OUR TEAM
Experience and Expertise You Can Count On
We have assisted a broad range of global financial services firms (banks, exchanges, broker-dealers, fund managers, insurance firms, insurance brokers) FinTech firms (P2P platforms, equities crowdfunding platforms, rob-advisers, InsureTech, payments & remittances, e-wallets, blockchain-based asset exchanges) and MNCs navigate the ocean of regulatory requirements in Asia.
We draw on our breadth and depth of regulatory and compliance expertise and experience to devise solutions for your business.
Apart from the core team, we work with a network of more than 15 expert consultants from across Asia, with solid regulatory compliance backgrounds
We take a practical and risk-focused approach in helping you grow your business, and in doing the right thing.
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Talk to us today about your plans. We are always excited to learn of a new business venture. We are happy to talk through how we can support your growth, put in a smart and robust compliance program and put you on a solid track to success and profit.
OUR CONSULTANTS
Nizam Ismail (CEO and Founder)
Nizam has more than 27 years of regulatory, legal and compliance experience.
He was formerly a regulator with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (“MAS”) as Division Head & Deputy Director.
At the MAS (2000-2006), Nizam led a team that reviewed Singapore’s capital markets regulatory framework, implementing changes recommended by a private-sector led committee (the Corporate Finance Committee) and led a working group drafting Singapore’s Securities and Futures Act, Business Trust Act and the Financial Advisers Act. He also had an international portfolio, working on IOSCO working groups and involved in Free Trade Agreement negotiations.
He has a strong regulatory compliance and legal background in international banks, as Senior Legal Counsel in Citigroup, SVP/ED & Head of Compliance (Southeast Asia) for Lehman Brothers and Morgan Stanley. His product coverage included fixed income, equities, funds, FX, derivatives, investment banking, commodities and banking.
As former Head of Financial Services of an international law firm and Co-Founder of a compliance consultancy, he had worked with many regulators in capacity building initiatives, banks (retail, commercial, merchant and private banks), insurance companies, broker-dealers, financial advisers, industry associations andFinTech firms (equities crowdfunding, peer-to-peer lending, rob-advisers, InsureTech firms, Islamic Finance platforms, payments, remittance, cryptocurrency and digital asset platforms) from across the globe.
Nizam speaks regularly at international platforms on regulatory compliance matters. His views are also sought by mainstream and specialist media.
Nizam founded the Digital Exchange Association in Singapore and co-founded the Compliance Collective, a consortium of RegTech providers for financial institutions and FinTech firms.
He is a Fellow at the Singapore University of Social Sciences and Founding Chairman of the Regulatory and Compliance Sub-Committee of the Blockchain Association of Singapore.
Christopher Mansfield, Lead Consultant
Christopher has a breadth and depth of regulatory compliance experience.
Prior to joining Ethikom, Christopher was the Head of Compliance for BGC Partners Limited for two years.
Prior to that he worked at a Compliance Consultancy as Associate Director and Cleartrade Exchange Pte Limited a registered Recognised Market Operator (“RMO”) in Singapore by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (“MAS”). As a direct result of Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act he assisted the company with its regulatory affairs and reforms particularly in connection with block trading and the transition from the OTC arena of swaps to formal futurisation. This also included liaising with global regulators in order to achieve the appropriate licences and accreditations.
Prior to that, he specialised in Compliance for buy-side broker firms with a strong emphasis of exchange traded derivatives products. This includes both physical and paper trading in precious metals, base metals traded on the London Metal Exchange and soft commodities traded on the London International Financial and Futures and Options Exchange.
Additionally he assisted the Inland Revenue in connection with a carousel fraud of carbon credits that occurred on the Intercontinental Exchange (“ICE”).
He has extensive regulatory knowledge of the UK Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) regulatory framework and has previously held the position of the registered Money Laundering Reporting Officer and Compliance Officer.
Nasuha Marican, Senior Compliance Consultant
Nasuha has more than 5 years of regulatory compliance experience.
Prior to joining Ethikom, Nasuha was a Legal Associate at a local firm with international affiliations, where her main areas of practice in the Financial Services team included corporate and regulatory advice for financial institutions, blockchain-based firms, and multi-national corporations.
She has assisted several clients with obtaining licensing applications administered by the MAS, including various payment firms, Recognised Market Operators and Capital Markets Services licence applicants, and has also advised such clients on regulatory compliance, business models, and cross-border regulatory matters.
Nasuha’s experience extends to advising on and drafting various commercial agreements for crowdfunding, payments, digital currency, and insurance platforms. She has also advised an international trading platform on setting up offshore operations centers in APAC and closely assisted lead counsel with various shareholder disputes and other dispute resolution matters, including contentious matters for contracts, crisis management, and corporate investigations.
Nasuha graduated with LLB Honours from the University of Exeter in 2011, where she was President of the Singapore Society and Co-Founder of the Asian Society. She was subsequently admitted as an Advocate and Solicitor in Singapore in 2016.
Ridzuan Aziz, Independent Lead Consultant (Kuala Lumpur)
Mohammad Ridzuan Abdul Aziz (Ridzuan) has over 20 years of commercially–driven regulatory, compliance and technology experiences in Asia-Pacific.
He provides business-oriented regulatory advice, solution and consultancy to banks, remittance companies, fund management entities, broker dealers (equity and derivatives) as well as sovereign wealth funds on regulatory requirements, compliance risks management, licensing, business viability and practical implementation of FinTech and regulatory technology (RegTech).
Ridzuan is currently WorldRemit’s Country Director for Malaysia and Head of ASEAN Business. WorldRemit is one of the fastest growing global online-only remittance providers head quartered in the UK, operating in over 50 countries and servicing more than 5000 corridors.
He is also the current president of the Fintech Association of Malaysia and instrumental in raising the profile of Malaysia, particularly on promoting the unique combination of on-shore, Labuan mid-shore and Islamic talents for various stakeholder and Malaysia digital economy.
Ridzuan is also one of the international advisory panel members for the Labuan Financial Services Authority and member of the Malaysia Innovation Policy Council. Both roles provide him a unique platform to share fresh perspectives about the needed elements for both on-shore and mid-shore to be optimized to enhance Malaysia’s competitive advantage for fintech eco-system.
Earlier in 2013 and 2016, Ridzuan co-founded a Southest Asian-focused compliance consultancy and CS Technology Solutions Sdn Bhd. Both firms provide regulatory technology advisory consultancy for established fintech firms seeking assistance on regulatory matters in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Hong Kong.
In 2017, Ridzuan was the CEO of Sedania As Salam Capital Sdn Bhd, a patented fintech solution provider that utilizes mobile airtime as the commodity for Tawarruq Contract for Shariah compliance financing provided by 40 financial institutions in Malaysia.
His career begun with MUI Holding (1997) as an internal auditor and was reassigned as representative of the Group CEO to monitor equity broking, retail outlets and merchandising, confectionary manufacturing and hotel operations.
He joined the then Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (1998) during the Asia financial crisis and was deployed to several financially stricken equity stockbroking houses to ensure proper business continuity, corporate governance, management transition and protection over investors’ interest.
Ridzuan moved to the Malaysia Securities Commission (2001) and was a senior team lead for the oversight team of broker dealers, fund management, unit trust and secondary bond market trading.
He was then redeployed to a team that established the concept of investment bank leading to a joint supervision between the Securities Commission and Bank Negara Malaysia.
He joined Macquarie Capital Securities (2005) as the Head of Compliance for Malaysia. Ridzuan was the regulatory resource person during the establishment of Macquarie Capital Securities Malaysia and played significant role for the special scheme license obtained by Macquarie in Malaysia.
Ridzuan then joined Nomura Securities (2009) as the Head of Compliance for Malaysia and led the establishment of Nomura’s local management team. He was later appointed as the Head of Monitoring and Surveillance for Asia Pacific and emerging markets, covering regulatory compliance supervision for eleven (11) countries - focusing on equity and fixed income trading, structured product value chain, corporate finance advisory and managing a 50-man outsourced team based in Mumbai.
Reena Bhalla, Independent Senior Compliance Consultant
Reena is an experienced compliance professional with multi-jurisdiction both in Singapore and India.
Her area of expertise includes providing compliance advisory services, documenting AML and regulatory compliance policies, procedures; conducting gap analysis of compliance procedures and policies; and recommending remediation measures.
She has spent the past few years in Singapore working closely with various financial institutions especially regulatory compliance matters, particularly focusing on AML/CFT matters.
Reena’s previous work experience includes working as a compliance analyst with a Singapore based compliance firm, Kochhar & Co., a Delhi based boutique law firm, litigation work in the Supreme Court and other senior courts in India. She is presently associated with a well-funded Singapore based Fintech start-up advising on all in-house corporate matters.
Reena holds a Masters in Commercial Laws from SMU, Singapore and served the Secretary Communications of SMU LLM Alumni ExCo from 2015-18.
Andang Taruna, Independent Lead Consultant (Indonesia)
Pak Andang Taruna has had more than 24 years of regulatory compliance experience and is recognised as a distinguished member in Indonesia’s Capital Markets industry.
He started his career in 1991 where he joined with PT Nikko Securities Indonesia in the Operations Division.
Andang joined PT Macquarie Capital Securities Indonesia (previously known as PT Barings Securities Indonesia, PT ING Securities Indonesia ) in 1995, and distinguished himself with a career of 19 years, retiring as Head of Legal and Compliance.
He was previously a director in a Southeast Asian focused compliance consultancy, where he provided regulatory consultancy services for a wide array of financial institutions including banks, broker-dealers, and an array of FinTech firms (P2P lending, equities crowdfunding, payments).
He is also licensed as an Advocate and registered as a Member of the Indonesian Advocates Association (PERADI) since 2000.