Job description

MLRO / Head of Financial Crime Compliance (FCC)

Role Overview

Ant Bank Hong Kong is seeking a seasoned and regulator-facing Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) / Head of FCC to lead and oversee the Bank's financial crime compliance framework.

This is a statutory MLRO role registered with the HKMA, responsible for regulatory engagement, AML/CFT governance, and leading digital compliance transformation within one of Hong Kong's largest digital banking ecosystems. The role may expand to include oversight of the AlipayHK wallet business.

This position offers the opportunity to drive compliance strategy within a high-growth digital bank and participate in the broader regional fintech and payments ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

1. Statutory MLRO Responsibilities

- Act as the HKMA-registered MLRO for Ant Bank Hong Kong.

- Serve as the primary point of contact with the HKMA and other regulators on AML/CFT matters.

- Oversee suspicious transaction reporting (STR) governance and regulatory submissions.

- Ensure full compliance with AMLO, HKMA guidelines, and applicable regulatory requirements.

- Maintain effective regulatory engagement and manage onsite inspections, reviews, and remediation programs.

2. Financial Crime Compliance Leadership

- Lead and manage the Bank's AML/CFT framework, including:

- Customer due diligence (CDD/KYC)

- Transaction monitoring and sanctions screening

- Financial crime risk assessments

- Policy and control framework development

- Oversee system governance, ensuring effective AML controls in digital banking environments.

- Drive continuous enhancement of financial crime controls aligned with regulatory expectations and fintech innovation.

3. Strategic & Ecosystem Expansion

- Support cross-border payments, global fund transfers, and emerging fintech initiatives from an FCC perspective.

- Contribute to compliance strategy within a broader regional payment ecosystem.

- Potentially assume oversight of AlipayHK wallet AML governance (subject to organizational structure).

4. Team Leadership & Governance

- Lead a team of approximately 15 FCC professionals.

- Provide strong governance, performance management, and talent development.

- Promote a culture of accountability, agility, and regulatory excellence.

- Coordinate cross-functionally with Risk, Legal, Technology, and Business teams.

Job Requirement

Requirements

- Minimum 10 years of experience in AML/FCC.

- At least 4 years as Head of AML/FCC or equivalent senior leadership role.

- Minimum 3 years at VP level or above (AVP not considered).

- Must be officially HKMA-registered MLRO (not internal title only).

- Demonstrated experience directly engaging with HKMA and other regulators.

- Experience within a licensed bank or recognized financial institution.

- Strong preference for candidates from:

- Retail banks with customer bases exceeding 500,000.

- Large-scale institutions (ideally with exposure to million-level customer bases).

- Experience in digital banking or fintech environments is advantageous.

- Candidates from very small foreign branches or limited-scale institutions may not meet threshold requirements.

- Native Cantonese speaker required.

- Non-local candidates may be considered but local familiarity is highly preferred.

- Strong track record of long-term institutional contribution.

- Proven ability to lead teams of 10-15+ members.

- High learning agility and ability to operate in a fast-evolving digital banking environment.

- Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional coordination skills.

- Excellent communication skills with regulators and senior management.

- Ability to balance regulatory rigor with business enablement.

What This Role Offers

- Leadership role in Hong Kong's second-largest digital banking ecosystem.

- Opportunity to drive digital compliance transformation.

- Exposure to cross-border payments and global fintech initiatives.

- Strategic positioning within a regional (Singapore-headquartered) structure.

- Platform for long-term career development in the digital payments industry.