Company Info for singaporeblockchain.com | IcebreakerMembers
🔍 About Me
Seasoned compliance professional with a rich background spanning 15 years across diverse industries, including banking, consulting, digital assets, and payments.
🌍 Regulatory Mastery
⦿ Digital asset - Comprehensive understanding of digital asset regulations across jurisdictions, including Singapore Payment Services Act (PSA), Hong Kong Securities & Futures Commission Virtual Asset Trading Platform Operators (VATP), Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), and BVI Virtual Assets Service Providers Act (VASP).
⦿ Payment - Expertise in payment and digital assets regulations across Singapore PSA, Malaysian Payment Systems, Thailand Payment Systems Act, and the Philippines Operator of Payment System (OPS).
⦿ Tradfi - In-depth knowledge of tradfi regulations in multiple countries, encompassing Singapore Securities and Futures Act (SFA), Financial Services and Markets Act (FSMA), Banking Act and Hong Kong Securities & Futures Commission Type 1, 4, and 9.
🏆 Licensing & Achievements
⦿ License Applications and Acquisition:
(a) Led the comprehensive process of preparing, and obtaining the regulatory approvals for the company license.
(b) Led the M&A due diligence process and successful acquisition one of the Singapore license entity as part of our subsidiary
⦿ Compliance Certification:
(a) Successfully led the initiative to achieve PCI DSS Level 1 certification.
(b) Collaborated and enhance security measures, addressing vulnerabilities and aligning practices with SOC 2 requirements.
💡 Diverse Compliance Experience
⦿ Regulatory Compliance : Developing and implementing robust compliance frameworks, ensuring alignment with evolving regulatory landscapes.
⦿ Compliance Transformation : Comprehensive compliance transformation initiative, streamlining processes and ensuring adherence to evolving regulatory requirements.
⦿ Anti-Money Laundering: KYC, On and off-chain transaction monitoring, Market Surveillance, and Travel Rule.
⦿ General Compliance Control: Anti-bribery and corruption, Gifts and Entertainment, Personal Account Dealing, Conflict of Interest,Fraud Detection and Compliance training.
🛡️ Multilingual Skills
Fluent in spoken and written English, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Malay. 
Chia Hock Lai is a C-suite executive and a highly accomplished professional in the financial and technology industry, with nearly two decades of experience. He has held positions in various organizations, including the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech) and NTUC Income. He is an alumnus of the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and has received several prestigious fellowships and awards for his contributions to digital transformation and skills development, such as the Institute of Banking & Finance (IBF) Fellow for Digital Transformation, SkillsFuture (SSG) Fellowship, NTUC May Day Award in "Partner of Labour Movement" and “Friend of Labour” respectively.
As an active ecosystem builder, Hock Lai is an executive chairman of the Responsible Fintech Institute, founding board member of the International Digital Economies Association (iDEA), co-chairman of the Digital Assets Association (DAA) and founding member of the Singapore Internet Governance Forum (SG IGF). He is also the former & founding president of the Singapore FinTech Association (SFA), former & founding chairman of the Singapore Blockchain Association (SBA) and former co-chairman of the Global Fintech Institute (GFI). He is involved in various advisory and board member roles in organizations like the IEEE Computer Society Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Standards Committee (IEEE C/BDL), the NTUC-U Care Fund, and Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP). He is also an advisor to tech startups and a frequent speaker on topics related to digital transformation, fintech and blockchain at international events and universities.
Chia Hock Lai's contributions as a key opinion leader in the professional FinTech and Blockchain community have been recognized by LinkedIn, where he was named a Power Profile for Finance in 2018 and a Global Ambassador for Invest Tokyo for 2021. Overall, Chia Hock Lai is a highly respected professional in the FinTech industry and has made significant contributions to the field through his leadership, advisory, and educational roles. 
My interests lie at the intersection of policy, technology, and financial markets.
I am based in Singapore, and am responsible for leading Ripple’s engagement and advocacy with regulators and policymakers in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific to support and develop regulation that promotes responsible innovation in digital assets and blockchain technology.
Prior to joining Ripple, I spent over 12 years in financial services, most recently as the Head of Public Policy, Asia Pacific at the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. Prior to that, I worked with Bloomberg L.P. in their offices in Mumbai, Singapore, and Hong Kong in multiple roles across valuations, business development, and sales for both exchange-traded and OTC derivative products. 
