Fintech Risk & Compliance Speakers

Our distinguished speakers share invaluable insights, experiences, and expertise in addressing the ever-evolving landscape of fintech risk management, compliance and regulatory challenges. Explore our lineup of thought-provoking sessions and peer-to-peer discussions, where these seasoned professionals offer actionable strategies and perspectives crucial for shaping the future of the financial technology sector.

Samira Afzali, Director- Regulatory Response - Block- Cash App

​Samira Afzali is a Risk Management Lead at Block, Inc. responsible for a team that oversees regulatory responses from external third parties. With over two decades of direct experience in regulatory compliance at financial institutions and a professional background as a lawyer, Samira draws on these experiences to provide risk management leadership and solutions in FinTech. Samira thoroughly enjoys talking about banking regulations, consumer protection laws and risk management frameworks. She received a bachelor's degree from UCLA, a master's degree from Sciences Po, and graduated from Rutgers Law School. Samira is a Certified Risk and Compliance Manager (CRCM). Samira is currently based in St. Paul, Minnesota. 

Alan Carlisle, Chief Compliance Officer - Marqeta 

Alan is a seasoned regulatory compliance expert with over 25 years in financial services and capital markets. Currently the Chief Compliance Officer at Marqeta, he previously served as Enterprise CCO for SoFi Technologies, where he developed their Compliance Management Program. Alan has led compliance initiatives for various FinTechs and financial firms, and he also ran a compliance consulting firm for nearly a decade. He holds numerous securities licenses and certifications, including CRCP, CRCM, CAMS, CGSS, CIPP/US, and CIPM, and has served on several industry committees and panels with FINRA and CCIM.

Stacey Chieng, Chief Anti-Money Laundering Officer - Interactive Brokers

Stacey Chieng is the Chief Anti-Money Laundering Officer at Interactive Brokers. She joined Interactive Brokers in 2020 as the Head of Sanctions and also served as the Deputy AML Officer. Before joining Interactive Brokers, she was the Vice President of Economic Sanctions at U.S. Bank where she helped develop a robust sanctions compliance program. Stacey began her career at Protiviti as a consultant providing internal audit and risk and compliance services to financial institutions specializing in AML remediations. She has a BSBA in Accounting and Masters in Accounting from Washington University in St. Louis. Stacey has her Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) certification, FINRA 7 and 24 licenses, and CPA (inactive) license.

Jason Chorlins, Principal - Risk Advisory Services - Kaufman Rossin

​Jason Chorlins leads Kaufman Rossin’s Financial Services Industry Practice and directs risk management consulting as principal in their risk advisory services. With expertise in anti-money laundering (AML), Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), and regulatory compliance, he advises on risk management, transaction look-backs, due diligence, and system validations for financial institutions globally.  Since joining in 2007, Jason has supported institutions from local banks to multinational entities across the Americas. He frequently speaks on AML and fraud, serves on the ACAMS Education Task Force, and is on the board for Southeast CFT. Recognized among top young professionals by the South Florida Business Journal, Jason is a CPA, CFE, CAMS, and CITP.

Mark D’Arcy, Director of Enterprise Risk Management - Remitly 

​​Mark D’Arcy has served as Director of Enterprise Risk Management of Remitly since October 2024.  Prior to Remity, Mark has been an adviser to bluetech companies and COO of banking at a FinTech startup.  Peviously, Mark was CEO of a derivatives valuation and analytics company, after working more than 15 years leading large and small teams at Goldman Sachs, State Street and Wells Fargo.  Mark holds an M.B.A from New York University, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from the University of California, San Diego.

​Sarah Fernandez, ​Director of Consumer Compliance Risk Advisory Services - Kaufman Rossin

​​Sarah Fernandez is a seasoned financial services consultant with over 18 years of industry experience, specializing in compliance management and regulatory risk mitigation for banks, mortgage companies, private lenders, and fintech firms. At Kaufman Rossin, she leads regulatory compliance reviews, audits, and risk assessments, with expertise in lending, deposit operations, CRA evaluations, HMDA monitoring, fair lending audits, and consumer protection. Her deep understanding of financial institution operations and regulations underpins her ability to craft and implement effective compliance management programs. A former internal auditor for a private bank in Miami, Sarah is an Accredited ACH Professional (AAP), Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US), and Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM).

Phil Goldfeder, Chief Executive Officer - American Fintech Council

​Phil Goldfeder is the CEO of the American Fintech Council (AFC), representing responsible fintech companies focused on expanding access to safe, affordable financial services. AFC, comprising leading U.S. fintech firms, promotes transparency, competition, and financial inclusion through robust standards in consumer protection and regulatory compliance.  Previously, Goldfeder was Senior VP of Global Public Affairs at Cross River, where he founded the Online Lending Policy Institute (OLPI) and led pandemic-driven efforts that delivered $12B+ in PPP funds to small businesses. Earlier, he served in the NY State Assembly, notably aiding recovery efforts post-Superstorm Sandy. Goldfeder has also been an advisor to Senator Schumer and Mayor Bloomberg, establishing him as a key leader in fintech innovation and policy.

Sarah Grooms, Chief Administrative Officer, Banking Strategies - Wintrust Financial

​Sarah Grooms currently serves as Chief Administrative Officer - Banking Strategies for Wintrust Financial Corporation. Sarah’s role primarily focuses on leading data-driven strategies around deposit and non-interest income growth via both traditional branch banking and novel activities and niche depository business lines; along with executive project execution. Having been with Wintrust for 23 years, Sarah has also served as Senior VP of Special Initiatives, Program Director of Digital Transformation, and roles in Treasury Management sales and leadership, Commercial Lending and Commercial Credit.

Sunita Hall, Head of Compliance and BSA/AML Officer - Branch

​Sunita has held Senior Leadership roles at several prominent Fintechs. She is currently the Head of Compliance and BSA/AML Officer at Branch. In previous roles she built compliance programs from the ground up, scaled company growth while navigating complex regulatory requirements and led global sanctions. Before pivoting to Fintech Sunita was in the banking and financial services industry for a decade focusing on Private Banking and Wealth Management. 

Chris Hilliard, Chief Executive Officer, Founding Member - Winnow Solutions

Chris Hilliard, Chief Executive Officer and Founding Member of Winnow, leads a team revolutionizing how financial institutions and lenders navigate state and federal regulatory requirements through an innovative online application that tailors surveys and searches to users’ specific business needs. With over 20 years of experience in consumer, commercial, and residential mortgage lending and banking, he is a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM), Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP), and a California Licensed Life, Accident & Health Agent. Hilliard has held executive roles managing compliance, risk, litigation, and product development and is passionate about leveraging technology to enhance compliance efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Brian Hughes, Senior Fintech Advisor and Board Member - Boston Consulting Group

​Brian is a seasoned senior executive, board member, and advisor with over 30 years of experience in financial services and consulting, leveraging his background as a Board Director, Fortune 500 Chief Risk Officer, and Credit Card CEO to craft strategies that balance growth and risk. Currently an independent consultant and Senior Advisor to the Boston Consulting Group, Brian advises global banks and fintechs on growth strategy, digital transformation, and risk management. His leadership roles at Discover Financial Services and HSBC included transforming risk functions, driving regulatory remediations, and delivering significant profit improvements. Brian serves as a Board Director at Affirm and advises multiple growth-stage companies, contributing to strategy, team development, and risk management. He has also been an advisor to the CFPB and a Board member of the Risk Management Association. A graduate of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business (MBA) and the University of Illinois (B.S. in Electrical Engineering), Brian is known for driving innovation, building high-performing teams, and delivering sustainable growth.

Cris Mattoon, Chief Risk & Compliance Officer - Michigan First Credit Union

​Cris Mattoon currently serves as Chief Risk & Compliance Officer for Michigan First Credit Union, having served in similar roles with fintech partner bank Cross River, fintech Railsr, and establishing a digital de novo bank at The Auto Club Group. Cris specializes in fostering collaborative federal and state legislative and regulatory relationships and leading enterprise transformation projects to optimize customer-centric innovation with safety and soundness. Cris is a Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP), Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), and a licensed attorney.

Nicole Murphy, Chief Compliance Officer - eToro US

​Nicole Murphy is the Chief Compliance and AML Officer of eToro US, the trading and investing platform that empowers you to invest, share and learn.  She leads the organization’s regulatory and BSA compliance, overseeing relationships with state and federal government agencies to ensure adherence to relevant laws, and identify and mitigate risk for customers.  In the revolutionary landscape of fintech, Nicole is passionate about providing frameworks that foster innovation, maintain market integrity and protect investors.  She uses her passion and broad industry experience to champion retail investors’ access to educational tools and resources for wealth generation.  Prior to eToro, Nicole served as the Chief Compliance Officer for Cash App Investing and as Vice President of Regulatory Relations at E*Trade.  She holds a B.A. in Philosophy and Political Science from Creighton University, and the 7, 63 and 24 securities licenses. 

Subbu Narayanaswamy, Executive Director - Personal Lending - Fraud Strategy - Wells Fargo

​Subbu is a seasoned "FinTech-Banker" with over 15 years of experience in financial technology (FinTech) and mainstream banking. He brings a unique perspective to the financial services landscape by integrating the best practices from both worlds. Subbu practices an "adaptive risk management" style that balances regulatory guardrails for consumer protection while fostering innovation. He specializes in developing risk infrastructure for "Embedded Lending" solutions, which has enabled thousands of non-financial retailers to extend credit to underserved consumers seamlessly. He is committed to building and strengthening the US financial infrastructure through effective risk management strategies.

Harsha Raghunath, Interim Chief Compliance Officer - Mercury 

​Harsha Raghunath is Interim Chief Compliance Officer at Mercury where he oversees all product, financial partner, and direct regulatory compliance exposure. Previously Harsha served as Stripe’s Global Head of Product Compliance and as Chief Compliance Officer for two of Stripe’s US lending subsidiaries. Harsha has also led the compliance functions at Paxos, a regulated blockchain infrastructure company, and served as a management consultant with PwC's Financial Services Regulatory practice. He holds a BA from the University of Chicago and a JD from Cardozo Law School.

Faraz Rana, CEO and Founder -  Affinity

​Faraz Rana is CEO and founder of Affinity, a compliance training solution for the fintech industry. Prior to Affinity, Faraz had helped scale the legal and compliance functions as Chief Legal Officer of Bread, a BNPL fintech, over a six year period from the company's inception in 2014 to a successful exit via acquisition by a public financial services firm in 2020. At exit, Bread was a 200+ person company. Prior to Bread, Faraz had been a corporate attorney for several years. 

CJ Rinaldi, ​Chief Compliance Officer - Kraken 

​CJ is Chief Compliance Officer at Kraken overseeing all aspects of global compliance. He has held many prominent roles in his career. CJ was previously Chief Compliance Officer at Blockchain.com, where he was tasked with building out global compliance frameworks and mitigating compliance risk. Prior to that, CJ had several roles at Deutsche Bank, including Head of Business Line Anti-Financial Crime - Investment Bank, as well as Chief Compliance Officer for its swap dealer and US broker dealer. CJ also worked at UBS Investment Bank in multiple roles, including as Global Head of Client Infrastructure. He also served as Manager of Counterparty Relations at Bridgewater Associates, and as Senior Counsel in the Enforcement Division of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Joshua Rosenberg, CRO & EVP - United Texas Bank

Joshua Rosenberg is the Chief Risk Officer and Executive Vice President at United Texas Bank. Previously, he held the same roles at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, where he co-chaired the Risk Committee, chaired the Benchmark Rates Oversight Committee, and led the BIS Americas Consultative Group on Risk Management. Rosenberg joined the New York Fed as a Research Economist in 2001, establishing its Risk Analytics and Enterprise Risk Management functions. Before the Fed, he was an Assistant Professor of Finance at NYU’s Stern School, with research published in top journals, including Journal of Finance. Rosenberg holds a bachelor’s in mathematics and religion from Oberlin College and a Ph.D. in economics from UC San Diego.

Rebecca Schauer Robertson, EVP, BSA Officer & Director of Financial Crimes - Blue Ridge Bank

Rebecca "Becky" Schauer Robertson, a 28-year financial services veteran, is the BSA Officer and Director of Financial Crimes Compliance at Blue Ridge Bank, N.A., overseeing compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act, USA PATRIOT Act, OFAC, and AML regulations. Her prior roles include SVP at Atlantic Union Bank’s Financial Investigations Unit and EVP of AML Compliance at SouthState Bank. A Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (Audit) with designations in AML, Fraud, and Cryptocurrency Investigations, Robertson is a frequent speaker and expert on financial crimes. She serves on several advisory boards, including the ABA's AML and Fraud School Advisory Board, and has led multiple regional and national industry groups.