Yellapu Mahesh

Highly analytical and detail-driven Financial Crime Compliance professional with progressive hands-on experience in AML transaction monitoring, end-to-end KYC/EDD due diligence, SAR/STR regulatory filing, sanctions screening, and PEP/adverse media review across fintech and traditional banking environments. Demonstrated expertise in investigating complex money laundering typologies, structuring, and fraud anomalies using platforms including ACTIMIZE, LexisNexis, FinCore AML Screening, and World Compliance. Proven ability to prepare and file Suspicious Activity Reports in strict compliance with FinCEN, MLRO, FIU-IND, and RBI requirements.

Adept at working with cross-functional teams — legal, risk, and operations — to assess, escalate, and resolve financial crime risks. Deep knowledge of FATF, OFAC, BSA/AML, and PMLA frameworks, committed to ensuring compliance programs remain robust and audit-ready.

Senior Associate – AML Financial Crime Investigations - WNS Global Services

(2025-06)

• Monitored and analyzed high-volume complex financial transaction alerts generated by the ACTIMIZE automated monitoring system daily, applying structured investigative techniques to detect and report suspicious activity including money laundering, fraud, structuring, layering, and placement patterns across diverse client portfolios — consistently meeting throughput targets and quality KPIs.
• Conducted comprehensive end-to-end financial crime investigations on flagged alerts by tracing full fund flow chains — sources, purpose, and beneficiary profiles — cross-referencing all findings against each customer's established financial profile, transactional capacity, and expected behavior to accurately identify anomalies, determine risk disposition, and produce well-documented case outcomes.
• Prepared and filed detailed, regulatory-compliant Suspicious Activity Reports (SAR) and Suspicious Transaction Reports (STR) for confirmed suspicious cases, drafting thorough investigative narratives covering transaction timelines, identified red flags, customer risk indicators, and case disposition — all within strict internal SLA deadlines and in full compliance with FinCEN and MLRO guidelines.
• Developed and enforced Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) procedures for high-risk customer segments including unhosted wallet transactions, cross-border fund transfers, and accounts flagged for elevated geographic or behavioral risk — applying layered internal controls, supplementary intelligence checks, and structured documentation to ensure full AML/KYC policy compliance and accurate risk classification.
• Collaborated actively with cross-functional teams — legal counsel, operations, and risk management specialists — to escalate complex financial crime cases, share structured investigative findings, resolve compliance risk issues, and align on appropriate case disposition, contributing to a consistent and organization-wide approach to financial crime mitigation and regulatory adherence.
• Reviewed and assessed customer accounts against high-risk indicators — unusual transaction velocity, foreign IP access patterns, high-risk nationalities, dual citizenships, and PEP associations — efficiently clearing confirmed false positives through structured review workflows while maintaining full investigative integrity and minimizing disruption to legitimate customer activity.
• Utilized the full suite of compliance platforms — ACTIMIZE, FinCore AML Screening, End-to-End KYC, LexisNexis (LN), World Compliance, KYC CUST, AD Auth, and SharePoint — to conduct screening, document investigations, maintain audit-ready case records, and produce structured regulatory reports for compliance leadership, the MLRO, and relevant regulatory authorities.
• Maintained comprehensive, current knowledge of AML/CFT regulatory requirements, FATF recommendations, OFAC sanctions updates, and emerging financial crime typologies — proactively applying updated frameworks to refine investigation methodologies, improve detection accuracy, and ensure compliance programs remained aligned with international best practices.

KYC Quality Analyst – Financial Crime Compliance - FedServ – Federal Bank Ltd

(2024-01 - 2025-06)

• Performed rigorous quality control reviews of all customer KYC data input and output across onboarding workflows, validating accuracy, completeness, and regulatory compliance of documentation including identity proofs, address verification, source of funds declarations, beneficial ownership disclosures, and customer risk classification decisions — serving as a critical compliance gate before account activation across multiple product lines.
• Conducted comprehensive end-to-end KYC due diligence for a diverse global client base — retail individuals, corporate entities, partnerships, trusts, and high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) — performing identity verification, UBO identification, ownership structure mapping, and risk-tiered due diligence assessments in compliance with Customer Acceptance Policy (CAP) and Customer Identification Process (CIP) standards mandated by RBI and FIU-IND.
• Executed Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) reviews for high-risk clients triggered by PEP status, adverse media findings, high-risk jurisdiction exposure, complex corporate structures, and unusual transaction patterns — preparing comprehensive EDD review packages with supporting documentation and escalation rationale for approval by the KYC Director and MLRO, in compliance with FIU-IND, RBI KYC Master Directions, and PMLA requirements.
• Conducted in-depth analysis of customer Source of Funds (SoF) and Source of Wealth (SoW) declarations, cross-referencing stated origins against transactional data, financial capacity indicators, public records, and third-party intelligence sources — flagging inconsistencies for escalation and ensuring all documentation met regulatory evidentiary standards required for accurate regulatory reporting to relevant financial intelligence authorities.
• Managed the full client lifecycle for onboarding and periodic Re-KYC review processes across all risk tiers — coordinating client outreach, conducting risk reassessments, updating customer risk profiles, and ensuring all records were refreshed within mandated cycles to remain continuously audit-compliant under RBI, SEBI, and FIU-IND guidelines, including HNWI and institutional client segments across geographically diverse jurisdictions.
• Conducted comprehensive sanctions screening, PEP checks, and adverse media screening for all onboarding clients and associated parties — UBOs, directors, authorized signatories, and affiliated entities — across US and international jurisdictions, identifying hits and escalating to senior compliance officers with full case documentation, risk assessment rationale, and recommended disposition aligned with applicable regulatory reporting requirements.
• Managed account offboarding and exit procedures for non-compliant, high-risk, or unresponsive customers — coordinating with relationship managers, operations, and legal counsel to ensure exits complied with internal policy and regulatory obligations, and filing required notifications and exit reports with relevant supervisory bodies where mandated.
• Served as domain expert and senior escalation point for complex KYC/EDD cases across multiple business channels — providing structured guidance to junior analysts, reviewing borderline risk decisions, and collaborating with internal audit, risk management, and external regulatory examiners to maintain consistently high KYC quality standards and a robust, audit-ready compliance posture.

Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) - Electrical and Electronics Engineering - Anil Neerukonda Institute of Technology and Sciences (2021-06 - 2024-05)