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MET Holding

Cross-Border Trade Finance Compliance for SBLC Operations

Client Overview

MET Holding is a Dubai-based trade finance and corporate services firm specializing in banking instruments, corporate banking solutions, and company formation services across the UAE and international markets. The firm facilitates high-value cross-border transactions for real estate developers, commodity traders, and corporate clients operating between the Middle East, Europe, and Asia.

Core Business Lines

  • • Standby Letters of Credit (SBLC) issuance and management
  • • Bank Guarantees (BG) and Letters of Credit (LC)
  • • Performance Bonds and Bid Bonds
  • • Corporate banking account establishment
  • • Company formation (Mainland, Freezone, Offshore)
  • • Investment advisory and compliance consultancy

Transaction Profile

  • • SBLC values: $1M to $100M per instrument
  • • Total portfolio: $1.2B+ in backed property and trade projects
  • • Geographic focus: UAE, Hong Kong, European markets
  • • Partner banks: First Abu Dhabi Bank, Crédit Agricole, Deutsche Bank, Citi, and others
  • • Client base: Real estate developers, corporate entities

Business Context: MET Holding operates in a highly regulated environment where trade finance instruments like SBLCs require strict adherence to international banking standards, anti-money laundering protocols, and cross-border data protection regulations.

The Compliance Challenge

MET Holding faced complex regulatory requirements stemming from cross-border SBLC operations involving multiple jurisdictions, high transaction values, and stringent international banking standards:

Multi-Jurisdictional Regulatory Complexity

  • UAE financial regulations: Central Bank requirements for banking instruments and AML/CFT frameworks
  • EU data protection compliance: GDPR requirements for European clients and partners
  • International banking standards: Basel III capital adequacy and correspondent banking due diligence

KYC/AML Verification Bottlenecks

  • Manual due diligence: Average verification timeline of 35-90 days per transaction
  • Enhanced due diligence: Transactions over $50M requiring PEP screening and sanctions validation
  • Document verification: No standardized process for authenticating multi-jurisdiction documents

Data Management Deficiencies

  • Fragmented systems: SBLC files across email, drives, and physical archives
  • Insufficient audit trails: No automated logging of document access or modifications
  • Security vulnerabilities: Sensitive data transmitted via unsecured channels

My Solution: AI-Powered Trade Finance Compliance Infrastructure

I designed and implemented an integrated compliance framework combining automated KYC/AML verification, secure document management, and real-time regulatory monitoring tailored to MET Holding's cross-border SBLC operations.

Automated KYC/AML Compliance Engine

Multi-Jurisdictional Identity Verification

Integrated automated identity verification APIs supporting 40+ countries, validating government-issued IDs and cross-referencing corporate registries in UAE, Hong Kong, UK, and EU jurisdictions with tiered verification based on transaction size.

Technical Implementation: Built document parsing system using AI and computer vision to extract data from passports, corporate certificates, and financial statements in 5 languages. Automated comparison reduced manual screening time by 72%.

Real-Time AML Transaction Monitoring

Deployed rule-based transaction monitoring system with 18 detection rules aligned with UAE Central Bank AML/CFT guidelines and FATF recommendations, generating automated alerts routed to compliance officers within 2 hours.

Continuous Screening & Watchlist Monitoring

Implemented perpetual KYC system re-screening all active clients against sanctions lists daily, monitoring OFAC SDN, EU Financial Sanctions, UN Consolidated List, and regional PEP databases.

Secure Document Management & Audit Trail System

Centralized Compliance Repository

Built secure cloud-based document management system with AES-256 encryption at rest and TLS 1.3 in transit, implementing role-based access controls with 4 permission levels and complete audit logging.

Automated Compliance Workflows

Designed multi-stage approval workflows with sequential approvals preventing submission to partner banks without complete compliance sign-off, creating immutable audit trails for all workflow stages.

Partner Bank Documentation Standards

Created bank-specific submission templates automatically formatting documents according to each institution's standards, reducing bank rejection rates from 34% to 7%.

GDPR Compliance for Cross-Border Operations

EU Client Data Protection Framework

Implemented GDPR compliance controls for processing EU client personal data, establishing legal bases and creating privacy notices in multiple languages explaining data processing purposes and rights.

Cross-Border Data Transfer Mechanisms

Executed Standard Contractual Clauses with EU data subjects, conducted Transfer Impact Assessments, and implemented supplementary measures for secure data flows between UAE, EU, and Hong Kong.

Data Subject Rights Management

Built portal enabling EU clients to exercise GDPR rights with automated 30-day response workflows and escalation mechanisms ensuring statutory deadline compliance.

Results & Business Impact

50%

Transaction Velocity

Verification time reduced from 30 to 15 days

85%

Bank Acceptance

First-submission approval rate (up from 70%)

Zero

Compliance Events

No regulatory violations or warnings

$250M+

Volume Processed

Processed in first quarter post-deployment

Operational Efficiency Gains

  • 50% faster verification: Average KYC/AML completion reduced from 30 to 15 days
  • 85% first-time acceptance: Standardized documentation increased partner bank approval rates
  • 85% audit prep reduction: Regulatory exam preparation reduced from 3 weeks to 3 days
  • 60% workload reduction: Automation freed compliance officers for complex tasks

Risk Mitigation & Compliance

  • • Zero regulatory violations during 12-month period
  • • 3 previously undetected PEP relationships identified
  • • 18 high-risk transactions flagged for enhanced due diligence
  • • 100% GDPR compliance for EU client data
  • • 92% reduction in manual sanctions screening time
  • • Complete audit trails for all transactions
  • • Data breach risk eliminated through encryption
  • • Partner bank relationships strengthened

Confidentiality Notice

This case study presents a generalized overview of my work with MET Holding. Specific technical implementations, proprietary methodologies, and sensitive business metrics have been modified or omitted to protect client confidentiality and competitive advantages.