Compliance & Internal Control Consulting
Deep expertise, acquired through Compliance and Internal Audit roles in global investment management groups and numerous engagements as a Director in a top-level financial crime consultancy.
- Main areas of speciality include Anti-Money Laundering / Countering the Financing of Terrorism, International Sanctions and Financial Promotions, but also Investment Compliance, Market Abuse, Ethics and Personal Data Protection.
- Deep knowledge of the cryptoassets industry acquired through years of personal study and investment experience, and as Head of Digital Assets for an international financial crime consultancy.
- Deep knowledge of regulatory expectations for firms undergoing registration / licensing acquired by advising several firms through this process, both in the UK and France.
- Significant experience in working with regulatory authorities, including by heading several Skilled Person (S166) Reviews for the UK’s FCA.
- Pragmatic, solutions-oriented, rigorous and able to tackle several different topics at once.
How we can help
Advisory and Training
Assisting you and your company in navigating the complex and ever-changing regulatory landscape of the financial services industry. Whether it is answering punctual questions, performing in-depth analysis of regulation and best practices, or providing training to your employees, Compliance teams or Board members, we are ready to help and find solutions together.
Transformation projects
Working with your management and in-house teams in tackling the questions related to projects that involve a change in how your company operates, from the initial assessment of regulatory aspects to project management to execution and training.
Organisation, procedures and controls
Shaping your organisation's Compliance framework and ensuring it is compliant with applicable regulatory obligations and industry best practices, and designing and performing controls to ensure that this framework is operational and effective in mitigating risks.
Manuel Fajardo
During my 15+ years career with global investment management groups, physically based in France, the United Kingdom and the USA, I occupied several Compliance roles that provided me an excellent grasp of the regulatory frameworks of those countries. Besides, the global remit of my duties provided significant exposure to those of other financial centres around the world, and to the principles that they all share, which I have found to be greater than their differences.
My duties notably involved building the global compliance framework for a major investment management group, covering all areas in Compliance. This meant designing, deploying and constantly refining processes, tools, policies and procedures in areas like Anti-Money Laundering, International Sanctions and Financial Promotions / Distribution, balancing local and global considerations and regulatory constraints, the interest of all stakeholders and the firm’s risk appetite to achieve a solid framework that proved itself successful throughout the years.
I then spent four years as a Director and Head of Digital Assets in a London-based financial crime consultancy, where I led numerous engagements for companies in the digital assets, payments, e-money, asset management and banking industries, including independent assessments of financial crime control frameworks, Skilled Person reviews for the FCA, and advice in licensing / registration applications.
I founded Aria Compliance in 2021 -and returned to it in 2026- to put this experience to the service of firms of varying sizes requiring advice on matters of regulatory compliance, managing transformation projects or interested in outsourcing their Compliance or Internal Audit function. Pragmatic, solutions-oriented, rigorous and able to tackle several different topics at once, I’d be happy to discuss and hear how we can work together.
I am also passionate about opera, and co-founded The Opera Story in London in 2015, to commission and produce new work with young professional artists, and have produced several opera world premieres and an award-winning online series since then.
- CV : Linkedin
