MLRO & Compliance Officer UK

Diversity is at the heart of who we are at Xapo Bank. We’re a fully distributed team of over 130 Xapiens that work remotely from 30+ countries around the world. Our beginning: A world that enjoys economic freedom and wealth protection, no matter where you live or who is running your country. To achieve that, we search the world for the best people for the job. We work hard, think globally, and inspire each other to learn and grow. We are committed to changing the way things are done. Although we are headquartered in Gibraltar, this is a full time, 100% remote position. Work from anywhere!

This role is exclusively for candidates currently based in the United Kingdom. While we offer a remote-first working environment, residency in the UK is a mandatory requirement for this position.

About us: Established in 2013, Xapo has pioneered Crypto Banking, while earning a reputation as the Fort Knox of Crypto. We believe that Bitcoin will do for money, what the internet did for information. Our goal is to provide a bridge between digital assets and traditional financial services. To make it safe and easy for you to save in Dollars or Bitcoins, with immediate access to funds via Card, Crypto and Bank payment rails. To help you to participate in both traditional and crypto markets, enabling you to grow your wealth and build your financial future.

Xapo Bank is the first product of its kind: a platform that bridges the gap between crypto and traditional banking services. Headquartered in Gibraltar, we are regulated and authorised as a credit institution to provide fiat related services and in addition, Xapo VASP is regulated and authorised as a Distributed Ledger Technology Provider to provide crypto services.

Position overview: Xapo is looking for a proactive and highly skilled Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) & Compliance Officer to join our global team. The MLRO & Compliance Officer will work as an integral part of our global Compliance team, leveraging the broader organisation and resources to ensure that we maintain an effective compliance monitoring, anti-money laundering and advisory program and meet all of our regulatory compliance and AML obligations.

The MLRO & Compliance Officer will drive the implementation and management of compliance controls, processes and operations for Xapo’s Compliance & Anti-Financial Crime (AFC) Program, including its Anti-Money Laundering/Counter-Terrorist Financing (AML/CTF) and Sanctions prevention activities. This role will support the business in the development and implementation of a UK specific Compliance & AFC Framework which provides reasonable assurance that there are effective and efficient policies and procedures in place, which are well understood and respected by all Staff.

This role is UK-based (Remote), with a strong preference for London or the surrounding Home Counties, to support Xapo’s continued expansion into the UK. Xapo is in the process of securing the necessary regulatory authorisations to offer its UK-facing banking and crypto services from its new UK home.

Responsibilities:

• Ability to be approved by relevant regulatory authorities in the United Kingdom to hold the official MLRO and/or Nominated Officer role(s) for Xapo’s UK future footprint.
• Monitoring the regulatory landscape and documenting at least annually a regulatory risk assessment with recommendations based on the results (i.e. Annual Risk Assessment and MLRO’s Annual Report to the Board).
• Conduct compliance reviews and analysis of new regulatory developments and maintain oversight of developments affecting business activities, and disseminating these updates to relevant parties across the business.
• Maintain and update Compliance policies and procedures to ensure the implementation of appropriate controls that reflect business needs and regulatory requirements.
• Drafting Annual and Monthly Compliance Reports, and other such compliance reports as may be required.
• Maintaining the AFC Framework and AFC policies and procedures to ensure the implementation of appropriate controls that reflect business and regulatory requirements, supported by a robust Compliance Monitoring Program.
• Facilitate risk-based Know Your Customer and Transaction Monitoring programmes to detect unusual activity and investigate and report suspicious activity in accordance to regulatory requirements, including the filing of Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) and other such reports where appropriate.
• Overseeing the operations of the AFC Compliance team, including training, capacity planning, tracking team and individual Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and Key Risk Indicators (KRIs) for the program.
• Planning, organization and execution of day-to-day operational Compliance and AFC compliance activities and working collaboratively with the business to remediate issues identified through testing and support.
• Independently investigating and acting on matters related to Compliance & AFC.
• Build relationships with relevant authorities, payment schemes, and regulators to ensure we operate in accordance with the latest AFC good practices.
• Supporting regulatory inquiries, filings and reporting requirements, ensuring accurate responses and reporting to the Regulator and other Authorities.
• Coordinating efforts related to audits, reviews, and examinations.
• Work with Compliance and Business leads to provide strategic planning, organisational structure, focus areas, and quarterly goals and key results.
• Work with all relevant partners, financial institution partners, card networks and regulatory authorities.
• Conduct compliance review and analysis of new regulatory developments and maintain oversight of developments affecting business activities.
• Providing guidance, advice, and/or training and educational programs, to improve business understanding of related laws and regulatory requirements.

Skills needed:

• Extensive years of experience in banks, VASPs, complex financial services firms, or related e-money/payments industry with experience to operate at an MLRO level.
• Strong operational knowledge in building and running a sound AFC compliance program, with hands-on knowledge and an understanding of regulatory requirements for the United Kingdom in accordance with global AFC standards.
• Several years of people management experience.
• Ability to build collaborative working relations with peers, colleagues and with remote based teams with individuals at all levels of the organisation.
• Experience with AFC system implementation, configuration and management.
• Experience with data visualisation tools.
• Cryptoasset experience and blockchain analytics and monitoring tools and AFC program management.

Other requirements:

• A dedicated workspace.
• A reliable internet connection with the fastest speed possible in your area.
• Alignment with Our Values and the Xapo Values-Driven Leadership principles.

Why work for Xapo?

• IMPACT GLOBALLY, WORK REMOTELY. Shape the Future: Improve lives through cutting-edge technology, work 100% remotely from anywhere in the world.
• Great work-life balance: Build amazing things with a balance of autonomy and collaborative teamwork. Set your own work schedule and make use of a flexible PTO plan when you need to recharge.
• Expect Excellence: Collaborate, learn, and grow with a high-performance team. Learn how you learn best - from books to conferences, you’ll get a yearly budget for your individual learning and development goals.

At Xapo, we prioritize consumer protection and adhere to regulatory requirements by ensuring that all Xapiens are accountable for upholding principles of fair treatment, transparency, and ethical conduct in their interactions with customers and stakeholders.