Compliance Operations Associate

Get to Know Us

We are on a mission to revolutionise access to global financial opportunities through digital assets.

Hata, as a licensed digital asset platform that is regulated and supervised by both Securities Commission of Malaysia and the Labuan Financial Services Authority, provides innovative online spot trading to both retail and institutional clients globally to access opportunities in the digital asset space.

Our team is composed of experienced professionals from PwC, Luno, JP Morgan, Nokia, Huawei and Grab. Powered by our mission to provide the safest & most reliable gateway to access digital assets, we adopt a customer-first approach by operating a compliant platform that is safe and easy to use for our customers.

We have big dreams to achieve and providing a safe and easy to use platform for people in our region is merely the first step. If you have big ambitions, help build our new digital asset platform with us.

Get to Know the Role

We are seeking a sharp, analytical, and detail-oriented Compliance Operations Associate to join our team on the ground. At Hata, Compliance is the backbone of our integrity and the guardian of our platform. While this is primarily a back-office function, your work has a direct impact on our ability to operate safely. We view this team as the incubator for our future experts in Financial Crime, Compliance and Regulatory Operations.

Why this Role Matters:

We are seeking a sharp, analytical, and detail-oriented Compliance Operations Associate to join our team on the ground. At Hata, Compliance is the backbone of our integrity and the guardian of our platform. While this is primarily a back-office function, your work has a direct impact on our ability to operate safely. We view this team as the incubator for our future experts in Financial Crime, Compliance and Regulatory Operations.

  • The Specialist Track: Deepen your expertise in specific functions, evolving into a subject matter expert in areas such as Onboarding, Fincrime Investigation (blockchain forensics), Enhanced Due Diligence (high-risk individuals or entities), or Regulatory Reporting.

  • The Leadership Track: As the team expands, we will need capable leaders. High performers who demonstrate ownership and sound judgment will have the opportunity to step up into Team Lead positions, overseeing the functional teams you helped strengthen.

Day-to-Day Tasks

  1. Onboarding & Due Diligence (KYC & KYB)

    • The Gatekeeper: Conduct in-depth reviews on both retail (KYC) and corporate (KYB) onboarding cases. You will verify documents using our verification tools, conduct background checks to validate authenticity, and ensure processes are applied consistently based on risk assessments.

    • Ongoing Monitoring: Perform KYC refreshes in accordance with internal timelines to ensure customer data remains current and compliant.

    • Sanctions Screening: Utilize screening tools to check customers against global sanctions lists, Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), and adverse media to ensure we are only dealing with legitimate actors.

  2. CDD/EDD Case Analysis

    • Regulatory Alignment: You are responsible for ensuring our customer files are compliant. You will analyze submitted information and documentation to determine if they satisfy our regulatory obligations and internal risk frameworks.

    • Independent Analysis & Recommendation: You will perform the primary investigation on diligence cases, from straightforward verifications to complex corporate structures. You are responsible for building the case file and forming a clear recommendation, ensuring the documentation is comprehensive enough to facilitate internal review.

    • Stakeholder Collaboration: Provide clear, actionable guidance to internal teams regarding pending cases. You will ensure that requests for information are precise and that cases move efficiently through the pipeline within stipulated SLAs.

  3. Fincrime & Transaction Monitoring

    • The Detective: Investigate alert-triggered cases from our transaction monitoring rules (both on-chain and off-chain). You will analyze patterns to distinguish between normal behavior and suspicious activity.

    • Independent Analysis (Transactions): Similar to our CDD process, you will conduct the forensic analysis on high-risk transactions. You will prepare a documented recommendation on whether to clear or report the activity, ensuring your findings are robust enough to meet our internal review standards.

    • Blockchain Forensics: Perform on-chain investigations using advanced tools (e.g., Chainalysis, Elliptic) to trace funds and identify risks associated with crypto wallets.

    • Regulatory Reporting: Prepare Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) when required, ensuring all findings are accurate, researched, and ready for submission.

  4. Process Refinement & Operational Integrity

    • Strengthening the Playbook: While we have key guidelines in place, you will support the enhancement of our CDD and EDD functions. You will help identify gaps and suggest refinements to our SOPs to make them more robust.

    • Maintain the Audit Trail: Compliance requires precision. You will maintain accurate and complete records of all investigations, findings, and profile updates to ensure we are audit-ready at all times.

    • Continuous Learning: You will actively update your knowledge on local laws, Fincrime typologies, and crypto-compliance trends to help adapt our internal standards.

The Nice-to-Have

  • Crypto Fluency: You understand the ecosystem beyond just "Bitcoin." Familiarity with different networks (e.g., ERC20 vs. TRC20), self-custody wallets, or DeFi protocols is a major advantage.

  • Tool Proficiency: Prior experience with compliance software (e.g., World-Check, Sumsub, Jumio) or blockchain analytics platforms (e.g., Chainalysis, TRM Labs, Elliptic).

  • Investigative Mindset: You love connecting the dots. You have a natural curiosity for digging deep into data to find the "truth" behind a transaction or corporate structure.

  • "Builder" Mindset: You aren't looking for a static role. You are excited to help us stress-test our current SOPs and adapt our guidelines as the company scales.

Qualifications

  • Language Proficiency: Strong command of written and spoken English is required (essential for report writing and CDD/EDD requests). Mandarin is a strong plus (beneficial for reviewing specific corporate documents or regional cases).

  • Education: Bachelor’s degree or higher. (Fields in Law, Finance, Business, or Criminology are preferred, but we value analytical skills above all).

  • Experience:

    • Fresh graduates with a strong willingness to learn, high attention to detail, and a passion for crypto are encouraged to apply.

    • Candidates with 1-3 years of experience in Fintech, Digital Assets, or Banking Compliance are ideal and welcome to apply.

Our Culture

At Hata, we strongly advocate for on-site work as our preferred mode of operation, prioritising the benefits of in-person collaboration and communication to promote a productive and fun work environment

We are a forward-thinking and ambitious team that promotes equal opportunities, values diversity, hard work, and thrives on the continuous quest for excellence. If you’re looking for a work environment that is performance driven, appreciates hard work, discounts experience/seniority, does not tolerate office politics, and rewards deserving employees equally, Hata is the place for you.

If you are interested in joining Hata, please send your resume to