ADEEB PARKAR
Dubai,UAE
Summary
Experienced Head of Compliance with knack for streamlining regulatory frameworks and enhancing corporate governance. Led multiple teams to improve compliance protocols, resulting in significant risk reduction and operational efficiency. Known for fostering culture of transparency and accountability that drives sustainable business growth.
Overview
6
6
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work history
Head of compliance/Head Of Risk
Cicada Group
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2025.12 - Current
- Lead the end-to-end Compliance function for Cicada OTC FZCO, supporting the firm’s VARA VASP licensing across Broker-Dealer / OTC activities.
- Led the selection, onboarding and implementation of Chainalysis (KYT / Reactor) as the firm’s blockchain analytics solution, strengthening transaction monitoring, wallet risk scoring, investigation workflows and sanctions/illicit finance controls, aligned with VARA expectations for VASP AML/CTF frameworks.
- Own and maintain the Compliance Manual, AML/CFT framework, governance policies, and operational compliance procedures, ensuring alignment with VARA Rulebooks and UAE AML laws.
- Act as key point of contact for VARA regulatory feedback remediation, translating regulator comments into precise policy amendments, controls, and evidence packs.
- Design and implement the firm’s Compliance Monitoring Program (CMP) including risk-based testing, control validation, issue tracking, and reporting to Senior Management.
- Oversee client onboarding compliance (KYC/KYB/EDD) for institutional and qualified clients, ensuring robust customer due diligence, risk scoring, and documentation standards.
- Establish and enforce controls for market conduct, including insider/conflicts policies, complaints handling, trade execution policy consistency, and client classification requirements.
- Lead compliance vendor due diligence and onboarding, including KYC/AML screening, blockchain analytics, and Travel Rule solutions, ensuring operational readiness and regulatory fit.
- Deliver compliance guidance across business units on high-risk onboarding, source of funds/wealth, sanctions exposure, and suspicious activity escalation.
- Build and deliver annual compliance training programs (AML/CFT, ABC, insider dealing, operational compliance), including staff attestations and audit-ready records.
- Maintain compliance documentation to audit-ready standard, supporting internal control reviews, board reporting, and external stakeholder requests.
- Lead the firm-wide Risk Management framework, embedding a risk-based operating model aligned with VARA expectations and industry best practice.
- Develop and maintain the enterprise Risk Register, ensuring coverage across financial stability, market conduct, operational, cybersecurity, governance, and regulatory risks.
- Implement quarterly risk exposure reporting to Senior Management / Board, highlighting emerging risks, incidents, KRIs, and mitigation plans.
- Design and implement risk governance workflows including risk acceptance, escalation protocols, issue remediation tracking, and risk ownership across functions.
- Conduct risk assessments and control reviews across key operational areas including onboarding, trading lifecycle, custody/wallet controls, and third-party outsourcing.
- Lead risk analysis on critical IT/security topics including system availability, capacity/performance planning, incident response, and access/session controls.
- Support regulatory readiness by integrating risk requirements into policies and SOPs, including trade execution/settlement, complaints handling, cybersecurity, and corporate governance.
- Establish operational risk controls around high-risk transactions, transaction limits, client authentication, and change-of-details monitoring (e.g., wallet address updates).
- Partner with Technology/Operations/Finance to ensure risk controls are embedded into systems and day-to-day processes, not only documented.
Compliance Officer (DMLRO)
Fasset
2025.02 - 2026.01
- Ensure ongoing compliance with VARA regulations, licensing conditions, and UAE Central Bank AML/CFT obligations for FASSET.
- Manage and oversee the UAE compliance framework, ensuring jurisdiction-specific regulatory adherence while supporting and advising on compliance matters in other jurisdictions.
- Act as the primary point of contact with VARA, representing the company in regulatory meetings, inspections, and consultations to address compliance status, licensing requirements, and regulatory updates.
- Develop, implement, and enhance the company’s compliance framework, integrating updated VARA, Central Bank, and cross-border regulatory rules into operational processes and systems.
- Collaborate with technology teams to improve transaction monitoring, customer onboarding, and regulatory reporting systems, ensuring alignment with evolving compliance standards.
- Oversee Customer Due Diligence (CDD), Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD), and ongoing client activity monitoring.
- Conduct compliance risk assessments and transaction monitoring, escalating high-risk matters to senior management.
- Handle and investigate alerts in Chainalysis (blockchain analytics) and Sift (fraud detection) to identify suspicious activity, sanctions risks, and abnormal transaction behavior.
- Investigate and mitigate credit card fraud cases, including card-not-present fraud, account takeover, and suspicious chargebacks. (Funds Recall Case) (FRC) and (Fraud Recall Request).
- Prepare and submit weekly and monthly reports on high-risk customers and suspicious activity trends for management review.
- Draft, update, and maintain AML manuals, compliance policies, and standard operating procedures to ensure alignment with regulatory requirements.
- Prepare and submit regulatory reports, Freeze Reports, and Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) via goAML to VARA, the Central Bank, and other relevant authorities within deadlines.
- Maintain accurate records of regulatory interactions, compliance audits, internal reviews, and investigation findings to ensure governance standards and inspection readiness.
- Deliver staff training on VARA requirements, AML/CFT obligations, fraud prevention measures, and best practices for handling virtual asset transactions.
KYC Specialist
Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
2024.03 - 2025.02
- Responsible for screening clients and conducting research to combat money laundering and anti-terrorist financing.
- Conduct extensive research into the client in order to identify any risks related to money laundering or Financing of terrorism and flag them.
- Tasked with activities such as: updating client files for periodic reviews, assess the business activities and source of wealth Conduct adverse media screening to check for criminal activities or political affiliations and apply risk analysis to evaluate the integrity risk of client.
- Review and analyse customer documentation to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
- Maintained accurate records of all customer information and transactions. Recognize and report any suspicious transactions or activity. Keep up-to-date with regulatory requirements related to KYC and AML.
- Identify any shortcomings or holes in KYC policies and procedures and report them.
- Conduct ongoing monitoring of customer transactions for potential risks. Perform periodic reviews and updates of customer information and documentation.
- Work with internal teams to ensure compliance with KYC policies and procedures.
- Conducted review and escalation of Unusual Activity Reports (UARs) in line with CBUAE and FIU goAML requirements.
- Identified and documented unusual customer behavior and transaction patterns inconsistent with KYC profiles.
- Prepared clear narratives for UAR filings to ensure effective regulatory reporting and compliance monitoring.
- Collaborated with MLRO and Compliance teams to escalate UARs to STRs when activities progressed to suspicion.
- Ensured strict confidentiality and adherence to AML/CFT regulatory standards in all UAR submissions.
Anti-Money Laundering Officer (Regulatory Compliance & Transaction Monitoring)
AL ANSARI EXCHANGE LLC
2023.03 - 2024.02
- Developed, implemented, and monitored compliance policies and procedures to ensure organizational compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
- Conducted internal audits and assessments to analyse the organization’s compliance with core productivity in laws and regulations.
- Identified and reported potential areas of compliance vulnerability and risk. Acting as the coordinating, reporting and following-up point between Branches and Compliance Department.
- Review and address system generated AML alerts in order to identify possible ML activities and conduct end to end investigations.
- Conducting Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) on identified High Risk Customer Accounts.
- Review of Account Opening Requests of Sanctioned and High Risk Country Nationals.
Anti-Money Laundering Officer
Dubai Islamic Bank
2021.12 - 2023.03
- Monitored account transactions to detect suspicious activity, possible money laundering, terrorist financing and unusual patterns of questionable account activity.
- Conducted risk-based searches and investigation using public domain Search ,World Check search, internal bank KYC systems while maintaining a high level of expertise with respect to Anti-Money Laundering rules & regulations.
- Performed timely verification of these alerts to check the authenticity of transactions with proof of documents by raising RFI to Business / Relationship Managers.
- Researched and Reported compromised accounts to determine risk and evaluate responses based on sorted data on excel through BO reports and various other internal database.
- Responsible for reporting an STR on FIU’s Go AML if suspect customer/account activity meets the criteria and qualifies for reporting.
- Liaise with internal teams to gather, comprehend, and provide required evidence in preparation for successful STR / SAR reporting, Internal Blacklisting and exit customer relationship.
- Wrote comprehensive reports of investigative findings that are reviewed internally through SAS Anti Money Laundering system at times viewed by Internal / External auditors and Regulatory Authorities.
- Maintained knowledge of compliance issues, new updates and laws by participating in webinars, Reading E-books and related articles.
Anti-Corruption/Anti-Money Laundering Officer
Malaysian Government (MACC)
2019.09 - 2021.11
- Acted as an advisory in further enhancing the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Act (2009) in regards of policies and procedures to fight financial crimes by taking inspiration from Decree Federal Law No. (20) of 2018 on Anti-money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism and Illegal Organisations.
- Developed and maintained a system of internal control to ensure accurate reporting and disclosure.
- Worked closely with Bank Negara (Central Bank of Malaysia) in amending policies and procedures in regards to Anti-Money Laundering Laws and Regulatory requirements.
- Conducted various training seminars in different government organisations in educating the importance of Regulatory Compliance and Anti-Money Laundering laws.
- Acted as the first point of contact for the Malaysian Police and Bank Negara for inquiries in regards to Financial Crimes and Prejudice Offences.
Education
MSc. - Economic Crime Management, Anti-Money Laundering and Financial Crime
HELP University
Kuala LumpurBBI - Banking & Insurance
University Of Mumbai
MumbaiSkills
- Security Policies
References
Reference available upon request
Certification
Advanced Training in AML and CFT Laws (CPD) (Crowe Institute) (2023)
LANGUAGES
Malay
Arabic
Hindi
English
Timeline
Head of compliance/Head Of Risk
Cicada Group
2025.12 - Current
Compliance Officer (DMLRO)
Fasset
2025.02 - 2026.01
KYC Specialist
Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
2024.03 - 2025.02
Anti-Money Laundering Officer (Regulatory Compliance & Transaction Monitoring)
AL ANSARI EXCHANGE LLC
2023.03 - 2024.02
Anti-Money Laundering Officer
Dubai Islamic Bank
2021.12 - 2023.03
Anti-Corruption/Anti-Money Laundering Officer
Malaysian Government (MACC)
2019.09 - 2021.11
BBI - Banking & Insurance
University Of Mumbai
MSc. - Economic Crime Management, Anti-Money Laundering and Financial Crime
HELP University