Finance Manager

AE - Abu Dhabi · 8+ years experience · Full-time · Posted Oct 15, 2026

At a glance

Airwallex is the AI-native financial operating system for a real-time, intelligent economy. More than 675,000 businesses, including McLaren Racing, Qantas, SHEIN, and TikTok, use us, directly or through our platform partners, to run their financial operations or build and monetize financial products of their own.
We started in Melbourne in 2015 to build the infrastructure global commerce runs on. We're the regulated backbone behind global payments: not by accident, but by design. A decade plus, 85+ licenses, and a financial infrastructure spanning North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
We're co-headquartered in San Francisco and Singapore, with more than 2,300 people across 27 offices. We hire builders with founder-level energy, people who move fast with good judgment, dig in with real curiosity, and make calls from first principles rather than waiting to be told what to do. Read our operating principles https://www.airwallex.com/en-us/operating-principles to see it in full.

As Finance Manager, UAE, you’ll take full ownership of finance for our UAE entity and act as Airwallex’s primary finance contact with the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE).
You’ll make sure our UAE financial reporting, prudential, and regulatory obligations are met accurately and on time, and you’ll be the person the regulator turns to on all financial reporting matters.
You’ll join the EMEA Finance team and work closely with Compliance, Treasury, Tax, FP&A, and local management to shape how finance runs in the market from the ground up.

Act as the designated finance contact with the CBUAE for all financial and prudential reporting, including regulatory returns, ad hoc information requests, and supervisory meetings.
Own the preparation, review, and submission of CBUAE regulatory returns, working with Compliance on interpretation and the regulatory calendar.
Monitor and report on regulatory capital, liquidity, and safeguarding of client funds, flagging risks early and recommending action.
Own the monthly close and financial control procedures for the UAE entity, including journal entries, balance sheet reconciliations, and P&L reviews before submission to FP&A.
Prepare financial performance, capital, and cash commentary for local board packs and management reporting.
Lead the annual statutory audit under IFRS and liaise with external auditors and advisors to resolve issues.
Oversee UAE Corporate Tax and VAT compliance with our Tax team and external advisors.
Support new product launches in the UAE by making sure they’re reflected correctly in our reporting structure and regulatory submissions.
Drive process improvement and automation across UAE finance, and collaborate with the wider Controllership team on department-wide projects.

A professional finance or accounting qualification such as CPA, ACCA, CA, CFA, or equivalent.
8+ years of finance experience, including senior-level experience in a finance function, ideally within financial services, payments, or another regulated environment.
Strong working knowledge of IFRS, regulatory capital requirements, and prudential reporting obligations for payment service providers in the UAE.
Direct experience engaging with a financial regulator, ideally the CBUAE.
Experience in a financial controlling role, with a track record of building and expanding finance capabilities in a growing organisation.
Clear, confident communication with stakeholders at every level, including regulators, auditors, and boards.
Comfort working independently and navigating ambiguity in a hyper-growth environment.
Meet the CBUAE's Fit and Proper criteria, including holding a clean regulatory and criminal record, no history of fraud or dishonesty, being financially sound, and resident in the UAE.