Risk & Compliance Officer

Overview

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the ongoing VARA licensing process through to approval, including responding to regulatory queries and information requests during the review phase.
• Act as the primary point of contact with VARA on licensing, governance, technology risk, and market conduct matters (AML/CFT-specific regulatory engagement sits with the MLRO).
• Maintain ongoing regulatory correspondence, reporting obligations, and licence renewals with VARA.
• Monitor regulatory developments in the UAE virtual assets and payments landscape and ensure timely adaptation of internal policies.
• Develop and maintain the entity s risk register, covering operational, regulatory, financial, reputational, and technology risks.
• Implement and monitor the Group s risk appetite framework locally, ensuring alignment with VARA requirements and reporting deviations to Group Risk.
• Conduct regular risk assessments, including exposure to crypto-asset market risks, counterparty risk, sanctions risk, and technology/cyber risk (per VARA Company Rulebook).
• Ensure market conduct risk and consumer protection requirements under VARA are identified, assessed, and managed.
• Lead operational resilience planning, including business continuity and incident response from a compliance and risk perspective.
• Operate within Confirmo s group governance structure and ensuring UAE risk reporting feeds into group-level risk registers and committees.
• Partner with the MLRO to ensure a robust, integrated risk and compliance function; ensure AML/CFT risks are reflected in the entity s risk register and reported to Group.
• Advise senior leadership and the Board on compliance risks associated with new products, partnerships, and market expansions in the MENA region Support due diligence processes for new clients, partners, and payment corridors Collaborate closely with global Compliance, Legal, Product, and Finance teams at Confirmo group.