ACAMS 9th Annual AML & Financial Crime Conference - MENA

Keynote presentation by Joshua White, director for Policy and Analysis, The Sentry 

Anti-money laundering (AML) professionals face a complex, ever-changing regulatory environment that continually requires new strategies to master. The ACAMS 9th Annual AML & Financial Crime Conference—MENA will identify emerging financial crime threats and provide a blueprint for anti-money laundering professionals to adapt to an array of challenges. Centered on the theme “Embracing Change: Strategically Conquering New Compliance Complexities,” the conference takes place at the Jumeirah Emirates Tower in Dubai, UAE from 11–12 November 2018. 

“Attendees will learn about the latest global and regional changes affecting MENA institutions,” said Kieran Beer, director of editorial content at ACAMS. “At a very practical level, anti-money laundering and AML professionals will hear how to manage a variety of compliance and sanctions challenges, including GDPR, trade-based money laundering, cryptocurrencies and regtech,” Beer added. 

During the course of this two-day conference, the AML community has opportunities to connect with like-minded peers and participate in a variety of sessions. Conference sessions will address the day-to-day challenges AML officers in the MENA region are facing, including how they can improve the quality of their suspicious transaction reports, upgrade their transaction monitoring protocols and strengthen internal training. 

The conference features a keynote presentation by Joshua White, director for Policy and Analysis at The Sentry, and a special presentation on innovations in public/private financial information sharing from Nick J. Maxwell, head of the Future of Financial Intelligence Sharing (FFIS) Research Programme, Royal United Services Institute. 

Top thought-provoking sessions include: 

•    Innovators Dilemma: Navigating the New AML Era of Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies, Fintech and Regtech 
•    Sanctions: The Mounting Complexities—and Strategies to Manage Them 
•    The GDPR Challenge: Protecting Data While Optimizing Financial Intelligence 
•    Cybercrime Strategies: Protect and Detect, Respond and Recover 
•    FinCEN’s CDD Final Rule: Impact on BRO and KYC Practices in the MENA Region 

Speakers to include: 

•    Rick McDonell, Former Executive Secretary, Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Executive Director, ACAMS 
•    Mohamed Jawad Shalo, head of Financial Crime Prevention Unit, Financial Services Regulatory Authority, Abu Dhabi Global Market 
•    Osama Abuljebain, head of compliance, Dubai South 
•    Wael Saikaly, head of AML/CFT FATCA/CRS Department, Credit Libanais Group SAL 
•    Waheed Rathore, chief compliance officer, Group Risk Management, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank 
•    Zarina Karodia, regional and UAE head of anti-bribery and corruption, Financial Crime Compliance, HSBC Bank Middle East Limited