What a crypto AML & compliance analyst does
A crypto AML and compliance analyst helps a digital asset business meet its anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing obligations. In Canada, businesses that deal in virtual currency must register with FINTRAC as money services businesses and meet requirements under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act, including know-your-client checks, record keeping and reporting. The analyst does much of the daily work behind those obligations.
That work includes reviewing alerts, tracing funds through blockchain analytics tools, screening customers against sanctions lists, escalating suspicious activity and documenting decisions so they stand up to examination. For an employer, a capable analyst protects the registration your business depends on. Finch looks for candidates who understand both traditional AML practice and how funds move on-chain, and who write clear, defensible case notes.
Typical responsibilities
- Review transaction monitoring alerts and investigate unusual wallet or account activity
- Trace funds on-chain to assess exposure to high-risk sources such as mixers or darknet markets
- Conduct customer due diligence and enhanced reviews for higher-risk clients
- Draft suspicious transaction reports and support large virtual currency transaction reporting
- Screen customers and counterparties against Canadian and international sanctions lists
- Apply travel rule procedures to incoming and outgoing virtual currency transfers
Qualifications and credentials
- A degree in business, criminology, finance or a related field is common
- Experience in AML, fraud or compliance at a crypto platform, bank, payment company or money services business
- Working knowledge of FINTRAC requirements for money services businesses dealing in virtual currency
- Hands-on use of blockchain analytics tools such as Chainalysis, Elliptic or TRM Labs
- Certifications such as ACAMS's CAMS or CCAS are often valued, though not required by law
Who hires a crypto AML & compliance analyst
- Crypto trading platforms and brokerages
- Crypto ATM operators and payment processors
- Custody providers and digital asset funds
- Banks and fintech firms with crypto offerings
- Compliance consultancies serving virtual currency businesses
Where we recruit crypto AML & compliance analyst candidates
We fill crypto AML & compliance analyst roles for employers across Toronto and the GTA, including North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Burlington, Oshawa and Pickering, and for employers across Canada. GTA employers can meet us at our North York office by appointment.
What Finch checks before you meet a candidate
- Direct experience with crypto investigations, not only traditional banking AML
- Quality of written case notes and how they justify escalation decisions
- Familiarity with FINTRAC reporting and record-keeping expectations
- Comfort with the analytics and case management tools you use
- Eligibility to work in Canada and readiness for background checks
Interview questions to ask
- Walk me through an investigation where on-chain tracing changed your conclusion about a customer.
- How do you decide whether activity gives reasonable grounds to suspect money laundering, and how do you document that decision?
- How would you handle a withdrawal request to a wallet linked to a sanctioned or high-risk service?