AML and Compliance International Conference
Regional and International Experience
16 SEPTEMBER 2025
About the event
First international AML and Compliance Conference
The European Business Association (EBA), in partnership with the Banking Association for Central and Eastern Europe (BACEE), is proud to announce the first international AML and Compliance Conference to be held in the Republic of Moldova. This landmark event will take place on September 16th at the Republican Palace in Chișinău.
The conference will serve as a high-level platform for the exchange of regional and international best practices in Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Compliance. These topics have gained increasing relevance once with the RM advancing on the EU Moldova Integration Agenda, legal harmonisation, legal screening and preparing for the negotiations with the EU
The conference will serve as a high-level platform for the exchange of regional and international best practices in Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Compliance. These topics have gained increasing relevance once with the RM advancing on the EU Moldova Integration Agenda, legal harmonisation, legal screening and preparing for the negotiations with the EU
The event is specifically tailored for senior leaders and professionals from the financial sector, representatives of all reporting entities as defined by AML legislation, and high-level officials from central banks and financial market regulatory authorities.
In 2022, the Republic of Moldova was granted EU Candidate Status with the unanimous support of all 27 EU Member States. Formal accession negotiations with the European Union began in 2023, as endorsed by the European Council. As part of this accession process, Moldova has made significant strides in aligning its national legislation with the EU Acquis Communautaire, particularly in the financial sector.
Strengthening AML and compliance frameworks is not only vital for safeguarding national and regional financial stability, but also essential for reinforcing Moldova’s international credibility and fostering sustainable economic growth.
In 2022, the Republic of Moldova was granted EU Candidate Status with the unanimous support of all 27 EU Member States. Formal accession negotiations with the European Union began in 2023, as endorsed by the European Council. As part of this accession process, Moldova has made significant strides in aligning its national legislation with the EU Acquis Communautaire, particularly in the financial sector.
Strengthening AML and compliance frameworks is not only vital for safeguarding national and regional financial stability, but also essential for reinforcing Moldova’s international credibility and fostering sustainable economic growth.
- 10
countriesInternational expertise from 10 countries - 300+
guestsThe conference will bring together participants from all over the world - 20
speakersExperts from different countries are invited to the conference
Speakers
- Andras BácsfalviCAMS, Partner at Ernst & Young Consulting Ltd
- Gheorghe BadiaHead of AML and Compliance Division, National Bank of Moldova
- Laura Lica BanuDirector, Financial Advisory Services/Forensic – Financial Crime, Deloitte Consultanta SRL
- Igor BerezaEU AML/CFT Global Facility, International Expert
- Carolina BugaianPresident of EBA Moldova, Director General, MOLDCELL
- Raymond BurginChartered Institute of Export and International Trade UK
- Anca DraguGovernor, National Bank of Moldova
- Mircea EșanuExecutive Director, Moldova Public Service Agency
- Igor GaievskyiAdvisor to the Minister of Finance of Ukraine
- Oxana GiscaHead of Department, FIU Moldova
- Nicolae GrigoreEU High Level Adviser on Financial Services "European Moldova - Support for EU Integration" National Bank of Moldova
- Markko KardDeputy Head of Estonian FIU
- Vasil KirovDirector Expenditure. Operations and Investigations, European Anti-Fraud Office, European Commission
- Iryna KyryliukSr. Director, Regional Ethics and Compliance Officer at Visa for the CIS & SEE region
- Andrew Le BrunDeputy Executive Secretary, MONEYVAL
- Istvan LengyelSecretary General, BACEE Banking Association for Central and Eastern Europe
- Andrian MunteanuDeputy Head, FIU Moldova
- Raluca PrunăHead of Financial Crime Unit in DG Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (FISMA), European Commission
- Mariana RufaCEO, EBA Moldova
- Michaela SchutzDeputy Head, FIU Switzerland
- Irina TalianuHead of Unit, MONEYVAL Committee
- Erik WoodhousePartner at Crowell & Moring’s, former Counselor at US Department of the Treasury
- Ilze ZnotiņaInternational AML & Compliance Expert, Ex-Head of FIU Latvia
Agenda
September 16, 2025, Tuesday
08:30 – 09:00
08:30 – 09:00
Registration and welcome coffee
09:00 – 11:00
09:00 – 11:00
Official Opening and Welcome Remarks
Moderator: Mrs. Mariana Rufa, CEO, EBA Moldova
Mrs. Carolina Bugaian – President of EBA Moldova, Director General MOLDCELL
Mr. Istvan Lengyel – Secretary General BACEE Banking Association for Central and Eastern Europe
Mrs. Anca Dragu – Governor of the National Bank of Moldova
Mrs. Raluca Prună – Head of Financial Crime Unit in DG Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (FISMA), European Commission
Mr. Andrian Munteanu – Deputy Head, FIU Moldova
Mrs. Carolina Bugaian – President of EBA Moldova, Director General MOLDCELL
Mr. Istvan Lengyel – Secretary General BACEE Banking Association for Central and Eastern Europe
Mrs. Anca Dragu – Governor of the National Bank of Moldova
Mrs. Raluca Prună – Head of Financial Crime Unit in DG Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (FISMA), European Commission
Mr. Andrian Munteanu – Deputy Head, FIU Moldova
09:30 – 11:30
09:30 – 11:30
Global and Regional AML & Compliance Trends (presentations)
Moderator: Mrs Oxana Gisca, Head of Department, FIU Moldova
Financial Fraud and Emerging Vulnerabilities – Strengthening prevention and enhance defenses in volatile times
Mr. Vasil Kirov, Director Expenditure. Operations and Investigations, European Anti-Fraud Office, European Commission
MONEYVAL Perspective: Reinforcing the implementation of the AML|CFT global standards and aligning our approaches with evolving global AML/CFT practices.
Mrs. Irina Talianu, Head of Unit, MONEYVAL Committee,
Mr. Andrew Le Brun, Deputy Executive Secretary, MONEYVAL
Geopolitical Turbulence and Financial Integrity: How wars, power shifts, and covert influence reshape compliance priorities
Mrs. Ilze Znotiņa, International AML & Compliance Expert, Ex-Head of FIU Latvia
AML and Compliance Framework – Status Quo and Priorities on the EU Moldova Agenda.
Mr. Gheorghe Badia, Head of AML and Compliance Division, National Bank of Moldova
Office for Prevention and Fight against Money Laundering: Money‑laundering and terrorism‑financing threats
Mr. Adrian Munteanu, Deputy Director, FIU Moldova
Q&A session
Mr. Vasil Kirov, Director Expenditure. Operations and Investigations, European Anti-Fraud Office, European Commission
MONEYVAL Perspective: Reinforcing the implementation of the AML|CFT global standards and aligning our approaches with evolving global AML/CFT practices.
Mrs. Irina Talianu, Head of Unit, MONEYVAL Committee,
Mr. Andrew Le Brun, Deputy Executive Secretary, MONEYVAL
Geopolitical Turbulence and Financial Integrity: How wars, power shifts, and covert influence reshape compliance priorities
Mrs. Ilze Znotiņa, International AML & Compliance Expert, Ex-Head of FIU Latvia
AML and Compliance Framework – Status Quo and Priorities on the EU Moldova Agenda.
Mr. Gheorghe Badia, Head of AML and Compliance Division, National Bank of Moldova
Office for Prevention and Fight against Money Laundering: Money‑laundering and terrorism‑financing threats
Mr. Adrian Munteanu, Deputy Director, FIU Moldova
Q&A session
11:30 – 12:00
11:30 – 12:00
Networking lunch buffet
12:00 – 13:30
12:00 – 13:30
UBO Identification-Practical Tools for Compliance (discussions and presentations)
Panel discussion: addressing current regional and Moldova challenges on UBO identification, E‑KYC and digital onboarding-enhancing UBO verification through technology, UBO identification – best practice and tips to share from other markets
Moderator: Mr. Andras Bácsfalvi, CAMS, Partner at Ernst & Young Consulting Ltd.
Panelists:
Mr. Mircea Eșanu, Director, Moldova Public Service Agency
Mr. Igor Gaievskyi, Advisor to the Minister of Finance of Ukraine, (on-line)
Mr. Igor Bereza, EU AML/CFT Global Facility, International Expert
Ms. Michaela Schutz, Deputy Head, FIU Switzerland
Mr. Raymond Burgin, Chartered Institute of Export and International Trade UK - E‑KYC and Digital Onboarding: Enhancing UBO verification through technology
Q&A session
Panelists:
Mr. Mircea Eșanu, Director, Moldova Public Service Agency
Mr. Igor Gaievskyi, Advisor to the Minister of Finance of Ukraine, (on-line)
Mr. Igor Bereza, EU AML/CFT Global Facility, International Expert
Ms. Michaela Schutz, Deputy Head, FIU Switzerland
Mr. Raymond Burgin, Chartered Institute of Export and International Trade UK - E‑KYC and Digital Onboarding: Enhancing UBO verification through technology
Q&A session
13:30 – 15:00
13:30 – 15:00
Emerging Compliance Frontiers (presentations)
Moderator:
Mrs. Ilze Znotina, International AML and Compliance Expert, Ex- Head of FIU Latvia
Mr. Nicolae Grigore, EU High Level Adviser on Financial Services "European Moldova - Support for EU Integration" National Bank of Moldova
Speed, Scale, and Synergy: Combating Financial Crime in the Age of Instant Payments
Iryna Kyryliuk, Sr. Director, Regional Ethics and Compliance Officer at Visa for the CIS & SEE region
Sanctions and Geopolitical Risks:Latest enforcement developments, secondary sanctions trends, and how Moldova can adapt to EU and US sanction regimes –
Mr. Erik Woodhouse, Partner at Crowell & Moring’s ( Washington D.C. office), former Counselor at US Department of the Treasury, former Deputy Assistant Secretary at the US Department of State in Counter threat finance and sanctions Division
Trade‑Based Money Laundering and Supply‑Chain Risks: Why sanctions evasion often hides in legitimate trade flows, how under‑/over‑invoicing and false cargo documents affect the region, and what compliance teams can do to detect it. – practical insight from a Regional Practitioner/Expert (Ukraine/Baltic Countries)
Mrs. Laura Lica Banu – Director | Financial Advisory Services/Forensic – Financial Crime, Deloitte Consultanta SRL
AI and Digital Identities in AML Harnessing AI to detect suspicious patterns, mitigating risks of deepfake identities and synthetic KYC, and what new RegTech tools mean for your institution.
Mr. Markko Kard, Deputy Head of Estonian FIU
Q/A Session
Mrs. Ilze Znotina, International AML and Compliance Expert, Ex- Head of FIU Latvia
Mr. Nicolae Grigore, EU High Level Adviser on Financial Services "European Moldova - Support for EU Integration" National Bank of Moldova
Speed, Scale, and Synergy: Combating Financial Crime in the Age of Instant Payments
Iryna Kyryliuk, Sr. Director, Regional Ethics and Compliance Officer at Visa for the CIS & SEE region
Sanctions and Geopolitical Risks:Latest enforcement developments, secondary sanctions trends, and how Moldova can adapt to EU and US sanction regimes –
Mr. Erik Woodhouse, Partner at Crowell & Moring’s ( Washington D.C. office), former Counselor at US Department of the Treasury, former Deputy Assistant Secretary at the US Department of State in Counter threat finance and sanctions Division
Trade‑Based Money Laundering and Supply‑Chain Risks: Why sanctions evasion often hides in legitimate trade flows, how under‑/over‑invoicing and false cargo documents affect the region, and what compliance teams can do to detect it. – practical insight from a Regional Practitioner/Expert (Ukraine/Baltic Countries)
Mrs. Laura Lica Banu – Director | Financial Advisory Services/Forensic – Financial Crime, Deloitte Consultanta SRL
AI and Digital Identities in AML Harnessing AI to detect suspicious patterns, mitigating risks of deepfake identities and synthetic KYC, and what new RegTech tools mean for your institution.
Mr. Markko Kard, Deputy Head of Estonian FIU
Q/A Session
15:00 – 15:15
15:00 – 15:15
Concluding remarks
Meet speakers from
Republican Palace
16, Maria Cebotari st., Chișinău, Moldova
10 minutes walk from the Central Square Place
10 minutes walk from the Central Square Place