AML & Screening Analyst

This is Adyen

Adyen provides payments, data, and financial products in a single solution for customers like Meta, Uber, H&M, and Microsoft - making us the financial technology platform of choice. At Adyen, everything we do is engineered for ambition. 

For our teams, we create an environment with opportunities for our people to succeed, backed by the culture and support to ensure they are enabled to truly own their careers. We are motivated individuals who tackle unique technical challenges at scale and solve them as a team. Together, we deliver innovative and ethical solutions that help businesses achieve their ambitions faster.

As an AML & Screening Analyst for the Japan and APAC region, you will be a key guardian of Adyen’s integrity in one of our most dynamic markets. Based in Tokyo, you will execute Adyen’s global financial crime compliance strategy with a hyper-local focus, ensuring our operations align with the specific regulatory expectations of the Japan Financial Services Agency (JFSA) and other APAC regulators. You will focus on high-impact screening activities and AML monitoring that safeguard our banking products and acquiring flows. In close partnership with local Compliance, Legal, and Global Operations teams, you will translate regional intelligence into scalable, data-driven solutions that strengthen the end-to-end merchant risk lifecycle.

What you’ll do

• Investigate alerts on unusual transactions, reviewing and resolving daily screening alerts using internal and external systems and databases.
• Perform thorough research and risk assessments based on your findings, escalating cases to our Compliance team for further analysis and resolution.
• Conduct focused compliance risk assessments of the Japanese merchant portfolio to identify potential matches to ASF and ISA watchlists, as well as any involvement in unauthorized “gray-market” activities.
• Conduct ad-hoc analyses and investigations into merchants’ compliance risk profiles.
• Propose ideas for improvement of our internal processes and workflows.
• Collaborate with global teams to ensure consistency and alignment in AML and Screening Investigations across all regions.
• Identify operational bottlenecks in the Japanese screening workflow and propose automation or logic enhancements to better handle Hiragana/Kanji/Katakana name-matching.
• Partner with global operational hubs to align Japan-specific 1LoD processes with global standards, ensuring local nuances are captured without compromising global risk appetite.
• Contribute to team development by sharing knowledge and best practices, and assisting in onboarding new team members.

Who you are

• You possess a minimum of 2 years of experience in AML (Anti-Money Laundering) and/or CFT (Counter-Financing of Terrorism) compliance or Sanctions operations, with a proven track record in 1st Line of Defense investigations within the Japanese financial sector.
• You have a good understanding of the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds and the JFSA’s "Guidelines for Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism".
• You have experience identifying and mitigating risks related to ASF (Adverse - Sanctions - Fraud) and/or ISA (Internal Sanctions/Screening Alerts) watchlists, and understand the specific screening nuances of Kanji, Katakana, and Romanized name variations.
• You demonstrate strong analytical skills, using data to drive risk-based decisions while maintaining the high level of precision and "attention to detail" expected by Japanese regulators.
• You are highly adaptable and capable of managing shifting priorities in a fast-paced Fintech environment, balancing operational speed with regulatory rigor.
• You possess excellent communication skills in both Japanese (Native / JLPT N1 equivalent) and English, enabling you to bridge the gap between local regulatory requirements and global internal policies.
• You are a proactive team player who takes full ownership of investigations, with a natural curiosity to uncover the "why" behind complex transaction patterns.
• You maintain a continuous improvement mindset, identifying local process inefficiencies and suggesting automation or workflow enhancements to improve the scalability of the Tokyo operations team.
• Experience in the Japanese payments, E-money, or Fintech sector is highly preferred; professional certifications such as ACAMS or CAMS-JP are a significant plus.

Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion commitments 

Our unique approach is a product of our diverse perspectives. This diversity of backgrounds and cultures is essential in helping us maintain our momentum. Our business and technical challenges are unique, and we need as many different voices as possible to join us in solving them - voices like yours. No matter who you are or where you’re from, we welcome you to be your true self at Adyen. 

Studies show that women and members of underrepresented communities apply for jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. Does this sound like you? If so, Adyen encourages you to reconsider and apply. We look forward to your application!

What’s next?

Ensuring a smooth and enjoyable candidate experience is critical for us. We aim to get back to you regarding your application within 5 business days. Our interview process tends to take about 4 weeks to complete, but may fluctuate depending on the role. Learn more about our hiring process here. Don’t be afraid to let us know if you need more flexibility.

This role is based out of our Tokyo office. We are an office-first company and value in-person collaboration; we do not offer remote-only roles.