Regulation,as strategy.
The UAE's regulatory landscape has transformed in five years: a rebuilt AML/CFT regime that took the country off the FATF grey list, four financial regulators with expanding perimeters, new sanctions machinery and enforcement that is now routine. We turn that complexity into a map: which rules apply to you, what compliance must look like in practice, and how to deal with the regulator when it calls.
Anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing obligations in the UAE flow from Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2018 and its implementing decisions, supervised by the Central Bank, the SCA, the DFSA and FSRA in the free zones, and the Ministry of Economy for designated non-financial businesses and professions such as real-estate brokers, dealers in precious metals, auditors and corporate-service providers. Registration on the goAML portal, customer due diligence, beneficial-ownership identification, transaction monitoring, suspicious-transaction reporting and sanctions screening against UN and UAE lists administered by the Executive Office are now expected of every in-scope business, and inspections and fines have followed.
Beyond AML, the question of who regulates a given activity has become more intricate as VARA, the SCA, the DFSA, the FSRA and the Central Bank each extend their perimeters into digital assets, payments, crowdfunding, robo-advice and open finance. Businesses frequently discover that a product sits inside a licensing regime only when a bank, a partner or a regulator asks for the licence. Meanwhile, ultimate-beneficial-ownership disclosures, corporate-tax registration and sector-specific consumer-protection rules add further compliance calendars. In India, the PMLA imposes reporting-entity obligations on banks, fintechs, VDA service providers and designated professionals, supervised by FIU-IND.
RPLC UAE's regulatory practice, led by Raunak Rane, designs and operates compliance that is proportionate and defensible: perimeter analyses that tell you which rules apply; AML/CFT programmes, policies and risk assessments that inspectors recognise; outsourced or supported Compliance Officer and MLRO functions; sanctions programmes; regulatory-change monitoring; and representation in inspections, enquiries and enforcement, coordinated with licensed counsel where the regulator requires it. We work across the UAE and India from one file, so that a group's compliance framework is consistent wherever it operates.
Every mandate is staffed by a founding partner and a small, dedicated team. Where formal representation before UAE courts or authorities is required, we instruct and coordinate registered Emirati advocates so that clients receive one accountable file across legal consultancy and formal representation. Cross-border work between the UAE, India and the USA is run from the same file, with local counsel engaged where applicable law requires.
Written analysis of whether and how an activity is regulated across VARA, SCA, DFSA, FSRA, CBUAE and the Ministry of Economy, with licensing options, timelines and capital and substance implications.
Business-wide risk assessments, AML/CFT policies and procedures, customer due-diligence and beneficial-ownership frameworks, transaction-monitoring design, training and independent reviews aligned to FATF standards.
goAML registration and reporting, DNFBP obligations for real-estate, precious-metals, corporate-service, audit and legal businesses, Ministry of Economy inspection readiness and remediation.
Screening programmes against UN, UAE Executive Office, OFAC, EU and UK lists, targeted-financial-sanctions procedures, freezing and reporting obligations and sanctions clauses in contracts.
Provision or support of Compliance Officer and MLRO functions on a retainer, including regulator liaison, STR review, compliance monitoring plans and board reporting, within the limits each regulator permits.
Preparation for supervisory visits and thematic reviews, response to information requests and findings, remediation plans, and representation in enforcement and settlement processes through licensed counsel where required.
Monitoring of UAE and Indian regulatory developments relevant to your business, impact assessments, implementation plans and quarterly briefings for management and boards.
Reporting-entity obligations under the PMLA, FIU-IND registration and reporting, RBI, SEBI and IRDAI compliance frameworks, and alignment of group compliance across UAE and Indian entities.
The work, on record.
Client names withheld under counsel duties; details rendered indicative.
AML/CFT programme and inspection remediation for a real-estate group
Built the AML/CFT framework, goAML processes and training for a Dubai real-estate brokerage group following a Ministry of Economy inspection, remediated findings and achieved closure without penalty.
Multi-regulator perimeter analysis for a wealth-tech platform
Analysed a platform combining robo-advice, payments and tokenised products across SCA, CBUAE, VARA and DFSA regimes, identified the licensing pathway and structured the product to launch in phases within the perimeter.
Sanctions programme for a commodities trading house
Designed screening, escalation and freezing procedures across UN, UAE, OFAC and EU regimes for a Dubai commodities trader, trained front-office teams and drafted sanctions clauses for the contract suite.
Outsourced compliance and MLRO support for a payments fintech
Provided ongoing compliance-officer and MLRO support on retainer for a CBUAE-licensed payment institution: monitoring plan, STR review, regulator correspondence and quarterly board reporting.
Regulatory & Compliance
Reading, between the codes.
Speak to the practice.
A discreet, no-obligation first conversation, usually within one working day. Urgent matters are triaged the same day.