experience
- Minimum 8–10 years of relevant compliance / AML experience in Singapore financial services.
- Prior experience acting as Compliance Officer, MLRO, or in a comparable senior compliance role within a CMS-licensed entity, capital markets firm, broker-dealer, fund management company, or other MAS-regulated environment.
- Strong familiarity with Singapore AML/CFT requirements, regulatory expectations, and governance standards.
- Experience in dealing with MAS inspections, regulatory submissions, and ongoing supervisory engagement is preferred.
- Exposure to payments, fintech, cross-border payments, e-money, merchant acquiring, or payment institution frameworks would be advantageous.
Technical Knowledge
- Good understanding of:
- MAS regulatory requirements applicable to CMS-licensed entities
- AML/CFT and sanctions compliance
- suspicious transaction reporting and escalation processes
- customer due diligence and ongoing monitoring
- outsourcing, governance, and internal control frameworks
- compliance monitoring and incident management
- Working knowledge of the payments space would be beneficial, especially where there are intersecting regulatory or financial crime risks.
Skills and Competencies
- Strong judgment and ability to balance regulatory expectations with commercial realities.
- Ability to operate independently and provide credible challenge to senior stakeholders.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to draft policies, board papers, and regulatory correspondence.
- Strong stakeholder management skills across business, operations, legal, risk, and senior management.
- Practical, hands-on, and solutions-oriented mindset.
- High level of integrity, professionalism, and accountability.
Qualifications
- Degree in Law, Finance, Business, Accounting, or a related discipline.
- Professional compliance / AML qualifications preferred, such as ICA, ACAMS, or equivalent.
Preferred Profile
- Experience in both traditional financial services and fintech / payments environments.
- Familiarity with fast-growing, technology-enabled business models.
- Ability to work in a regional or group structure where certain control functions may be centralised or outsourced, while maintaining strong local oversight and accountability.
