We are seeking a highly motivated and analytically strong Correspondent Banking Transaction Monitoring Analyst to join the First Line of Defence AML Transaction Monitoring team. The role is focused on identifying, reviewing, and investigating potentially suspicious activity across correspondent banking transactions to help protect the bank, its customers, and society from financial crime risks.
 

The Analyst will be responsible for reviewing transaction monitoring alerts, assessing risk indicators, identifying unusual or non-expected activity, and preparing well-supported investigation narratives. This role requires strong analytical judgement, attention to detail, understanding of payment flows, and the ability to work collaboratively with internal stakeholders across financial crime, compliance, client risk, legal, sales, product, and engineering teams.
 

Depending on the candidate’s skills, knowledge, and experience, the role may be aligned to different seniority levels within the team.

Key Responsibilities

· Review and investigate transaction monitoring alerts generated across correspondent banking activity, including customer and peer-bank transaction flows.

· Analyse transactions for potential money laundering, terrorist financing, tax evasion, sanctions, PEP, adverse media, and other financial crime risks.

· Assess risk associated with correspondent banking relationships and transaction activity, applying a risk-based approach to investigation outcomes.

· Identify and investigate red flags such as high-risk jurisdiction exposure, nested banking, structuring, round-dollar or round-tripping payments, trade-based money laundering indicators, and PEP-linked transactions.

· Analyse complex financial transactions using knowledge of payment message formats including SWIFT MT and ISO 20022.

· Conduct detailed reviews of transaction activity to identify non-expected patterns, anomalies, and activity outside the bank’s risk appetite.

· Prepare clear, concise, and well-supported case narratives documenting investigation findings, rationale for closure or escalation, and recommendations for suspicious activity reporting where required.

· Escalate suspicious or high-risk activity to relevant internal teams, departments, or authorities in line with applicable procedures.

· Maintain accurate records and a complete audit trail for all reviews, decisions, and investigation outcomes.

· Collaborate with Client Risk, Compliance, Legal, Sales, Product, and Engineering teams to support ongoing client activity reviews and improve data quality, monitoring processes, and operating effectiveness.

· Contribute to continuous improvement of monitoring processes, procedures, policies, and the overall operating model by identifying gaps and recommending enhancements.

· Stay informed on FATF guidance, sanctions regime updates, and emerging financial crime typologies relevant to correspondent banking.

Required Qualifications and Skills

· Minimum 3 years of relevant professional experience in AML, transaction monitoring, financial crime compliance, or a similar role, preferably with exposure to client activity monitoring.

· Strong understanding of correspondent banking, banking products, transaction flows, and transaction analysis.

· Demonstrated knowledge of payment message formats, including SWIFT MT and ISO 20022 messages.

· Ability to analyse complex datasets, identify patterns, detect anomalies, and communicate insights effectively to varied audiences.

· Familiarity with transaction monitoring systems and proficiency in data analysis tools or software.

· Strong documentation, case narrative writing, and investigation skills.

· Sound judgement and ability to make risk-based decisions in a fast-paced, dynamic, and multi-directional work environment.

· Ability to build or support frameworks, procedures, and process improvement initiatives.

· Strong interpersonal, communication, presentation, organizational, planning, and time management skills.

· Team-oriented mindset with the ability to collaborate effectively across functions.

Preferred Qualifications

· Professional certifications such as CAMS, CFE, or other relevant financial crime compliance certifications are preferred.

· Prior experience in correspondent banking transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, PEP/adverse media review, or suspicious activity investigation would be advantageous.