Risk Operations Specialist

About Merge:

Merge is a regulated stablecoin payments infrastructure platform enabling enterprises to move money globally in real time. We combine stablecoin rails with local instant payment systems to deliver faster, cheaper, and more transparent cross-border payments and treasury workflows. Merge serves fintechs, investment platforms, marketplaces, and corporate treasury teams globally.

About the role:

As a Risk Operations Specialist, you will support the day-to-day operation of Merge's financial crime and risk framework across fiat and stablecoin transactions. You will work across the customer lifecycle - from onboarding and KYC/KYB through ongoing monitoring, transaction reviews, investigations and escalation.

The role will involve working closely with Compliance, Operations, Product, Engineering, Customer Success and Payments teams.

Key responsibilities

1. KYC / KYB & Customer Onboarding

   1. Conduct KYC/KYB reviews for individuals and businesses during onboarding.
   2. Review corporate structures, UBOs, directors, shareholders and source of funds/wealth.
   3. Perform CDD and EDD on higher-risk customers and counterparties.
   4. Conduct PEP, sanctions, adverse media and other screening.
   5. Assess customer risk and determine appropriate risk classifications.
   6. Identify inconsistencies, gaps or red flags in customer documentation.
   7. Support periodic and event-driven customer reviews.
   8. Escalate higher-risk cases to Compliance / MLRO where required.

2. Transaction Monitoring

   1. Review transaction monitoring alerts across fiat and stablecoin transactions.
   2. Investigate unusual transaction patterns, velocity, counterparties and transaction flows.
   3. Identify potential AML, fraud, sanctions and financial crime risks.
   4. Analyse transaction history and customer behaviour to determine whether activity is consistent with the customer's profile.
   5. Investigate alerts and document clear, evidence-based conclusions.
   6. Escalate suspicious activity in accordance with internal procedures.
   7. Support preparation of STR/SAR cases and regulatory reporting where required.

3. Payments & Risk Operations

   1. Develop a strong understanding of cross-border payment flows, including SEPA, SWIFT, correspondent banking and stablecoin transfers.
   2. Review payment exceptions, rejected transactions, unusual beneficiary activity and payment-related risk events.
   3. Support controls around fiat-to-crypto and crypto-to-fiat flows.
   4. Monitor operational risk indicators and identify emerging patterns.
   5. Work with Operations and Payments teams to resolve customer and transaction issues while maintaining appropriate compliance controls.
   6. Support fraud and financial crime investigations.

4. Sanctions & Financial Crime

   1. Conduct sanctions and PEP screening and investigate potential matches.
   2. Review adverse media and other external risk indicators.
   3. Support investigations involving fraud, money laundering, terrorist financing and sanctions exposure.
   4. Monitor emerging financial crime typologies relevant to digital assets and cross-border payments.
   5. Maintain appropriate case documentation and audit trails.

5. Stablecoin Transaction Compliance

   1. Review blockchain transactions and wallet activity where relevant.
   2. Use blockchain analytics and KYT tools to assess wallet and transaction risk.
   3. Understand risks associated with mixers, high-risk jurisdictions, sanctioned addresses, scams, fraud and other illicit activity.
   4. Support Travel Rule compliance and related operational processes.
   5. Develop familiarity with MiCA/CASP requirements and the interaction between digital asset and traditional payment compliance.

6. Compliance Operations & Controls

   1. Maintain accurate records of KYC, transaction monitoring and investigation cases.
   2. Ensure cases are handled within agreed SLAs.
   3. Perform quality checks on KYC and transaction monitoring decisions.
   4. Identify recurring operational issues and recommend improvements.
   5. Help develop and maintain SOPs, workflows and compliance controls.
   6. Support internal and regulatory audits.
   7. Produce operational MI and reporting for Compliance and Risk management.
   8. Help improve automation and tooling across compliance operations.

7. Customer Support & Risk Operations

   1. Support customer queries related to KYC/KYB, AML checks, transaction monitoring and compliance requirements.
   2. Assist with customer requests for additional documentation, source of funds/wealth and EDD.
   3. Investigate customer-reported issues involving delayed, rejected, blocked or held transactions.
   4. Work with Customer Success, Payments and Operations to resolve risk-related customer issues while maintaining compliance controls.
   5. Escalate higher-risk cases and identify recurring issues to improve customer experience and risk processes.
   6. At Merge, customer support is a shared responsibility across the organization. Every team member is expected to contribute to customer support activities when required, helping investigate issues, resolve customer queries, and ensure a high standard of customer experience.

Job Requirements

• Experience in compliance, AML, financial crime, risk operations, KYC/KYB or transaction monitoring.
• Experience within a regulated financial institution, EMI, PI, bank, fintech, or digital asset business.
• Strong practical experience in KYC/KYB, CDD/EDD and transaction monitoring.
• Experience investigating transaction monitoring alerts and making risk-based decisions.
• Understanding of AML/CFT, sanctions, PEP and adverse media screening.
• Experience working with complex customer or transaction investigations.
• Good understanding of cross-border payments and payment flows.
• Strong analytical and investigative skills.
• Excellent written documentation and case-management skills.

• Ability to work independently and make sound risk-based decisions.

• Strong attention to detail without losing sight of operational efficiency.