FD Capital Recruitment Ltd is registered at Companies House (no. 13329383) and has been providing CFOs and Finance Directors since 2018 and is operated by an ICAEW-registered practice. Our founder Adrian Lawrence FCA holds an ICAEW practising certificate.
Position title
Head of Compliance and MLRO (SMF16 / SMF17) Cryptoasset Firm
Description
Location: London (hybrid) / Remote UK ·
Type: Full-time, Permanent ·
Sector: Cryptoassets, Payments, Fintech ·
Salary: Competitive, DOE
An ambitious cryptoasset business is preparing for FCA registration under the Money Laundering Regulations and a subsequent FSMA authorisation application. They are looking for an experienced compliance leader to own the process and steer them through the gateway.
The role:
- Lead the firm's FCA cryptoasset MLR registration and FSMA authorisation application end to end
- Act as named MLRO / SMF16 / SMF17 designate, ready to stand up to the FCA's fit-and-proper assessment
- Build, review and maintain AML/CFT frameworks, policies and procedures against MLRs 2017 and JMLSG guidance
- Own the Travel Rule, crypto financial promotions (S21), Consumer Duty and safeguarding requirements
- Manage the relationship with the FCA directly through to authorisation and beyond
Responsibilities
We'd like to hear from you if you have:
- Prior FCA-approved SMF16 and/or SMF17 status with a clean approval history
- Hands-on experience of FCA applications — MLR registration, Part 4A, VoP, or VASP/EMI licensing
- Genuine cryptoasset or digital-assets compliance experience (not TradFi alone)
- The credibility and gravitas to lead a growing compliance function as the firm scales
This is a permanent, full-time appointment offering the opportunity to build and lead a compliance function from the application stage upward.
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Fractional CFO FinTech Digital Assets and Payments
Hiring organization
Employment Type
Full-time
Beginning of employment
1st August 2026
Duration of employment
Perm
Industry
Fintech
Job Location
London, South East, `, United Kingdom
Working Hours
9-5
Base Salary
£120,000-£160,000 Per year
Date posted
July 16, 2026
Valid through
August 31, 2026
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