A compliance partner, built for the long term
Specialist compliance advisory for UAE regulated entities building genuine in-house AML and compliance functions. We equip your CO/MLRO with everything needed to perform the role with confidence.
About Leg Nexus
Our practitioners have over three decades of experience across global institutions, earned from within the very regulated environments we advise on.
Leg Nexus Consultancy LLC was founded to steer firms through the evolving UAE regulatory landscape. Following the April 2026 SSC Joint Guidance, the compliance framework has fundamentally shifted. The guidance signals a clear expectation that the CO/MLRO role and core compliance functions should sit internally, supported by genuine seniority and direct Board access.
We bridge the gap between these new requirements and your operational reality. We deliver bespoke gap analysis, framework design, retained advisory, and targeted AML/CFT training. We do not believe in one-size-fits-all templates. Our guidance is forged from hands-on experience in the exact seats your CO/MLRO occupies today.
At Leg Nexus, we align our expertise with your long-term regulatory safety, ensuring your business remains compliant, resilient, and secure.
Our Service Offerings
Practical advisory from senior directors who've held the COMLRO function.
Gap Analysis
Identify gaps in your current compliance framework and prioritise the steps needed to align with regulatory expectations.
Framework build
Design or rebuild your compliance infrastructure to meet FSRA and DFSA expectations for seniority, independence, and Board access.
Retained Advisory
Ongoing director-level support for your CO/MLRO function, embedded where it counts, without compromising regulatory independence.
AML & Compliance Training
Substantive, scenario-based AML & Compliance training developed for regulated entities in financial services and investment management, to deliver tailored Staff & Management Training, Board-Level Briefings, and CO/MLRO Onboarding & Induction.
Quality Assurance Reviews
Rigorous, independent review of your CDD/EDD files, compliance controls, and regulatory evidence, delivered to the standard your regulator expects.
Interim Support Solutions
- Structured Interim CO/MLRO Support
- Governance Documentation
- Transition Management
CONTACT US
Get In Touch
Contact us for a confidential discussion about your regulatory requirements and transition needs.
- Location: United Arab Emirates
- Phone: +971 54 260 2601
- Email: info@legnexus.com
FAQs
What does the April 2026 SSC Joint Guidance mean for my business?
The April 2026 SSC Joint Guidance, issued jointly by the CBUAE, FSRA, and DFSA, sets a clear direction of travel: compliance leadership should be embedded within the business, carrying genuine seniority and operating with meaningful independence.
The guidance moves the expectation firmly away from policy-level compliance toward genuine executive accountability, requiring regulated firms to meaningfully strengthen their AML/CFT/CPF arrangements. In practical terms, firms are expected to address four key areas.
First, the CO and MLRO should hold elevated authority, with genuine independence and direct Board reporting lines.
Second, compliance functions should be adequately resourced, with sufficient financial, technological, and human capital to handle the demands of the role.
Third, ownership and oversight of AML/CFT/CPF controls should sit locally and permanently within the business.
Fourth, Board-level engagement with financial crime risk should be active, documented, and demonstrate proactive challenge rather than passive oversight.
For many firms, this is a timely opportunity to reflect on whether current arrangements genuinely meet these expectations. Leg Nexus can help you assess where your framework stands today and identify the steps needed to align.
Can I continue with my current outsourced CO/MLRO arrangement?
In most cases, your model will need to evolve. Under the April 2026 SSC Joint Guidance, the FSRA, DFSA, and CBUAE clarify that the CO and MLRO roles, along with the core compliance function, should be permanently embedded, senior, and resident within your business. Relying on a purely outsourced arrangement to fulfil these roles is no longer considered aligned with supervisory expectations.
Many firms are using this moment to review their compliance structures and consider whether a transition toward a more embedded model is appropriate. Leg Nexus works with firms at every stage of that journey, whether you are assessing your current position, planning a transition, or building out an internal function from the ground up.
How long does it take to build an internal compliance function?
There is no single answer, as every firm’s starting point is different. The timeline will depend on the current state of your compliance framework, the complexity of your business, and whether a suitable CO/MLRO is already in place or needs to be identified.
For firms building from the ground up, a structured transition typically moves through three stages: an initial gap assessment to understand where your framework currently stands, a design and build phase to develop the policies, procedures, and controls needed to meet regulatory expectations, and finally an embedding phase where the function is operationalised and your CO/MLRO is equipped to perform the role with confidence.
Leg Nexus supports firms across all three stages. Where a suitable in-house CO/MLRO candidate has not yet been identified, we can assist with the search and selection process, drawing on our network across FSRA and DFSA regulated entities to help you find the right person for the role. Once appointed, we work alongside your CO/MLRO to ensure they are fully equipped from day one.
Do you provide ongoing CO/MLRO services?
Not in the traditional outsourced sense. Our retained advisory service is designed to support and strengthen your in-house CO/MLRO function rather than replace it. We work alongside your appointed CO/MLRO at director level, providing the technical depth, regulatory insight, and practical guidance needed to perform the role with confidence and authority.
This might include support with regulatory correspondence, Board reporting, CMP oversight, AML/CFT framework maintenance, or navigating specific regulatory developments as they arise. The shape of the engagement is tailored to your firm’s needs and the experience level of your CO/MLRO.
Our approach is deliberately structured to reinforce regulatory independence rather than create reliance. The goal is a compliance function that is genuinely yours, well-resourced, and capable of standing on its own.
Which entities do you work with?
Leg Nexus works primarily with regulated entities operating within the ADGM and DIFC financial free zones, including firms authorised by the FSRA and DFSA respectively.
Our experience spans fund managers, investment managers, advisory firms, and other financial services entities across Category 3C, Category 4, and equivalent DFSA-regulated structures. We also work with firms in the early stages of regulatory authorisation, supporting the build-out of compliance frameworks ahead of and during the licensing process.
While our core focus is the UAE regulated market, our practitioners bring experience across a broader range of international financial centres and institutional environments, which informs the depth and quality of the advisory we provide.
If you are unsure whether your firm falls within our area of practice, we welcome an initial conversation.