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More Than 1,000 Compliance Professionals Attend MoneyLaundering.com 15th Annual Conference; Attendance Strong Despite Tight Economy

HOLLYWOOD, Fla., March 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Amid a challenging global financial climate and increased regulatory pressures, more than 1,000 AML/CTF professionals from 50 countries are in attendance at the MoneyLaundering.com 15th Annual International Anti-Money Laundering Conference in Hollywood, Florida today. Event organizers confirm attendance is up significantly this year despite the difficult economy.

With over 70 expert speakers and 35 unique sessions, the International Anti-Money Laundering Conference is the largest multi-industry AML forum in the world. This year's conference program provides more case studies of AML/CTF best practices than any other event of its kind and features speakers not heard at any other industry event.

The conference kicked off this morning with a keynote address by Adam Szubin, director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control. Szubin presented recent OFAC initiatives, trends and developments highlighting the record penalties handed down in the last year while at the same time being encouraged by the unprecedented attention financial institutions are giving to OFAC compliance. Szubin also discussed the shift in the way OFAC handles sanctions, away from just "designating and tightening" to a more dynamic approach that furthers foreign policy goals. Other conference highlights include a Special Enforcement Update from New York District Attorney Adam Kaufmann, whose indictment of Credit Suisse was the single largest penalty ever levied against a financial institution for disregarding U.S. blacklists.

"This year's conference has exceeded our expectations in terms of attendance," said Eva Bender, global director of conferences and training at MoneyLaundering.com. "After the challenges so many organizations experienced in 2009, this year's turnout proves that AML is still a top priority for government, banks, MSBs, insurance companies and securities firms."

Regulatory and law enforcement participation is up significantly from previous years, with many government agencies sending large groups to take advantage of cutting-edge educational sessions and the chance to network with peers and private industry counterparts.

"We're extremely pleased to have the support and participation of so many government agencies. We've designed our educational and networking sessions especially with these delegates in mind, and it's great to see so many regulators and law enforcement representatives on stage and in the audience," said Bender.

This year, in keeping with the conference's reputation for presenting cutting-edge AML intelligence, conference sponsors ACAMS and Ernst & Young are pleased to announce the introduction of the "Global AML Insights Series," a leading approach to encourage the sharing of information across the globe to facilitate AML program comparison, improvement and perspectives. Conference attendees will be the first to hear the survey results, obtain key data and best practices in anti-money laundering transaction monitoring.

"For the first time in the history of the conference, we've teamed up with Ernst & Young and ACAMS to present the exclusive results of their global benchmarking series," said Bender. "This year's presentation will provide unprecedented insight into the transaction monitoring processes of leading organizations around the world."

The 15th Annual International Anti-Money Laundering Conference runs through March 17.

About MoneyLaundering.com

Miami-based MoneyLaundering.com is the worlds' leading authority on money laundering news, guidance and analysis since 1995. Its subscriber area is the source of real-time, practical information, guidance and analysis on U.S. and global news and legal requirements. Many of the world's most respected financial institutions and government agencies consider a password or site license to MoneyLaundering.com vital for AML training and education of their employees. For more information, visit www.MoneyLaundering.com

About The MoneyLaundering.com 15th Annual International Anti-Money Laundering Conference

This annual conference is the world's largest multi-industry forum of AML expertise and talent and attracts more than 1,000 specialists from 50 countries.

SOURCE MoneyLaundering.com