Associate Director of Compliance & MLRO

About the role

AX Coin, the first licensed stablecoin issuer regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain, is seeking an Associate Director of Compliance & MLRO. This senior regulatory leadership position is responsible for maintaining the highest standards of regulatory integrity and financial‑crime compliance.

Key responsibilities

• Lead all regulatory engagements with the Central Bank of Bahrain and other authorities, including licensing, approvals, and supervisory correspondence.
• Act as the independent Money‑Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO), assess internal suspicious transaction reports, file external STRs, and manage investigations.
• Design, implement and continuously improve AML/CFT, sanctions, KYC/CDD, and transaction‑monitoring frameworks.
• Draft, govern and maintain compliance, risk and governance policies and procedures.
• Oversee regulatory reporting, audits, inspections and remediation programmes.
• Advise product, technology, operations and leadership teams on regulatory interpretation and embed compliance‑by‑design into stablecoin issuance, payments, custody and settlement.
• Build a strong compliance culture through staff training and awareness.
• Own the enterprise risk management framework covering regulatory, operational, financial‑crime and technology risks.
• Prepare and present the annual MLRO report to senior management and the Board.

Required profile

• Minimum 4 years of compliance experience in banking, fintech, payments or digital assets.
• Proven regulator‑facing experience, preferably within Bahrain or the GCC.
• Deep expertise in AML/CFT, sanctions and financial‑crime compliance, with prior MLRO responsibilities.
• Experience in regulated financial or digital‑asset environments.
• Relevant professional qualifications (e.g., ICA, ACAMS) are highly desirable.
• Strong judgment, leadership presence and excellent stakeholder communication.
• High stress resilience, strong sense of responsibility and motivation to achieve.

Required skills