About the role
About Aspora People on the move deserve a bank that moves with them. Since 2022, Aspora has been building a borderless financial operating system that makes money as mobile and transparent as its users. Backed by influential venture capitalists like Sequoia Capital, Greylock Partners, Hummingbird Ventures, Y Combinator & Global Founders Capital. We're a team of 75+ across India, the UK, the UAE, EU and the US, working with extreme ownership, radical candour, and an obsession with customer impact. We celebrate builders who question assumptions, ship fast, and turn regulatory complexity into elegant solutions. If you’re driven to redefine what global banking can be, we’d love to build the future with you. About the Role Aspora is live and scaling in the United States with an expanding consumer remittance product. We are now looking for our first dedicated US legal and compliance leader — someone to own the full spectrum of US regulatory obligations, provide hands-on legal support to the US business, and build the legal and compliance infrastructure that will underpin Aspora's long-term growth in the market. This is the most senior legal and compliance role in the US. Reporting to the Group CCO/Group General Counsel, you will be Aspora's face to US regulators, the in-house authority on state and federal compliance and legal requirements, and the person who builds and runs the day-to-day compliance programme for the US entity. You will also have the opportunity to contribute to Aspora's global legal work streams. You will operate with significant autonomy while being deeply integrated with the global legal and compliance leadership team. The right candidate brings hands-on experience with FinCEN and state MTL regimes, and the ambition to grow into a broader leadership role as Aspora scales across corridors and products. This is not a monitoring role. It requires strategic judgement, regulatory credibility, commercial legal acumen, and ownership. What You'll Own BSA/AML & FinCEN Compliance Design, implement, and maintain Aspora's BSA/AML compliance programme for the US entity, in full compliance with FinCEN requirements and the Bank Secrecy Act Own the SAR and CTR filing process end-to-end — ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and defensibility Maintain and continuously strengthen the Customer Identification Programme (CIP), Customer Due Diligence (CDD), and Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) frameworks Oversee OFAC screening, sanctions compliance, and adverse media monitoring for US customers and counterparties Lead the annual independent audit and periodic risk assessments of the BSA/AML programme State MTL Licensing & Regulatory Management Manage Aspora's Money Transmitter License portfolio across all active US states — including renewals, amendments, and new state applications as the business expands Serve as primary point of contact with state regulators (NMLS, DFS, DFPI, and equivalents) for examinations, information requests, and supervisory correspondence Monitor evolving state and federal MSB regulations and proactively assess and communicate their impact on Aspora's operations Coordinate with external US counsel (currently Orrick and Sequoia's legal network) on complex regulatory questions, licensing strategy, and examination support Oversee agent/partner due diligence and compliance requirements where Aspora engages third-party distribution or banking partners in the US Consumer Protection & CFPB Compliance Maintain Aspora's compliance with applicable federal consumer protection laws — including the Remittance Transfer Rule (Regulation E), UDAAP standards, and CFPB supervisory expectations for non-bank payment companies Review and approve customer-facing disclosures, terms of service, and marketing materials for US regulatory compliance Manage the US consumer complaints process, ensuring resolution timelines and escalation protocols meet regulatory and best-practice standards Monitor CFPB guidance, enforcement actions, and rulemaking relevant to digital remittance providers and provide regular internal briefings Compliance Programme Operations Build and maintain Aspora's US compliance policies, procedures, and controls framework — keeping them current with regulatory changes and business evolution Design and deliver ongoing compliance training for US-facing staff and relevant global team members Operate as the compliance business partner to the US product, operations, and customer experience teams — advising on new product launches, feature changes, and operational decisions Build and maintain a US compliance risk register; track and escalate open items to the Group CCO Evaluate and manage compliance technology and vendor relationships (e.g. transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, ID verification). Legal Review, draft, and negotiate key commercial agreements, including banking partner, payment processor, and vendor contracts, in partnership with the Group General Counsel. Provide day-to-day legal support to the US business on product, operational, and partnership matters, escalating complex or strategic issues as needed. Advise on US data privacy (including CCPA/CPRA) and employment law matters relevant to Aspora’s distributed US workforce, coordinating with external advisers where required. Lead corporate governance matters for the US entity, including board and committee meetings, board materials, resolutions, written consents, and maintenance of corporate records and minute books. Maintain and administer Aspora’s group cap table, ESOP, and related equity records and processes, including oversight of the ESOP platform, grant documentation, and all issuances, grants, transfers, vesting, exercises, and other capitalization events, while advising on related legal, tax, regulatory, and employee communication matters. Contribute to global legal and regulatory workstreams, including cross-border structuring, group-level commercial arrangements, and international regulatory and licensing matters, in collaboration with the Group General Counsel and global legal team. Support global regulatory initiatives and compliance projects, including filings, regulatory engagement, and implementation of legal and compliance frameworks across jurisdictions. Provide legal support on ancillary and special-situation matters, including internal policies, intercompany arrangements, governance documentation, and strategic legal initiatives. What We Need 5 - 8 years of compliance experience in financial services, with a substantial focus on US MSB, money transmission, or fintech compliance — law firm training is a strong signal of the rigour we're looking for. Deep, first-hand working knowledge of FinCEN BSA/AML requirements, the Bank Secrecy Act, OFAC sanctions frameworks, and state Money Transmitter Licensing regimes. Direct experience managing MTL portfolios — including state regulatory exams, renewals, and NMLS administration. Familiarity with Remittance Transfer Rule (Reg E) obligations and CFPB consumer protection standards for non-bank payment companies. Demonstrated ability to build or significantly enhance compliance programmes in growth-stage or scaling environments — not just maintain inherited frameworks. Confidence engaging directly with state and federal regulators independently and credibly Strong written and analytical skills; able to translate regulatory complexity into actionable internal guidance and board-quality reporting. Bachelor's degree required; JD, CAMS, or equivalent professional qualification strongly preferred. Who You Are You treat compliance as a business enabler, not a gate — you find ways to say yes safely, not default to no. You have a high bar for quality and precision, and you hold that bar even when operating at pace. You are genuinely ambitious — you want to grow into a broader compliance leadership role as the business scales, and you build with that in mind. You are organised and self-directed: you can manage a large regulatory workload across multiple work streams without constant direction. You communicate clearly and confidently with senior stakeholders and external counterparts — lawyers, regulators, and executives alike. You understand that a scaling fintech moves quickly and requires compliance thinking that is practical, proportionate, and commercially aware. Bonus Points Prior experience at a cross-border remittance company or multi-corridor payment provider Exposure to international regulatory frameworks — particularly UK FCA, EU AMLD, or UAE CBUAE compliance environments (relevant given Aspora's global footprint) Experience building or overseeing compliance tech stack — transaction monitoring tuning, sanctions screening logic, KYC automation Prior work with CFPB examination teams or state DFS/DFPI examiners Familiarity with open banking, consumer data rights, or embedded finance compliance Why Join Own US compliance end-to-end from day one — this is a genuine build role, not an inherited programme maintenance seat Be the most senior compliance voice in the market that Aspora is prioritising for its next major growth phase Work directly with the Group CCO and Group General Counsel (and Aspora's external US counsel) — high-quality legal and compliance relationships from day one Shape how compliance integrates with product, operations, and customer experience in a company that actually values getting this right Grow into a global compliance leadership role as Aspora expands — corridors, products, and geographies are all in active development Competitive compensation benchmarked to US fintech compliance market rates, with equity participation
