Compliance

Regulatory
Compliance

We provide outsourced Compliance Officer, MLRO, Risk Officer and Finance Officer services for DFSA and FSRA regulated firms — senior-level cover from day one, at a fraction of the cost of building in-house teams.

Regulatory Compliance

Still running in-house compliance, risk and finance teams?

Most regulated firms in DIFC and ADGM are increasingly moving to outsourced compliance models — and for good reason. In-house compliance teams are expensive, hard to recruit, vulnerable to staff turnover and difficult to keep current as regulations evolve.

ECOVIS JRB provides comprehensive outsourced compliance, risk and AML/CFT services — enabling regulated firms to meet all their regulatory obligations cost-effectively, without the burden of large in-house teams.

40–60%
Cost saving vs in-house
5–10
Working days to deploy
Get a Compliance Assessment →
Regulators We Work With
DFSA (DIFC)FSRA (ADGM)SCADNFBPs UAE
Outsourced Roles We Cover
MLROCompliance OfficerRisk OfficerFinance OfficerDeputy MLRODeputy CO
Signs it's time to outsource
  • Compliance costs keep rising year on year
  • High staff turnover in compliance roles
  • Regulations changing faster than your team can track
  • Scaling into new jurisdictions
  • Upcoming DFSA or FSRA inspection
Our Compliance Services

End-to-end regulatory compliance support

Five outsourced roles and services — each addressing a specific regulatory requirement for DFSA and FSRA regulated firms. All delivered by senior professionals with direct regulator experience.

🧑‍⚖️

Outsourced MLRO (Money Laundering Reporting Officer)

The Money Laundering Reporting Officer is a mandatory licensed role under DFSA and FSRA regulations. The MLRO is the firm's primary point of accountability for AML/CFT obligations — receiving internal suspicious activity reports, assessing them and making external disclosures to the relevant Financial Intelligence Unit where required.

ECOVIS JRB provides experienced, licensed MLROs who take on this role in full — satisfying the regulatory requirement while bringing the depth of expertise that comes from managing AML/CFT obligations across multiple regulated firms.

  • Designated MLRO appointment and registration
  • Internal SAR (Suspicious Activity Report) review and assessment
  • External disclosure to AMLSCU / relevant FIU
  • Annual MLRO report to the Board
  • AML/CFT training programme oversight
  • Regulatory correspondence management
  • Tipping-off and confidentiality management
📋

Outsourced Compliance Officer — DFSA & FSRA

The Compliance Officer is responsible for your firm's overall compliance programme — monitoring adherence to regulatory requirements, managing the compliance monitoring plan, preparing regulatory reports and acting as the primary liaison with the DFSA or FSRA.

Our outsourced Compliance Officers bring direct DFSA and FSRA experience — understanding what regulators expect to see, how to respond to enquiries effectively and how to build a compliance programme that genuinely reduces regulatory risk rather than simply satisfying a checklist.

  • Annual compliance monitoring plan development
  • Regulatory reporting (DFSA/FSRA submissions)
  • Compliance breach identification and remediation
  • Board and senior management reporting
  • Staff compliance training and awareness
  • Regulatory change management
  • Pre-inspection readiness reviews
⚖️

Outsourced Risk Officer — DIFC & ADGM

A designated Risk Officer is required by many DFSA and FSRA regulated firms. The Risk Officer is responsible for designing, maintaining and reporting on the firm's risk management framework — ensuring risks are identified, measured, monitored and controlled within the Board-approved risk appetite.

Our outsourced Risk Officers design risk frameworks that are proportionate to your firm's size and complexity — meeting regulatory expectations without creating unnecessary administrative burden.

  • Enterprise risk framework design and maintenance
  • Risk appetite statement development
  • Risk register management and reporting
  • ICAAP and ILAAP preparation
  • Regulatory capital adequacy monitoring
  • Risk committee support and board reporting
  • Stress testing and scenario analysis
💼

Outsourced Finance Officer — DFSA & FSRA Regulated Firms

DFSA and FSRA regulated firms are required to maintain adequate financial resources and report regularly on their financial position to the regulator. The Finance Officer is responsible for financial reporting, regulatory capital calculations and ensuring the firm maintains the required level of regulatory capital at all times.

Our outsourced Finance Officers combine accounting expertise with regulatory financial reporting knowledge — ensuring your financial returns to the DFSA or FSRA are accurate, timely and fully compliant with the applicable prudential requirements.

  • Regulatory financial returns (DFSA/FSRA)
  • Regulatory capital calculation and monitoring
  • ICAAP financial projections and stress testing
  • Management accounts and board financial reporting
  • Liquidity monitoring and reporting
  • Financial controls and governance
  • Integration with outsourced accounting function
🔎

AML/CFT Reviews & Audits

An independent AML/CFT review is required by most DFSA and FSRA regulated firms on a regular basis — and by DNFBPs across the UAE under the applicable AML/CFT regulations. Our reviews go beyond a tick-box exercise to provide a genuine assessment of the adequacy and effectiveness of your AML/CFT framework.

We test your controls against the actual regulatory requirements and current regulator expectations — giving you a clear, prioritised picture of what needs to be strengthened before a regulator identifies it first.

  • AML/CFT framework gap analysis
  • Independent AML/CFT compliance review
  • Customer Due Diligence (CDD) file reviews
  • Transaction monitoring effectiveness testing
  • AML/CFT policy and procedure updates
  • Regulatory inspection preparation
  • Remediation plan development and tracking
Also Available

Regulatory Authorisations & Licensing

Need to obtain your DFSA or FSRA licence? We guide firms through the full authorisation process — from pre-application assessment to post-licence compliance setup.

Learn More About Authorisations →
How We Work

Every senior role is backed by a dedicated deputy.

Unlike other outsourced compliance providers who assign a single person to a role, ECOVIS JRB operates a two-tier model on every engagement. Each senior officer is accompanied by a dedicated deputy — ensuring the work is executed thoroughly, consistently and without any single point of failure.

👤
The Senior Officer
Strategic oversight & regulator relationship

Your designated senior officer — whether that's your MLRO, Compliance Officer, Risk Officer or Finance Officer — is an experienced professional with a direct track record in that specific role at DFSA or FSRA regulated firms.

They are the named individual registered with the regulator, responsible for all regulatory submissions, sign-offs and the regulator relationship. They set the strategic direction of the compliance programme and are directly accountable to your Board.

👤
The Deputy
Day-to-day execution & operational delivery

The deputy works alongside the senior officer on a day-to-day basis — executing the operational compliance work, maintaining records, preparing reports and ensuring nothing falls through the gaps between regulatory submissions.

This two-tier structure means your compliance function is never dependent on a single individual. If the senior officer is unavailable, the deputy maintains full continuity — no gaps, no delays, no compliance failures.

MLRO
Senior MLRO + Deputy MLRO
Compliance Officer
Senior CO + Deputy CO
Risk Officer
Senior RO + Deputy RO
Finance Officer
Senior FO + Deputy FO
Why ECOVIS JRB for Compliance

Senior cover from day one. No gaps. No headaches.

How We Work

How we onboard and run your compliance function.

Senior cover from day one. Typically operational within 2–4 weeks of engagement.

01
Regulatory Review

We review your licence category, DFSA/FSRA obligations and existing compliance arrangements — identifying exactly what's needed from day one.

02
Appointment & Notification

We handle the DFSA/FSRA notification and approval process for the outsourced function, including any Key Individual application required.

03
Framework Setup

Compliance manual, AML/CFT policies, compliance monitoring programme and risk assessment — all designed around your specific licence and business model.

04
Ongoing Compliance

Regulatory returns, board reporting, regulator correspondence, SAR filing, staff training and monitoring — all handled on a continuous basis.

01 —
Immediate Deployment

Operational within 5–10 working days. No recruitment process, no notice periods. We step in and get to work immediately.

02 —
40–60% Cost Reduction

Eliminate salaries, benefits, training, recruitment and cover costs. Most firms cut compliance spend by 40–60% when they switch to an outsourced model.

03 —
No Knowledge Gaps

With an outsourced model, there is no gap when staff leave. Your compliance framework stays active and inspection-ready regardless of team changes.

04 —
Direct Regulator Experience

Our team has direct experience managing regulatory relationships with the DFSA and FSRA — and preparing firms for inspections from both regulators.

05 —
Regulatory Change Management

We actively monitor DFSA and FSRA rule changes — proactively updating your compliance framework so you are always ahead of regulatory expectations.

06 —
One Partner, Full Coverage

MLRO, Compliance Officer, Risk Officer, Finance Officer — all under one engagement. No gaps, no finger-pointing between separate providers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Compliance questions answered.

Do I legally need a Compliance Officer for my DIFC or ADGM firm?
Yes. DFSA and FSRA regulations require all licensed firms to appoint a designated Compliance Officer and MLRO. Outsourcing these functions to ECOVIS JRB fully satisfies the regulatory requirement — at a fraction of the cost of employing dedicated in-house staff.
How much can I save by outsourcing compliance vs hiring in-house?
Most firms save 40–60% compared to employing a full-time Compliance Officer, MLRO and Risk Officer. When you factor in salary, benefits, training, recruitment, sick cover and the risk of staff departure — outsourcing delivers significant cost efficiency.
What happens if my Compliance Officer or MLRO resigns?
With an outsourced model, there is zero gap in coverage. ECOVIS JRB provides continuous, uninterrupted cover — your compliance framework stays active and inspection-ready regardless of staff changes at our end.
Can ECOVIS JRB help us get our DFSA or FSRA licence?
Yes — we have extensive experience guiding firms through the full authorisation process. From initial eligibility assessment through application, regulator engagement, Key Individual approvals and post-authorisation compliance setup — we manage the entire journey.
How quickly can ECOVIS JRB take over our compliance function?
In most cases we can be operational within 5–10 working days. We conduct an initial assessment, review your existing compliance framework and deploy our team — with minimal disruption to your business.
What is the difference between a Compliance Officer and an MLRO?
The Compliance Officer is responsible for your overall compliance programme — monitoring adherence to regulations, training and preparing regulatory reports. The MLRO is specifically responsible for AML/CFT obligations — receiving internal SARs, assessing them and making external disclosures where required. Both roles are required by DFSA and FSRA regulated firms.
Related Services

You may also need

Talk
Let's Talk

Still running in-house compliance teams?

Find out how much you could save. Free assessment — no obligation.

Get a Free Consultation WhatsApp Us
Free 30-minute consultation
Quick Response
Senior expert — no juniors
Ranked 13th Globally
16,000+ Professionals · 90+ Countries
All Major UAE Free Zones Approved
WhatsApp Us
Free Consultation Call Now