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It is with great sadness that we became aware of the passing of Mr. Daisuke Nakao, a pillar of the international global anti-money laundering (AML) community. His achievements were many, including being a recipient of the ACAMS AI Gillum Volunteer of the Year Award  in 2017. His dedication to his work is best captured by his statement, “The better the AML community as a whole can do its work, the better off our society will be. Anything that helps make our lives safer and happier is something that is worth investing my time and effort.”

As a well-respected subject-matter expert in the AML compliance/financial crime space, Mr. Nakao generously provided thought leadership as a speaker at various AML-related training
events in Japan, and as a regular contributor of articles for publication, including:

• “AML and Economic Sanctions Measures in Banking” (in Japanese), summer 2015, Financial Regulation
• “Effective Implementation of the Risk-Based Approach,” March-May 2016, ACAMS Today
• “Cutting Edge: Diverse Aspects of Compliance-Iran Transactions after Implementation Day of the JCPOA,” Vol.44 No.5 2016, Journal of the Japanese Institute of International Business Law (Kokusai Shoji Homu)
• Co-author of “New Development in Money Laundering Regulations” at Kinzai on 10 August 2016

Mr. Nakao joined the Bank of Tokyo, Ltd. in 1987 where he held positions in Tokyo, London and Paris before serving as the chief advisor in the Global Financial Crimes Division at MUFG Bank since 2009. In addition to the energy and commitment that he invested in the banking sector over his 30-year career, ACAMS considered one of his greatest contributions to our sector to be his passion and ongoing leadership in advocating for the need to develop a culture of compliance. In particular, Mr. Nakao consistently emphasized the importance of the “three lines of defense” and the “tone from the top.” With his easygoing approach, Mr. Nakao worked tirelessly to educate and raise awareness of the importance of AML/financial crime issues, and in so doing, greatly contributed to ACAMS’ mission objective of assisting and building the AML community in Japan and abroad. Indeed, his leadership and support had a significant impact on the growth of ACAMS membership in Japan.

Mr. Nakao, a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), played a critical role in fostering professional AML knowledge of the industry in Japan, by joining the committee of the Japanese version of the CAMS Study Guide Sixth Edition and examinations, appearing as a speaker at the annual ACAMS Tokyo conference each year since 2010, as well as assisting with the ongoing establishment of the ACAMS Tokyo Chapter. His leadership, influence, expertise and humanity will be sorely missed, both in Japan and throughout the world.