Desmond Chia is Director of Digital Assets (Anti-Money Laundering) at MetaComp, a Major Payment Institution licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore and part of Alpha Ladder Group. He leads the firm's anti-money laundering operations and on-chain investigations. He also drives product development and go-to-market for VisionX, MetaComp's multi-vendor blockchain screening engine. Before joining MetaComp, Desmond spent nearly two decades with the Singapore Police Force, working in frontline patrol, community policing and criminal investigations. Most recently, at the Anti-Scam Centre, he specialised in cryptocurrency-enabled scam enforcement. There he led intelligence-driven engagement with stablecoin issuers on freezing illicit wallets and recovering victims' assets. That background gives him a view of illicit finance from both sides: the investigator following the money, and the regulated firm working to stop it.