Regulatory Compliance

A regulator-approved
MLRO, on tap.

Regulator-approved MLRO officers in DIFC, ADGM and across the UAE — for DFSA, FSRA, SCA and CBUAE regulated firms. Outsource the Money Laundering Reporting Officer role to seasoned compliance professionals.

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The MLRO role

The Money Laundering Reporting Officer is a named, regulator-approved individual responsible for your firm's anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing programme. Every regulated UAE firm — DFSA, FSRA, SCA, CBUAE and DNFBPs — must have one.

Hiring a qualified MLRO full-time is expensive, and many smaller regulated firms don't have the volume of work to justify a full-time hire. An outsourced MLRO solves that — you get a named, approved professional handling the role at a fraction of the cost.

What the MLRO does

  • Named MLRO role — registered with your regulator as your firm's MLRO
  • Suspicious activity reporting — reviewing internal escalations, drafting and filing STRs/SARs with the FIU
  • Transaction monitoring oversight — reviewing alerts, calibrating rules and approving dispositions
  • Sanctions screening oversight — review of pre-transaction and ongoing screening outputs
  • AML/CFT policy ownership — maintaining and updating the firm's AML/CFT policies and procedures
  • Annual MLRO report — to the board and regulator on the effectiveness of the AML programme
  • Regulator liaison — first point of contact for AML/CFT queries from your regulator
  • Training oversight — ensuring staff receive appropriate AML/CFT training

Why outsource

For firms that don't need a full-time MLRO, the alternative is either appointing a senior employee who doesn't have the qualifications or risk-appetite for the role, or hiring a full-time MLRO at significant cost. Outsourcing gets you a properly qualified, regulator-approved professional with deep AML expertise — without the headcount cost or recruitment risk.

MLRO framework

What an MLRO
actually does.

The Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) is a named, regulator-approved individual responsible for a firm's AML/CFT programme. The role is mandatory for DFSA-regulated firms in DIFC, FSRA-regulated firms in ADGM, SCA-licensed entities, CBUAE-regulated financial institutions, and Ministry of Economy supervised DNFBPs.

Statutory responsibilities

The MLRO's responsibilities, drawn from Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2018 and individual regulator rulebooks (e.g. DFSA AMLR Module, FSRA AML Rulebook), include:

  • Receiving and assessing internal suspicious activity reports
  • Filing suspicious transaction reports (STRs) to the UAE Financial Intelligence Unit via goAML
  • Acting as the firm's point of contact with the FIU and the regulator on AML matters
  • Ensuring the AML programme is implemented and effective
  • Conducting the annual AML self-assessment
  • Providing AML training to all relevant staff
  • Reporting to senior management and the board on AML matters

Why outsource

A full-time MLRO with sufficient seniority and regulator approval costs USD 120,000 to USD 250,000 per year in the UAE. For smaller firms, this is impossible to justify. Outsourcing gives you a regulator-approved individual at a fraction of the cost, with the added benefit of cross-firm experience.

How we engage

From initial call to
regulator-approved MLRO.

Fit assessment

We confirm the activity, jurisdiction and category. We propose the right individual from our MLRO bench — based on seniority, sector experience and regulator familiarity.

Regulatory approval

We submit the Authorised Individual application to the regulator (DFSA, FSRA, SCA or CBUAE). Application typically takes 2 to 6 weeks depending on regulator and complexity.

Onboarding and handover

Our MLRO takes over: reviewing your current AML framework, attending governance meetings, taking over goAML reporting, refreshing CDD files and training your team.

Ongoing operation

Day-to-day MLRO duties, monthly governance reports, quarterly board reporting, annual AML self-assessment, regulator liaison and inspection support. Regular client review meetings.

FAQ

Frequently asked.

What is an MLRO?+
An MLRO (Money Laundering Reporting Officer) is a named, regulator-approved individual responsible for a regulated firm's anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing programme. The role is mandatory for DFSA, FSRA, SCA, CBUAE regulated firms and Ministry of Economy DNFBPs.
Can I outsource the MLRO role?+
Yes. UAE regulators permit firms to outsource the MLRO role to a qualified third party, subject to the outsourced individual being approved as an Authorised Individual by the relevant regulator. This is common for smaller firms.
How much does an outsourced MLRO cost in the UAE?+
Outsourced MLRO services in the UAE typically cost AED 8,000 to AED 30,000 per month depending on firm complexity, transaction volume and regulator — a fraction of the AED 40,000-80,000 monthly cost of a full-time MLRO of comparable seniority.
What qualifications does a UAE MLRO need?+
Regulator-specific, but typically: relevant degree, recognised AML qualification (ACAMS, ICA, CAMS), 5+ years of relevant compliance experience, and prior approval by the regulator as an Authorised Individual. We supply MLROs who meet or exceed these benchmarks.
Can the same person be MLRO for multiple firms?+
Yes — DFSA, FSRA and SCA permit a single individual to hold the MLRO role for multiple regulated entities, provided they have sufficient capacity. We carefully manage capacity across our client portfolio to ensure quality of coverage for every firm.
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