2nd Annual Women in AFC Conference

The 2nd Annual Women in AFC Conference in New York City brings together women leaders from across AML, sanctions, fraud, fintech, crypto, and financial crime compliance for a powerful day of discussion, insight, and connection in celebration of Women’s History Month. At a time when financial crime risks are growing more complex—driven by digital assets, real-time payments, geopolitical tension, and rapid advances in technology—this conference creates a dedicated space to spotlight the women shaping policy, operations, and innovation across the AFC ecosystem. Through candid panel discussions and practitioner-led dialogue, attendees will explore how women leaders are navigating regulatory pressure, operational strain, and career growth while driving meaningful impact within their organizations.

25 Women Speakers | 150 Attendees | 5 Expert Panels | 1 Unifying Mission

🗓️ Date: Thursday, March 12, 2026

⏰ Time: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

📍 Venue: Jay Conference Center Chelsea - Babe Ruth Floor

📍 Address: 159 W 25th St, New York, NY 10001

🕵‍♀️ Continuing Education Credits: FIVE

🎟️ ALL genders are welcome and strongly encouraged to attend.

💰Interested in sponsoring? Contact us at info@cafc.org.

Who Should Attend?

The Women in AFC Conference is designed for professionals across the financial crime lifecycle, including those working in: AML | Sanctions | Fraud | KYC/CDD/EDD | Transaction Monitoring | Financial Crime Investigations | Compliance Operations | Fintech & Crypto Compliance | Risk Management | Audit & Advisory | Regulators | Law Enforcement

What You’ll Gain

• Practical insights from women leading AFC programs across banks, fintechs, and crypto firms

• Perspectives on managing regulatory expectations amid evolving risk landscapes

• Lessons learned from real operational challenges—not sales pitches

• Career guidance and leadership insights from women at different stages of their AFC journey

• Meaningful connections with peers across the financial crime community

Event Format & Experience

• One-day, in-person conference

• All-women speaker lineup across five panels

• Interactive panel discussions with time for audience Q&A

• Curated networking with senior-level practitioners

• Designed to encourage open dialogue and community building

  
  

Hosted By: Coalition Against Financial Crime (CAFC)

A global professional organization dedicated to advancing collaboration, education, and leadership across the anti-financial-crime community. Join us in making history as we honor and empower the women leading the charge in the AFC space. 💪✨

Event Schedule

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM – Check-in/Registration

9:00 AM – 9:10 AM – Opening Remarks

9:10 AM – 10:00 AM – Women in AML & Sanctions Panel

This panel brings together senior women leaders navigating the rapidly evolving AML and sanctions landscape amid heightened regulatory scrutiny, geopolitical risk, and operational pressure. Panelists will discuss how financial institutions are adapting sanctions screening, customer risk management, and investigative workflows in 2026, while managing examiner expectations, staffing constraints, and technology change. Attendees will gain practical insight into real-world challenges, regulatory trends, and strategies for sustaining effective AML and sanctions programs without burning out teams.

• Moderator: Kirsten Lemke, Executive Vice President of Sales North America at Fincom

• Panelist 1: Juliana Koloska-Bogatinoska, Vice President, BSA Officer at OceanFirst Bank

• Panelist 2: Danielle Delgado, OFAC Sanctions Subject Matter Expert at Customers Bank

• Panelist 3: Denise Wright, Founder at DMW Advisory LLC

• Panelist 4: Program Manager at Columbia Bank

10:00 AM – 10:50 AM – Women in Fintech Panel

As fintechs continue to reshape financial services, compliance and legal leaders are facing unique challenges at the intersection of innovation, regulation, and scale. This panel explores how women leaders in fintech are building compliant, resilient products while supporting rapid growth, new business models, and evolving regulatory expectations. Topics include partnering with banks, managing regulatory risk, designing scalable controls, and balancing speed with sound governance in a competitive fintech environment.

• Moderator: TBA

• Panelist 1: Marie-Noel Nsana, Chief Compliance Officer at Grit Financial

• Panelist 2: Kayce Seifert, Associate General Counsel at Mercury

• Panelist 3: TBA

• Panelist 4: TBA

10:50 AM – 11:10 AM – Networking & Coffee Break

11:10 AM – 12:00 PM – Career Growth in AFC Panel

Career paths in anti-financial crime are rarely linear. This panel offers candid discussion from women at different stages of their AFC careers on navigating advancement, role transitions, leadership development, and professional visibility. Panelists will share lessons learned about moving into management, pivoting between institutions or roles, advocating for growth, and building long-term careers in a demanding and constantly changing field.

• Moderator: TBA

• Panelist 1: Daniela Tepedjiyska, Managing Consultant, Compliance Recruiter at Michael Page

• Panelist 2: Tresha Cowell, Assistant Vice President, Compliance Quality Assurance at Israel Discount Bank (IDB)

• Panelist 3: TBA

• Panelist 4: TBA

  
  

12:00 PM – 1:10 PM – Catered Lunch

1:10 PM – 2:00 PM – Women in Fraud Prevention Panel

Fraud risks continue to evolve alongside digital payments, cyber threats, and increasingly sophisticated criminal tactics. This panel highlights women leading fraud prevention, cybersecurity, analytics, and victim advocacy efforts. Panelists will discuss emerging fraud typologies, cross-functional collaboration, the role of data and technology, and how organizations can better protect both customers and institutions while responding to fraud in real time.

• Moderator: TBA

• Panelist 1: Xiaoyang (Yvonne) Clarke, Cybersecurity and Financial Crimes Risk Professional at a large U.S. Bank

• Panelist 2: Pranjal Dubey, Data Scientist, Financial Crimes at Flagstar Bank

• Panelist 3: Dora Gomez, Chairwoman at Justice for Fraud Victims Project

• Panelist 4: TBA

   

2:00 PM – 2:50 PM –  Women in Crypto Panel

Crypto and digital assets present both transformative opportunities and significant financial crime risks. This panel features women leaders working at the forefront of crypto compliance, investigations, and risk management. Discussion will focus on regulatory uncertainty, sanctions exposure, fraud typologies, blockchain analytics, and building compliant crypto products in a rapidly evolving global environment. Attendees will gain practical insight into how compliance leaders are navigating complexity while supporting innovation in digital assets.

• Moderator: TBA

• Panelist 1: TBA

• Panelist 2: TBA

• Panelist 3: TBA

• Panelist 4: TBA

2:50 PM – 3:00 PM – Closing Remarks

3:00 PM – 5:00 PM – Networking Session

5:00 PM – Event Concludes

DISCLAIMERS

Important Vendor Ticket Information

Due to high demand and limited capacity, the Women in AFC Conference is restricting the number of available vendor admission tickets. To attend, all vendors must purchase a vendor ticket to ensure compliance with the conference’s attendance policies. Secure your spot early, as vendor tickets are limited. Vendors include consultants, accountants, attorneys, technology providers, and other service providers and are not eligible to register under General Admission or Practitioner ticket types.

• Vendor purchases of AFC practitioner tickets will not be honored.

• Refunds will be subject to a deduction of ticket and payment processing fees.

• An additional $25 administrative fee will be applied to process the cancellation.

For sponsorship opportunities or further inquiries, please contact info@cafc.org.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in ensuring this event remains a focused and meaningful platform for AFC practitioners.

Chatham House Rule

This event is conducted under the Chatham House Rule. Participants are free to use the information received; however, speakers and attendees may not be quoted, recorded, or attributed by name or affiliation without prior express permission.

Media Policy

This event is closed to the media. Members of the press are not permitted to attend, record, or report on conference proceedings.

Accessibility & ADA Accommodations

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Coalition Against Financial Crime (CAFC) will honor requests for reasonable accommodations made by individuals with disabilities. Requests can be served more effectively if notice is provided at least 14 days prior to the event.

Please direct accommodation requests to info@cafc.org.

Refund Policy

Refund requests must be submitted at least seven (7) calendar days prior to the event date. Approved refunds will be issued less any applicable ticketing and payment processing fees. Refund requests submitted within seven (7) calendar days of the event will not be honored.

Terms & Conditions Acknowledgment

Please review the full Terms & Conditions, Refund Policy, and other Event Policies during the checkout process. You will be required to acknowledge these policies prior to completing your purchase. Purchase of a ticket constitutes agreement to comply with and be bound by all applicable terms and policies.

50% DISCOUNT CODE (Valid Until Feb 13): EARLYBIRD