UAE’S J. AWAN & PARTNERS EXPANDS INTERNATIONAL GOVERNANCE, RISK AND COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT CONSULTING FIRM WITH OPENING OF NEW LONDON OFFICE
UK & Ireland office to serve as platform for advanced GRC solutions support and European expansion of the Azakaw state-of-the-art AI-powered regulatory technology solution
ABU DHABI, UAE, Nov. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — UAE-Headquartered J. Awan & Partners announced the further international expansion of its rapidly growing Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) management consulting firm with the opening of a new London-based operation.
The London office will serve as J. Awan & Partners’ new European headquarters as well as provide a regional platform for the firm’s partner company, Azakaw, an AI-powered regulatory technology solution. Azakaw is an adaptable regulatory software that helps companies more efficiently and effectively meet compliance requirements across jurisdictions or industries while reducing risks and improving profitability.
The new UK business will provide full-service and integrated outsourced compliance, risk management, anti-money laundering, financial reporting and audit services for banking, fund and asset/wealth management, capital markets, and insurance sector clients. The UK & Ireland office will also build on J. Awan & Partners and Azakaw’s expertise providing specialised services to Fintech sector clients covering crypto, payments, robo advisory, crowdfunding, insurtech and trading platforms.
“Advanced technology and increased market demand are creating tremendous growth and expansion opportunities across virtually all banking, financial services, and Fintech industry sectors. The challenge companies face is navigating diverse and highly complex regulations particularly around anti-money laundering and know-your-customer as well as overcoming growing talent shortages that can prevent them from taking full advantage of these growth opportunities,” said Jehanzeb Awan, founder and CEO of J. Awan & Partners and Azakaw.
J. Awan & Partners’ regulatory expertise combined with Azakaw’s technology can help companies turn regulatory compliance from a potential risk into a strategic advantage, said Awan, who also is a co-founder and chair of the Middle East, Africa and Asia Crypto and Blockchain Association (“MEAACBA”). At the same time, these companies recognise that leveraging the ability to outsource all or elements of functions such as compliance and finance to an expert firm can expedite growth while offsetting regulatory compliance and financial risk.
The J. Awan & Partners London office will be led by David Bryden, an industry veteran with more than 25 years professional services experience that covers compliance and AML advisory, outsourcing and risk management services.
“J. Awan & Partners regulatory and compliance experience and expertise combined with the smart adaptability of Azakaw creates a powerful competitive advantage for companies looking to grow their business and safely expand into new markets. We can help build resilience and agility into growth models of our existing GCC and MENA clients looking for an edge to support expansion into pan-European markets as well as for UK and European companies that recognise the tremendous growth potential countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia offer. I’m delighted to lead J. Awan & Partners expansion into the region and look forward to serving our clients,” said Bryden.
J. Awan & Partners was formed in the UAE in 2014. With its first office registered in Dubai International Finance Centre, the company has since grown its presence to Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Doha, Karachi, Toronto and now London. J. Awan & Partners has played an integral role in supporting the UAE’s strategic effort to establish the country as a financial services and fintech hub by helping companies from global brands to entrepreneurial startups establish new headquarters in the region.
The company was founded with a vision to create fit for purpose GRC solutions that help clients meet their regulatory obligations and achieve commercial success. J. Awan & Partners services include regulatory license acquisition, compliance & AML advisory and outsourcing, finance function advisory and outsourcing, risk management advisory and outsourcing, policies & procedures development, regulatory training, Islamic finance compliance, regulatory audit preparation & support, and talent solutions.
Azakaw was established in 2019 as a next-generation regulatory technology platform that uses AI to enable customised compliance and risk management solutions based on both the company tolerance level and jurisdictional or industry requirements.
SOURCE J. Awan & Partners
