CEO Insights Magazine

This approach not only safeguards stakeholders but also enables sustain­able growth in high-risk sectors like crypto, an approach that clearly reflects the leadership phi­losophy of Glen Chee.

As Chief Compliance Officer and MLRO at Coinhako, Glen Chee plays a pivotal role in shaping the company’s risk and regulatory strategy. With a background spanning military service, law, and financial compliance, he brings discipline and foresight to the fast-evolving crypto space.

He focuses on proactive risk management, automation, and real-time monitoring, ensuring the platform remains secure, compliant, and resilient while adapting swiftly to emerging regulatory and technological challenges.

Below is an excerpt of Glen Chee’s exclusive interaction with CEO Insights ASIA magazine.

Could you share a glimpse of your professional growth story and the motivation that keeps you going for­ward?

My journey has been quite unconventional. I began my career in the military, serving about six years in the army. That experience shaped my discipline, resilience, and leadership mindset. After leaving the army, I transitioned into the legal field and worked at a law firm for a few years.

However, I wanted to do something different, something emerging and impactful. That’s when I discovered compliance, which was still a relatively new concept in Singapore at the time, especially in areas like anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing. I saw an opportunity and decided to ride that wave.

Over the years, compliance evolved rapidly, from AML and CTF to sanctions, data protection, and OECD’s Common Reporting Standard and FATCA reporting. Eventually, I moved into fintech and then crypto.

What keeps me motivated is the constant evolution of the space. There’s always something new to learn, and the work we do has real-world impact, especially in protecting people from financial crimes.

How is Coinhako adapting to evolving crypto regulations in key markets like Singapore and beyond?

Singapore is a fast-moving regulatory environment, especially for crypto. Regulations came into effect around 2019, and licenses started being issued in 2021. When we began operating under this framework, it became clear that traditional compliance models were not sufficient.

Crypto crimes happen very quickly, sometimes within minutes. Traditional compliance processes, which are often retrospective, simply cannot keep up. By the time you detect suspicious activity, the funds are already gone.

To address this, we created a highly agile compliance “strike team.” Think of it as a special operations unit - fast, proactive, and decisive. We don’t wait for regulations to tell us what to do. We act ahead of time, guided by both risk and a strong moral obligation to protect users from scams and fraud.

As the Chief Compliance Officer, how do you balance regulatory compliance with innovation in a rapidly changing digital asset ecosystem?

The key lies in automation and a risk-based approach. In a fintech or crypto company, you can’t rely on large teams like traditional banks do. You need systems that scale efficiently.

For example, onboarding hundreds of thousands of users manually is impossible. So we use automated processes for onboarding, monitoring, and periodic reviews. But automation alone isn’t enough, it comes with its own risks.

That’s why we focus human expertise on higher-risk cases instead of routine checks. At the same time, we stay closely connected with regulators to anticipate upcoming changes. We adopt what I call “compliance by design,” meaning compliance is built into products from the beginning rather than added later.

What strategies have you adopted to mitigate risks related to anonymity and cross-border crypto flows?

One of our key principles is that we do not deal with privacy coins, those designed to obscure transaction trails. Every token listed on our platform goes through a rigorous assessment process.

We evaluate factors such as the legitimacy of the project, the credibility of its founders, its use case, and potential risks like market abuse or sanctions exposure. Beyond that, we use blockchain analytics and sanctions screening tools to monitor transactions in real-time.

These measures help us prevent funds from flowing into prohibited jurisdictions and reduce the risks associated with anonymity. Importantly, we implemented many of these practices even before regulations required them.

Describe your leadership style. What are the guidelines or methodologies you follow as a leader?

My leadership style is heavily influenced by my military background. I believe in leading by example, never asking my team to do something I wouldn’t do myself. If they’re working long hours, I’m working longer.