Head of Compliance / MLRO Vietnam

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Head of Compliance / Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) to lead and oversee the compliance and financial crime framework for our payment-licensed entity in Vietnam. The role will be responsible for ensuring compliance with applicable Vietnamese laws and State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) regulatory requirements, maintaining an effective AML/CFT control environment, and serving as the key compliance point of contact with senior management, internal stakeholders, and regulators.

Reporting directly to the Regional Compliance Director, the ideal candidate will have strong experience in Vietnam regulatory compliance for payment or financial institutions, together with practical knowledge of AML/CFT, sanctions, cross-border payments, foreign exchange requirements, and broader control frameworks. Experience dealing directly with SBV, including licensing or supervisory matters, will be highly regarded.

Key Responsibilities

Regulatory Compliance

• Act as the designated Head of Compliance / Compliance Officer for the Vietnam entity holding a Licence for Provision of Payment Intermediary Services issued by the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV).
• Ensure ongoing compliance with applicable Vietnamese laws, SBV requirements, licence conditions and internal policies.
• Manage regulatory submissions, notifications, inspections and ongoing engagement with SBV and other relevant authorities.
• Monitor regulatory developments and advise management on their impact on the business.
• Provide compliance advice on new products, services and business models, including cross-border payments, collections and payouts.
• Support senior management and the Board on compliance matters and regulatory developments.

AML/CFT and Financial Crime

• Oversee and maintain the entity's AML/CFT and financial crime framework, including CDD, ongoing monitoring, transaction monitoring, sanctions screening and suspicious transaction reporting.
• Review and manage material AML/CFT, sanctions, fraud and other financial crime escalations, and ensure appropriate investigation and documentation.
• Assess potentially suspicious activity and ensure Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) and other required regulatory reports are submitted accurately and within applicable regulatory timelines.
• Ensure appropriate enhanced controls are maintained for higher-risk customers, transactions, products and jurisdictions.
• Develop and deliver periodic AML/CFT and financial crime training to employees and relevant stakeholders, including targeted training for higher-risk functions.
• Oversee periodic AML/CFT risk assessments and ensure identified weaknesses and remediation actions are appropriately tracked and addressed.

Governance and Controls

• Maintain appropriate compliance and AML/CFT policies, procedures and controls.
• Oversee compliance monitoring, regulatory reporting, breaches, audit findings and remediation.
• Ensure appropriate local oversight of compliance activities performed by regional teams, group functions or outsourced service providers.
• Work closely with Legal, Risk, Operations, Product and Regional Compliance to maintain an effective control environment.

Business Partnership

• Provide practical compliance advice to support the development and implementation of payment products and business initiatives.
• Assess regulatory and licensing implications of new products, partnerships and changes to the operating model.
• Advise on Vietnam-specific requirements relating to payment services, cross-border transactions, foreign exchange and partner-bank arrangements.
• Promote a strong compliance culture and provide relevant compliance training to staff.

Requirements

• Minimum 8 years of relevant compliance / AML experience, preferably within payments, fintech, banking or another regulated financial institution in Vietnam.
• Strong knowledge of Vietnam regulations applicable to entities holding a Licence for Provision of Payment Intermediary Services, AML/CFT requirements and SBV regulatory expectations.
• Experience dealing directly with SBV, including regulatory submissions, inspections, licensing or supervisory matters.
• Experience with payment services, cross-border payments, payment intermediary services and/or foreign exchange-related regulatory requirements.
• Prior experience as a Head of Compliance, Compliance Officer, MLRO or similar senior compliance role is preferred.
• Strong judgement with the ability to provide practical, commercially aware advice while maintaining regulatory standards.
• Able to operate independently and provide credible challenge to senior management and business stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in Vietnamese and English.
• Degree in Law, Finance, Business, Accounting or a related discipline; relevant AML/compliance qualifications would be advantageous.

Preferred Profile

• First-hand experience supporting an SBV payment licence application, licence variation or regulatory approval process.
• Experience establishing or enhancing the compliance framework of a licensed payment or fintech business.
• Comfortable operating within a regional structure where certain compliance functions may be centralised while maintaining appropriate local accountability.