Web3 Legal Senior Jobs in Singapore, APAC

At Anchorage Digital, we are building the world’s most advanced digital asset platform for institutions to participate in crypto.Anchorage Digital is a crypto platform that enables institutions to participate in digital assets through custody, staking, trading, governance, settlement, and the industry's leading security infrastructure. Home to Anchorage Digital Bank N.A., the first federally chartered crypto bank in the U.S., Anchorage Digital also serves institutions through Anchorage Digital Singapore, Porto by Anchorage Digital, and other offerings.The company is funded by leading institutions including Andreessen Horowitz, GIC, Goldman Sachs, KKR, and Visa, with its Series D valuation over $3 billion. Founded in 2017 in San Francisco, California, Anchorage Digital has offices in New York, New York; Porto, Portugal; Singapore; and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Learn more at anchorage.com, on X @Anchorage, and on LinkedIn.

The Singapore Compliance Lead is a critical role responsible for ensuring that Anchorage Digital Singapore (ADS) complies with all relevant laws, regulations, and guidelines, including but not limited to those related to Money Payment Institution (MPI), Anti-Money Laundering (AML), and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT). This role involves direct responsibility for developing, implementing, and overseeing compliance and risk programs; being the face of ADS Compliance to the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS); managing regulatory reporting; and staying abreast of evolving regulations, particularly in the dynamic digital payments and cryptocurrency landscape. You will have a strong understanding of Singapore's regulatory environment, experience across multiple regulatory areas including AML/CFT, and a proven track record in developing and implementing effective compliance frameworks.

As a compliance leader, you will help define the long-term strategy of Singapore’s Compliance team and how the APAC regulated and unregulated businesses can support the parent’s overall strategy. You are recognised as a reliable partner who can apply expertise to have significant influence for APAC compliance needs.  You bring a knowledge of best practices in traditional finance in many areas of compliance and risk.  You will be an expert with deep understanding and knowledge of MAS requirements on regulatory and financial crime regulations, be able to apply those requirements to support business development, and manage risks appropriately for the Company. 

You build effective relationships with stakeholders, including regulators, team managers, and cross-functional partners, effectively influence stakeholders to achieve strategic initiatives, and are regarded as a trusted advisor.

You manage and lead a small team that has a clear impact on the success of Anchorage, effectively setting team vision, mission, and strategy for positive impact to clients and processes.

Technical Skills

• Develop and apply deep and extended technical expertise of current regulatory, industry and emerging trends in compliance, to provide insights, guidance and technical leadership and to ensure ADS compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations.
• Develop, implement, and maintain a robust compliance framework that aligns with all applicable laws and regulations in Singapore, including those related to:
  • Digital payments: e.g., Payment Services Act (PSA)
  • Anti-money laundering (AML) and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT): e.g., MAS Notices and Guidelines on AML/CFT
  • Corporate laws: e.g., Companies Act, administered by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA)
  • Tax laws: e.g., Income Tax Act, Goods and Services Tax (GST) Act, administered by the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS)
  •  International tax regulations: e.g., Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), Common Reporting Standard (CRS)
  • Data protection: e.g., Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA)
• Stay informed about regulatory changes and updates, and proactively adapt compliance programs to meet new requirements, in coordination with Regulatory Relations.
• Ensure timely and accurate submission of all regulatory reports to the relevant authorities (MAS, ACRA, IRAS). This includes reports related to PSA obligations, AML/CFT, FATCA, CRS, and tax filings.
• Work closely with Legal, Finance, and People (HR) teams to ensure that all relevant regulations applicable to their respective areas and the company as a whole are identified and addressed.
• Conduct thorough due diligence on digital assets, assess their risks, and ensure compliance with relevant regulations.
• Ensure the segregation of customer assets, their safekeeping and compliance with relevant regulations.
• Serve as the designated MLRO and key liaison officer with MAS and other regulatory bodies. Develop and implement AML/CFT policies, procedures, and controls in line with MAS guidelines and enterprise-wide standards set by Global Finance Crimes Compliance (GFCC).
• Provide compliance advisory to business and product development teams. Offer guidance and support to business units on compliance-related matters, including new product development, client onboarding, and transaction processing.
• Prepare and present compliance reports to the Board of Directors and Risk Management Committee (RMC) and seek their approval for new policies and procedures.

Complexity and Impact of Work:

• Is accountable for designing and building scalable regulatory polices and procedures to align with Singapore requirements and parent entity and/or Anchorage Digital Bank policies and procedures.
• Anticipates factors that could influence global strategies and Anchorage Digital’s position in the market and is accountable for results and implementing ADS compliance and risk strategy with a longer term view that impacts multiple functions and entities across Anchorage Digital.
• Able to represent and be accountable for the technical output of the team.
• Consistently demonstrates on-time delivery and high quality work product. Where a deadline or commitment is at risk, escalates to manager to help manage priorities, if appropriate, and alerts affected stakeholders so “no surprises.”

Organizational Knowledge:

• Develops a deep knowledge of the strategy of Anchorage Digital. Actively engages across all functions on global business and Singapore-specific strategy and identifies new ways to deliver upon it.
• Is aware of Anchorage regulatory, licensing, and business expansion strategy to assist in successful implementation and is considered when defining the planning and goals of the team.
• Ensures alignment and integration among initiatives, priorities, people, processes, and structures in your department, cross-departments, and with the broader strategic priorities of Anchorage Digital.
• Works on complex issues where analysis of situations or data requires an in-depth knowledge of the company.
• Influences the Compliance and Tech roadmap for implementing necessary controls.

Communication and Influence

• Collaborates effectively across teams and disciplines to solve problems and resolve technical debates. 
• Articulates a clear strategy for ADS compliance, produces high quality output and execution, and communicates effectively across the company and with external stakeholders such as the MAS, ACRA and IRAS. This expressly includes clear, thoughtful, analytical and solutions-oriented communications, whether in high-impact slides/decks, written communications in slack or email, or verbal communications - all at a quality level expected of a senior leader.
• Is engaging, easy to approach and builds appropriate rapport, with diplomacy and tact, and recognized as a strategic leader whose knowledge, ideas and critical thinking impact the strategic direction of Anchorage Digital
• Presents function and program reports to senior management, boards, and external stakeholders such as MAS. Scans the environment for key information and messages to adapt the communication strategy and persuade several diversestakeholders and audiences. Anticipates and builds on others’ reactions to keep momentum and support for an approach.
• Is able to perform attentive and active listening, to speak and empathize with others at all grades, adapting the speech to the audience, both internally and externally, applied to small or big audiences.
• Communicates and organizes cross-team goals and projects and works cross-functionally to solve problems.
• Influences senior leaders on the strategy of other departments.
• Credits individual contributions and acknowledges team accomplishments.
• Creates formal networks involving coordination among groups.

Team Leadership:

• Independently responsible for all aspects of people management and has a proven track record of successfully leading people, teams, projects multiple times in different contexts.
• Provides clear directions and priorities to the team. Works with team members to define what success looks like so the positive impact for clients is clear.
• Ensures that knowledge is shared amongst the team and does not position themselves or others as a single point of failure.
• Independently plans and executes changes to team staffing and successionplanning in service of company goals, including identifying gaps, defining roles, andmanaging appropriate team sizes.
• Contributes to defining strategic direction, planning the roadmap, flaggingdependencies and blockers, escalating issues, and synthesizing feedback to ensureteam success.

You may be a fit for this role if you have:

• Bachelor’s degree and 8-10+ years of progressive experience in a compliance role within the financial services industry, with a focus on bank-grade regulated environments.
• Substantial experience including leadership in compliance functions in Singapore in the regulatory areas of money payment institutions (MPI), anti-money laundering (AML), and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT), specifically as they apply to digital asset businesses.
• Proven experience in directly representing your firm and functions in interactions with the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
• Proven experience independently leading people, teams, and large-scale projects multiple times in different contexts.
• Demonstrated ability to operate independently, navigate roadblocks and obstacles, escalating only for critical blockers while proactively identifying solutions.
• Provides clear directions and priorities to the team. Works with team members to define what success looks like so the positive impact for clients is clear.
• A leadership style defined by empathy, humility, and accountability that builds trustand exemplifies our values, principles and policies.

Although not a requirement, bonus points if:

• You are excited about the changing landscape in the financial world and the prospect of digital assets.
• You were emotionally moved by the soundtrack to Hamilton, which chronicles the founding of a new financial system. :)

About Anchorage Digital: Who we areThe Anchorage Village, what we call our team, brings together the brightest minds from platform security, financial services, and distributed ledger technology to provide the building blocks that empower institutions to safely participate in  the evolving digital asset ecosystem. As a diverse team of more than 600 members, we are united in one common goal: building the future of finance by providing the foundation upon which value moves safely in the new global economy. Anchorage Digital is committed to being a welcoming and inclusive workplace for everyone, and we are intentional about making sure people feel respected, supported, and connected at work—regardless of who you are or where you come from. We value and celebrate our differences and we believe being open about who we are allows us to do the best work of our lives. Anchorage Digital is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or veteran status. Anchorage Digital considers qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with other legal requirements. “Anchorage Digital” refers to services that are offered either through Anchorage Digital Bank National Association, an OCC-chartered national trust bank, or Anchorage Lending CA, LLC a finance lender licensed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, License No. 60DBO-11976, or Anchorage Digital Singapore Pte Ltd, a Singapore private limited company, all wholly-owned subsidiaries of Anchor Labs, Inc., a Delaware corporation.Protecting your privacy rights is important to Anchorage Digital, and we work to maintain the trust and confidence of our clients when handling personal or financial information. Please see our privacy policy notices here.We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.