Alejandro Garcia-Monterde
Banker Risk Management, Venture Capitalist, and Director in Abu Dhabi
I am a Banker Risk Management, Compliance MLRO, at a Paymenst Platform Fintech currently living in Abu Dhabi. In the last 5 years, I have been repeatedly engaged by regulated fintechs, MSBs, and payments institutions under licensing, examination, or supervisory pressure. These were not growth or transformation roles. They were control-build, regulatory-readiness, and stabilization mandates — establishing enterprise AML frameworks, STR governance, risk appetite structures, and regulator-facing operating models that could withstand scrutiny.
I am typically brought in when institutions need:
• FINTRAC- CBUAE ready AML programs and CAMLO-level governance
• Enterprise AML and financial crime operating models
• Board-level risk frameworks aligned to bank standards
• Credible regulatory engagement across multiple jurisdictions
• Order, structure, and defensibility where controls have not kept pace with scale
My work spans Canada, the UK, the EU, and the UAE, with hands-on leadership across multiple supervisory regimes. I exit roles once the institution has reached regulatory stability and durable governance — which explains the senior, mandate-driven, and time-bound nature of my positions.