Click to access brochure for the XVIIth series of the AML Roundtable 2021-2022.

2020 will go on record as being one of the most eventful years of all our life. Not only were we (and continue to be) plagued by the pandemic, which has turned our lives upside down, but our country has seen unprecedented activity in the AML/CFT space at various levels: penalties, enforcement measures, increased and more intense supervision, regulation, a surge in demand for talent (which exists in limited supply)…. The list goes on.

Against this backdrop, the need for the AML Roundtable becomes even more acute as a forum where ideas can be exchanged and new and emerging topics debated. It is with this mind that we are approaching you to join the next KPMG AML Roundtable series for 2021/2022. As we debrief and take stock of the last series, we are proud to note that the Roundtable is now in its seventeenth year. The team is already working on the content for the first session, which should be happening close to the end of June. While some content may be obvious such as for example a discussion on the outcome and implications of the FATF plenary later on this year, our intention is to move away from mainstream AML topics such as generic CDD obligations but we aim the content to be focussed and specific to the needs of our attendees, and intended to address nebulous areas which typically are not discussed in standard training fora.

We also hope to bring a diverse group of speakers, ranging from the wider KPMG network to the regulators, complementing our seasoned speakers from the KPMG Malta office. Given the current persisting restrictions we are planning to hold the first session virtually, but we will be seeking your views, at a later date, if the preference is for the forum to be held virtually or face-to-face (provided restrictions are lifted and this can be accommodated). Clearly there are pros and cons with both alternatives but, at the end of the day, we will go with the decision of the majority.

The organising team believe that AML/CFT developments will continue unabated during this current year and the forum aims to address a niche in the market where specialised personnel come together for in-depth discussions on these developments as they occur.

We look forward to your support of this initiative and we hope to be able to meet you, albeit virtually, soon, in a couple of months’ time.

– Alex Azzopardi, Director, Risk Consulting Advisory, KPMG in Malta

– Juanita Bencini, Consultant, KPMG in Malta

Venue: Virtual Web session (face-to-face where possible)

Format: Sessions run from 8.30am to around 12.30pm and consist of a series of presentations by expert speakers from KPMG, the Regulator and members of the financial services community. Based on feedback we obtained from previous sessions, we believe that attendees benefit most from interactive group discussions through Q&A sessions and case studies.

Frequency: Once every four months.

Dates: The first Roundtable in this Seventeenth Series was held on 1 July 2021, the second session on 28 October 2021, and the third session on 24 February 2022.

Fee: Participation fee is Eur450* per annum. The subscription is not personal and registered entities may be represented by a different delegate during each of the three sessions in any one series. Relevant KPMG publications on AML and the financial services industry will also be made available.

*KPMG Learning Academy is exempt from VAT in terms of item 12 (1) of Part Two of the Fifth Schedule to the VAT Act.

Please register for the event at kla@kpmg.com.mt.
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Session #3 | 24 February 2022

Check out the Agenda for the third session of the AML Roundtable XVII 2021-2022.

ACAMS accredited – Attendees are entitled to 3 CAMS Credits as awarded by ACAMS. *
*Credits obtained from this training are not added automatically to ACAMS members’ profiles. Proper proof of participation to the training is required in order to qualify for CAMS credits.

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Juanita Bencini

Juanita Bencini is an ex-KPMG partner where for 17 years she headed the Risk Consulting Advisory practice. She has extensive experience in all sectors of the financial services industry with a particular focus on AML, built up over several years of assisting clients with their AML concerns. Today, she works as a consultant to KPMG and is a professional director on boards of regulated entities. She acts as Chair of the AML Committee of the Institute of Financial Services Practitioners. She lectures on Prevention of Money Laundering Act at the University of Malta and is often asked to present on the topic, both locally and abroad.

Alex Azzopardi

Alex is a Director, Risk Consulting Advisory, KPMG in Malta, and leads the Internal Audit Risk & Compliance Services (IARCS) business line of the KPMG Islands Group sub-region within the network. Alex, an accountant by profession with 15 years of experience, has managed and led various AML-related advisory engagements over the past years. The AML/CFT Advisory offering includes a full suite of services in the field: reviews of policies and procedures, testing of AML-related procedures and gap analyses. Alex leads a team of highly-specialised professionals with experience across the spectrum of subject persons and relevant activities. Alex also provides compliance-related training sessions, including AML/CFT. He is the current Chairman of the Malta Forum for Internal Auditors.

Ariane Azzopardi

Ariane Azzopardi is a Director within the Quality and Risk Management function. She has over fifteen years’ experience in this field and is the delegate of the Risk Management Partner at KPMG in Malta. She is involved in the implementation and monitoring compliance with quality and risk management policies and procedures in KPMG in Malta also handling compliance and risk management queries, including those related to the Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (PMLFT) and ethics and independence. She delivers sessions on PMLFT at the KPMG roundtable and also at various other seminars and conferences.

Ariane is a co-chair of the PMLFT sub-committee at the Malta Institute of Accountants and a committee member of the PMLFT sub-committee at the Institute of Financial Services Practitioners.

Deborah Cassar

Deborah is an Associate Director, Risk Consulting Advisory – AML Services, at KPMG Malta. Deborah has over ten years’ experience within the Financial Services sector, worked for over two years with the FIAU, and has over twelve years’ experience within the AML/CFT field. She has worked extensively in the area of AML/CFT compliance – performing Compliance reviews, as well as assisting subject persons to establish appropriate AML/CFT internal structures. She is a recognised and Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) and recently completed her Advanced CAMS in Risk Management (CAMS-RM). Deborah is an active member with the Association of Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (“ACAMS”), is also a Co-Founder & Co-Chair of the ACAMS Malta Chapter.

You may also wish to see our Agenda for the first session and the second session.

For further details, please contact: Sarah Galea on +356 2563 1061 or kla@kpmg.com.mt.