Chapter 17: Execution Roadmap & Project Plan
The previous 16 chapters cover “what to do.” This one covers “in what order, and when.” Run it as a project: multiple workstreams in parallel, paced by milestone gates.
17.1 Overall timeline (Gantt)
⚠️ Months are illustrative (depends on readiness and SC scheduling). The whole thing commonly takes 12–18 months+; no fast track (see Ch.4).
gantt
title DAX setup roadmap (months, illustrative)
dateFormat X
axisFormat %s
section Setup & entity
Feasibility + budget :0, 1
Incorporate Sdn Bhd / team :1, 2
Capital in + source proof :1, 3
section Legal & compliance
Engage firm/advisors :1, 2
AML + governance build :2, 4
SC pre-engagement :3, 1
section Technology & security
Tech choice (buy/build) :2, 2
Build systems+wallet+risk :4, 5
Pen-test + security audit :8, 2
section Application
Assemble document pack :4, 2
Submit + queries :6, 8
Conditional approval + meet :13, 2
section Banking & liquidity
Engage multiple banks :3, 9
MM / liquidity contracts :10, 4
section Launch
Readiness + final checks :14, 2
Go live + ongoing compliance :16, 2
Download the fillable project plan
The Gantt as an editable table — change Start month / Duration, End auto-computes:
Edit “Start month / Duration” (yellow); End = Start + Duration recomputes. Use alongside the Chapter 11 budget model.
17.2 Six parallel workstreams
Split work into 6 parallel tracks, each with an owner, to avoid serial blocking.
flowchart TD
PM[Project lead / PMO] --> T1[1) Legal & compliance
firm + compliance officer] PM --> T2[2) Company & capital
CFO] PM --> T3[3) Technology & security
CTO] PM --> T4[4) Banking & payments
finance + compliance] PM --> T5[5) Liquidity & MM
trading/BD] PM --> T6[6) Product & operations
product lead]
firm + compliance officer] PM --> T2[2) Company & capital
CFO] PM --> T3[3) Technology & security
CTO] PM --> T4[4) Banking & payments
finance + compliance] PM --> T5[5) Liquidity & MM
trading/BD] PM --> T6[6) Product & operations
product lead]
| Workstream | Key deliverables | Chapters |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Legal & compliance | Licence path, AML system, governance, SC liaison | 1·4·5·14 |
| 2) Company & capital | Sdn Bhd, ownership/UBO, RM 5M proof | 2·3 |
| 3) Technology & security | Matching/wallet/risk, pen-test, BCP/DR | 6·12·15 |
| 4) Banking & payments | Operating account, client trust account | 7 |
| 5) Liquidity & MM | MM contracts, aggregation, inventory funds | 10 |
| 6) Product & operations | MVP, support, launch growth | 12·13 |
17.3 Milestone gates
Each gate is “don’t proceed until it’s met” — avoid advancing while broken.
flowchart LR
G0[G0 Kickoff
funds+commitment] --> G1[G1 Entity ready
company+team+advisors] G1 --> G2[G2 Systems ready
compliance+tech framework] G2 --> G3[G3 Submitted
document pack complete] G3 --> G4[G4 Registered
conditions met] G4 --> G5[G5 Launch-ready
bank+liquidity+security] G5 --> G6[G6 Live
ongoing compliance]
funds+commitment] --> G1[G1 Entity ready
company+team+advisors] G1 --> G2[G2 Systems ready
compliance+tech framework] G2 --> G3[G3 Submitted
document pack complete] G3 --> G4[G4 Registered
conditions met] G4 --> G5[G5 Launch-ready
bank+liquidity+security] G5 --> G6[G6 Live
ongoing compliance]
| Gate | Pass criteria (summary) |
|---|---|
| G0 Kickoff | Cash prepared (incl. buffer), core founders in place, feasibility confirmed |
| G1 Entity ready | Sdn Bhd, local director/secretary, firm + compliance advisor on board |
| G2 Systems ready | AML manual, governance docs, tech architecture, key roles hired |
| G3 Submitted | 8-category document pack complete, SC pre-engagement done |
| G4 Registered | Passed DD, met conditional-approval prerequisites |
| G5 Launch-ready | Bank accounts, liquidity, pen-test, insurance, monitoring all in place |
| G6 Live | Compliance calendar running, ongoing reporting established |
17.4 First-90-days sprint (what you control now)
Approval timing isn’t yours to control, but the quality of the first 90 days decides how fast the rest goes. Spend it on the controllables:
Days 1–30: set direction
- Feasibility + budget (use the Ch.11 downloadable model)
- Lock funding source and prepare proof of lawful source (Ch.9)
- Hire a local firm fluent in CMSA/SC
- Confirm core founders and initial org
Days 31–60: build the entity
- Incorporate Sdn Bhd, appoint local director + secretary (Ch.3)
- Design clear ownership (UBO traceable)
- Recruit Head of Compliance + AMLCO (key roles first)
- Tech decision: white-label vs build (Ch.12)
Days 61–90: systems + pre-engagement
- Draft the AML/CFT manual and governance docs (Ch.5)
- Settle the tech & security architecture (Ch.6)
- Pre-engage the SC to calibrate (Ch.4)
- Start engaging multiple banks (Ch.7)
- Start engaging MMs / liquidity providers (Ch.10)
💡 After 90 days you should be near gate G2: entity, key people, compliance and tech frameworks in place, ready to assemble materials and file.
17.5 Key dependencies & common bottlenecks
flowchart LR
Cap[Capital in] --> Co[Company+capital proof]
Co --> App[Submit application]
Comp[Compliance system] --> App
Tech[Tech+pen-test] --> Ready[Launch-ready]
Bank[Banking
common bottleneck] --> Ready Liq[Liquidity
big cost] --> Ready App --> Approve[SC registration] --> Ready
common bottleneck] --> Ready Liq[Liquidity
big cost] --> Ready App --> Approve[SC registration] --> Ready
- Banking: slow and uncertain — most likely to delay you; start earliest and engage multiple banks (Ch.7).
- SC query rounds: poor materials get bounced repeatedly; better prep is faster (Ch.4).
- Proof of lawful source: complex UBO slows fit-and-proper (Ch.2).
- Liquidity: must be arranged before launch, else the book is empty (Ch.10).
17.6 Master checklist: self-assess by chapter
| Stage | Self-check | Chapter |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory awareness | Confirm DAX/RMO path | 1 |
| Eligibility | RM 5M + fit&proper personnel | 2 |
| Legal entity | Sdn Bhd + governance | 3 |
| Application | Document pack + pre-engagement | 4 |
| Compliance | AML/KYC/STR | 5 |
| Technology | Wallet/risk/pen-test | 6 |
| Operations | Bank/segregation/listing | 7 |
| Costs | Checklist + timeline | 8 |
| Budget | Resources + 3-year model | 9 |
| Liquidity | MM + inventory funds | 10 |
| Budget table | Downloadable model | 11 |
| Product | MVP roadmap | 12 |
| Growth | GTM + unit economics | 13 |
| Ongoing compliance | Reporting calendar | 14 |
| Risk | Incident-response plan | 15 |
| Reference | FAQ + glossary | 16 |
Summary / action items
- Assign the six workstreams to owners; set up a PMO/weekly cadence
- Manage progress with the six gates; don’t advance until met
- Start the first-90-days sprint now (push all controllables)
- Start banking and liquidity engagement earliest (the two bottlenecks)
- Use the 17.6 master checklist to self-assess by chapter on a rolling basis
➡️ See how others started: Chapter 18: Case Studies
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