The Manager, Financial Crime is responsible for leading the design, implementation, and ongoing enhancement of the insurer’s Financial Crime Compliance (FCC) program. This includes ensuring the effective management of risks related to anti-money laundering (AML), counter-terrorist financing (CTF), sanctions, anti-bribery and corruption (ABC), fraud, and market conduct. The role supports both preventative and investigative aspects of FCC, including policy development, system and process enhancements, stakeholder engagement, and regulatory reporting.
This position requires close collaboration with stakeholders across business units, operations, distribution, legal, risk, and Group Compliance. Experience in the insurance sector and working with intermediated channels (agents, brokers, partnerships) is highly preferred.
Key Responsibilities
1. Program and Policy Development
- Develop, implement, and maintain financial crime compliance policies, procedures, and frameworks in alignment with regulatory requirements and group standards.
- Lead periodic reviews of the FCC framework and recommend improvements based on risk assessments and regulatory changes.
2. Due Diligence, Transaction Monitoring and Screening
- Oversee the insurer’s customer due diligence (CDD), enhanced due diligence (EDD), and know-your-customer (KYC) practices.
- Ensure effective name screening, sanctions screening, and politically exposed person (PEP) screening processes are in place.
- Support the design, tuning, and review of transaction monitoring (TM) rules and scenarios relevant to insurance products and channels.
- Review alerts and coordinate filing of Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) where required.
3. Investigations and Case Management
- Conduct or oversee internal investigations into financial crime incidents, including fraud, bribery, misconduct, and regulatory breaches.
- Work closely with Legal, HR, and other functions on case resolution and ensure proper documentation and escalation.
4. Stakeholder Engagement and Advisory
- Act as a key compliance advisor to business units on financial crime risks in new products, distribution arrangements, and intermediary relationships.
- Collaborate with agency, partnership distribution, and operations teams to embed FCC controls across business processes.
5. Training and Awareness
- Develop and deliver FCC training to staff, agents, and distribution partners on AML, ABC, fraud risk, and conduct expectations.
- Support the rollout of targeted campaigns to raise awareness on red flags and reporting obligations.
6. Regulatory Engagement and Reporting
- Prepare internal and external reports on FCC activities, including updates to senior management, governance committees, and regulators.
- Support interactions with the Insurance Authority (IA), the Joint Financial Intelligence Unit (JFIU), and Group Compliance functions.
7. Projects and Systems Enhancement
- Lead or support projects to enhance AML/CFT-related systems, such as screening tools, monitoring platforms, and case management solutions.
- Define business requirements and participate in UAT and implementation with IT and vendors.
- Bachelor's degree in Law, Risk, Business, or a related field.
- 6–10 years of experience in financial crime compliance, preferably within insurance or financial services.
- Strong working knowledge of Hong Kong AML/CFT regulation
- Experience working with distribution channels such as agents, brokers, and partnerships is preferrable.
- Practical knowledge of screening and monitoring systems and investigation procedures.
- Professional certifications (e.g. CAMS, ICA, CFE) are advantageous.
- Strong interpersonal, stakeholder management, and analytical skills.
- Strong interpersonal skills, objective-driven and results oriented. Able to work independently and together with business units under pressure.