Senior compliance, on call. Without the headcount.
Your MLRO, Compliance Officer and DPO - held by a named senior professional, across the UAE, GCC and globally. Licence protected. Board reassured. Regulator comfortable. One fixed monthly fee.
Built for companies regulated by
Headquartered in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) - an international financial centre, with a regulator that expects substance. From there we cover Dubai, the UAE, the GCC and clients globally.
Dubai Head Office
ADGM · Executive Lounge
Compliance Advisory“ADGM and DIFC set the standard for financial regulation in the region and we are built precisely for it.”
Ayla Advisory
Dubai Marina · WaterfrontA full compliance function - without building one.
Every regulated UAE company needs an MLRO, a Compliance Officer and, increasingly, a DPO. Hiring all three at the right seniority is slow, expensive, and overkill for most.
So we become that function. A named, regulator-approved senior takes ownership and runs it properly - outsourced, but it never feels outsourced.
And because Ayla is fully independent - no group ties, no products to cross-sell - the advice you get answers to your board and your regulator. Nobody else.
What you get from day one
- A named, regulator-approved MLRO & Compliance Officer registered to your company
- A board-ready AML/CFT framework, policies and risk assessment
- Sanctions, PEP and adverse-media screening oversight
- goAML reporting, STR/SAR filing and regulator liaison
- Quarterly board reporting and the annual MLRO/DPO report
- Published per-check screening rates - no opaque quotes for volume work
Everything your licence needs, under one roof.
Take the whole function or just the gaps. Either way, a senior owns it - not a ticket queue.
Regulatory Functions
The named, regulator-approved roles and the authorisations that sit behind them.
Outsourced MLRO
A named, regulator-approved MLRO. We own SAR/STR filing, goAML, the annual report and the FIU relationship.
Compliance Officer
The registered CO function: monitoring programme, regulatory reporting, breach management - and a direct line to your regulator.
Outsourced DPO
Outsourced DPO under the DIFC DP Law 2020 and ADGM DP Regs 2021 - registrations, RoPA, breach response, data-subject rights.
Licensing & Authorisation
DFSA and FSRA authorisation: regulatory business plan, projections, policy suite and Authorised Individual applications.
Independent Audits & Mock Inspections
Independent assurance reviews, mock inspections and gap analysis.
Staff & Board AML Training
Staff and board AML training.
Screening & Due Diligence
Screening, onboarding and the remediation that keeps your files inspection-ready.
Sanctions, PEP & Adverse-Media Screening
Sanctions, PEP and adverse-media screening - UNSC and UAE Local Terrorist List, with fuzzy Arabic matching. Confirmed-match freezing and reporting on time.
Watchlist Re-Screening & Monitoring
Continuous watchlist re-screening and ongoing monitoring of your subjects.
KYC (Individuals)
Onboarding and ongoing CDD: KYC files, beneficial ownership, risk rating and periodic review.
KYB (Entities & UBO)
Know-Your-Business checks for entities, including beneficial-ownership (UBO) verification.
CDD / EDD Reports
Customer due-diligence and enhanced due-diligence reports.
Legacy-File Remediation
Legacy-file remediation - bringing historic client files up to current CDD standards.
Reporting & Filings
The filings, reports and casework your licence depends on - done on time.
goAML Registration & STR/SAR Filing
goAML registration and STR/SAR filing - lodged on time.
EOCN Sanctions Notifications
EOCN sanctions notifications and reporting.
Annual MLRO / Compliance Reports
The annual MLRO report and compliance reporting.
Regulatory Returns & Annual Filings
Regulatory returns, board reporting packs and annual filings.
Case Management
Case management for alerts, escalations and investigations.
Need something specific?
One-off remediation, a regulator visit, a gap to close - tell us, we'll scope it.
Talk to usBuilt for both sides of the register.
Regulated company or DNFBP — the obligations differ, the standard doesn’t.
Regulated companies
Authorised companies, funds, VASPs and payment institutions that need a named, regulator-approved MLRO or Compliance Officer. Capacity-managed — every mandate gets a senior who is on your licence and on call.
View plansDNFBPs
Real-estate brokers, dealers in precious metals and stones, corporate service providers and professional practices. goAML registration, screening and filings at published per-check rates — compliant without the overhead.
View plansBeyond the UAE
Groups and founders across the GCC and globally who want UAE-standard AML frameworks, screening and remediation delivered remotely from ADGM.
View plansFrom first call to fully covered.
No drawn-out RFPs. A senior scopes you, gets approved, and takes the weight - usually within weeks.
Discovery
A 25-minute call to pin down your activity, jurisdiction and the gaps. No obligation.
Approval
Regulated company? We propose the right senior and file the Authorised Individual application — typically 2–6 weeks. DNFBP? No individual approval needed — cover can start within days.
Handover
We take over the framework, goAML, screening and CDD, brief your board, and embed the monitoring plan.
Run & report
Day-to-day cover, monthly reporting, quarterly board packs, the annual report and inspection support - fixed fee.
A senior compliance hire costs AED 500k+ a year. Here’s the honest alternative.
Eight fixed packages with published starting prices — something almost nobody in this market will show you. Every one is run by people who have held the MLRO chair and passed regulator inspections.
Outsourced CO / MLRO Retainer
- Named CO and/or MLRO on your licence
- Monthly monitoring, screening & CDD sampling
- Board MI pack and MLRO annual report
AML Health Check
- Every finding rated, cited and costed to fix
- Board presentation included
- Fee credited in full against a retainer signed within 60 days
Authorisation Sprint
- Regulatory business plan & full application pack
- Fit-and-proper packs for your key people
- Day-1 compliance pack when the licence lands
All prices in AED, ex-VAT. "From" pricing subject to scoping — final fees confirmed in a written proposal and governed by an engagement letter. Full package detail, comparison table and add-ons on the Packages & Pricing page.
Senior enough for your board. Close enough to feel in-house.
Senior people, named to you
You get a regulator-approved professional with two decades on the front line - not a junior hidden behind a brand. The person on your licence is the person you call.
Built for the UAE rulebook
DFSA, FSRA, SCA, VARA and CBUAE frameworks, goAML, EOCN sanctions obligations and the 2025 federal AML reforms - current, not generic.
Inspection-ready by default
Everything we build is documented to withstand a regulator visit. When the DFSA or FSRA calls, the file is already in order.
Independent by design
No group ties, no products to cross-sell, no conflicts. Your compliance function answers to your board and your regulator — nobody else. Faith-aware, Sharia-principled delivery available where it matters to you.
The things boards ask us first.
Can we actually outsource the MLRO role?+
Yes. The DFSA, FSRA, SCA and CBUAE permit companies to outsource the MLRO and Compliance Officer roles to a qualified third party, provided that individual is approved by the regulator as an Authorised Individual. It's standard practice for small and mid-sized companies.
How quickly can you be in place?+
After a discovery call, regulator approval of the Authorised Individual typically takes two to six weeks depending on the regulator and complexity. We start framework and handover work in parallel.
What does it cost versus hiring?+
A full-time MLRO of the right seniority costs significantly more per year once salary, benefits and recruitment are counted. An outsourced model gives you that seniority for a predictable monthly fee - usually a fraction of a full-time hire.
Which regulators and regimes do you cover?+
FSRA (ADGM), DFSA (DIFC), SCA, VARA and CBUAE-supervised entities, plus Ministry of Economy DNFBPs. We also support data protection under the ADGM Data Protection Regulations 2021 and the DIFC Data Protection Law 2020, and federal AML obligations including goAML and EOCN sanctions requirements.
Is the client portal secure?+
The portal is for existing clients to submit subjects for vetting, exchange documents and view verdicts and reporting. It's access-controlled, encrypted, and every action is logged.
Where are you based?+
Headquartered Abu Dhabi, working with clients across the UAE, the GCC and internationally. Engagements run remotely, on site, or both.
Do you work with DNFBPs?+
Yes — real-estate brokers, dealers in precious metals and stones, corporate service providers and professional practices. Registration, screening, goAML filings and frameworks, without a regulated-company price tag.
How is screening priced?+
Per check, at published rates, invoiced monthly — with volume discounts from 500 checks a month. See the rate card above; no opaque quotes.
Find out where you really stand.
A confidential 25-minute call. We'll tell you straight where you're exposed and what senior cover would take. No obligation.