The Executive Meeting Point for Payments, Risk & Compliance
#financialinnovation
5th Financial Innovation Forum
Payments & RegTech
18 JUNE 2026
Convene Convention Centre, New York, USA
OUR SPEAKERS
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Cheryl Gurz
VP of Real Time Payments Product Management, at The Clearing House
Cheryl Gurz is Vice President of Product Management for Real-Time Payments (RTP) at The Clearing House (TCH), a banking association and payments company that operates core payment systems that clear and settle nearly $2 trillion in payments each day, including the RTP® network, the first new payment rail in the U.S. in over 40 years and the most advanced real-time payments system in the country. Since joining TCH in 2019, Cheryl has led efforts to drive adoption and utilisation of the RTP network, advising financial institutions and businesses on best practices, use cases, and industry trends related to real-time payments. She brings over two decades of experience in product development, bank operations, auditing, and solution consulting. Her leadership roles at organisations such as CGI, Citi, BNY Mellon, and MBNA have centered on modernising and strategizing payment systems to meet the evolving needs of the financial ecosystem.
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Mark Majeske
Senior Vice President of Faster Payments at Alacriti
As Senior Vice President of Faster Payments at Alacriti, Mark leads the overall corporate faster payments strategy and product development of the Orbipay Payments Hub. Mark also currently serves in the Faster Payments Council Board Advisory Group and chairs their Cross-Border Payments Work Group. Previously, Mark led product development for the RTP® network, the FedNow® Service, and Zelle® at FIS. In addition, Mark was part of the team that designed, developed, and launched the RTP network at The Clearing House. He also worked in the financial industry in digital payments product development.
Nina Guinchard
Managing Director at Santander Corporate
Nina Guinchard is Managing Director at Santander Corporate & Investment Banking (SCIB), serving as US Chief Operating Officer and Global Head of Client Lifecycle Management. She leads global initiatives to simplify onboarding and KYC processes, driving innovation through tech and AI‑enabled automation and operational excellence. With prior leadership roles at Citi, Deutsche Bank, and JPMorgan, Nina brings deep expertise in transformation and non-financial risk. Based in New York, she is passionate about developing future leaders and fostering collaboration to deliver exceptional client experiences and sustainable growth.
Tanvi Patel
Payments Transformation Partner at PWC
Partner in PwC’s Financial Services Advisory practice with 15+ years of experience leading payments transformation, platform modernization, and enterprise money movement initiatives.
Deep expertise advising banks and insurance companies on modernizing payment ecosystems, including disbursements, premium collections, and internal funds movement, with recent work supporting insurers such as Voya and Securian.
Trusted advisor to senior executives on payment strategy, operating model design, and implementation of modern payment rails across ACH, wires, RTP, SWIFT, and emerging real‑time solutions.
Brings a pragmatic, execution‑focused perspective that bridges business, technology, and risk to deliver scalable, resilient payment capabilities.
Yan Feng
Executive Director – Head of Fin Crime Compliance Modelling and Analytics at Mizuho
Yan Feng is a Senior financial crimes compliance and analytics leader with 15+ years of experience in building, validating, and modernizing AML, sanctions, and customer risk models across global financial institutions.
Currently she works at Mizuho as head of Fin Crime Modeling and Analytics at Mizuho, managing enterprise FCC models and driving AI-based transaction monitoring and sanctions implementations. Yan holds expertise in deploying advanced analytics solutions including Quantexa, WorkFusion, FircoSoft, Actimize, and Mantas. Formerly she led Global Financial Crimes Compliance analytics and enterprise Model Risk Management programs at Brown Brothers Harriman. Yan also had multiple years of experience as a consultant manager at big four consulting firms.
Yan has deep regulatory experience supporting NYDFS, OCC, and internal audit examinations, including Part 504 certifications. She has a strong track record of building high-performing teams, establishing governance frameworks, and partnering across Compliance, Risk, Technology, and Audit to deliver scalable, regulator-ready solutions.
Laurence Birnbaum-Sarcy
Partner at Oliver Wyman – A Marsh business
Laurence Birnbaum-Sarcy is a Partner in Oliver Wyman’s Anti-Financial Crime (AFC) Practice based in New York, specializing in transforming AFC compliance programs striving for effectiveness through innovative risk-based processes and AI solutions. She is a member of the Americas Banking & Finance and Finance & Risk Practices, leveraging three decades of experience in the Banking & Finance Compliance industry. Laurence has held key roles at Société Générale, Dentons (formerly Salans), and a Big4 firm, focusing on internal money laundering and fraud investigations as well as independent compliance and monitoring services globally. She has assisted large U.S. and international organizations, including those under enforcement action, in enhancing AML/BSA/OFAC compliance and internal audit programs. Laurence has led risk assessments, designed target operating models, and evaluated programs across 50 countries for a G-SIFI, reporting to regulators in the U.S., Asia, and Europe. She has developed and improved bank wide Know Your Customer (KYC) and Customer Risk Assessment (CRA) programs and conducted global Politically Exposed Persons (PEP) audits. Laurence has also supported organizations with transaction monitoring system selection, AML and Sanctions model validations, and supervised extensive investigations involving millions of transactions. Additionally, she has delivered AML/Sanctions/FATCA training programs for various industries and U.S. examiners.
Shlomit Wagman
Former Chair FATF Risk Group & Head of FIU
Dr. Shlomit Wagman chaired the Risk Group of the international organization the Financial
Action Task Force (FATF). She also served as CEO of Israel’s Financial Intelligence Unit,
Data Commissioner of Israel, and CRO at a global fintech unicorn. She advises regulators
and companies, has testified before the U.S. Senate, and teaches on innovation in finance
and AI-enabled financial systems. She holds a Ph.D. and LL.M. from Yale Law School and is
the author of the forthcoming book on agentic commerce, "Synthetic Agents, Real Money:
Governing the Agentic Economy."
Blake McDaniel
AVP Product Management at Federal Reserve Financial Services
Blake McDaniel is an assistant vice president in product management for Federal Reserve
Financial Service. In his role, Blake supports the product development and pricing efforts for
the Federal Reserve’s FedNow Service offering. Blake has also held roles in the Retail Payments Office (RPO) of the Federal Reserve System, where he supported the RPO`s Check and ACH product development and pricing efforts. He also worked in the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s human resources and legal functions. Blake has held roles of varying responsibility on several non-profit boards, including Literacy Action Inc., Oakhurst Cooperative Preschool, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s employee run non-profit, Charity Parity. Blake holds two bachelor`s degrees, a master of business administration degree, and a juris doctor degree from the University of Georgia.
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Andy Kampf
Partner & Managing Director at Klaros Group
Andy advises fintechs on regulatory strategy, focusing on helping international banks and fintechs establish compliant and competitive US operations. A US-trained attorney with 15+ years of legal expertise, his work includes navigating fintech-bank partnerships, structuring products to meet regulatory requirements, and exploring and obtaining US bank charters, with speed to market top of mind. Before Klaros, Andy held various roles at Klarna including leading the US legal and government affairs functions
Jasmine Jia
Head of Tokenization Ecosystem at Fidelity Investments
Jasmine Jia is head of Tokenization Ecosystem in the Fidelity Digital Asset Management division at Fidelity Investments. Fidelity Investments is a leading provider of investment management, retirement planning, portfolio guidance, brokerage, benefits outsourcing, and other financial products and services to institutions, financial intermediaries, and individuals. In this role, Jasmine is responsible for leading the Tokenization Ecosystem team that advances tokenization initiatives and engages with clients on digital asset education, tokenized asset use cases, and broader ecosystem perspectives, as well as identifying opportunities to create new utilities and access through digital assets. Jasmine has extensive experience working with asset management firms investing across public and private markets, including alternative investments and digital assets. Prior to assuming her current role, Jasmine was a partner at Recharge Capital, where she oversaw digital asset hedge funds and early stage venture investments. Previously, she was a senior vice president at BlockFi, where she oversaw business development and operations for the firm's cryptocurrency investment products. Before BlockFi, Jasmine was a senior manager at Ernst & Young, serving financial institutions with a focus on alternative funds in both audit and advisory capacities. Jasmine joined Fidelity in 2024 and has been in the financial industry since 2006. Jasmine earned her Bachelor of Science from Sun Yat-sen University, her Master of Accountancy from Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, and her Master of Business Administration from Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Tyler Allen
CEO at Unit21
Tyler Allen is CEO of Unit21, the leader in AI Risk Infrastructure for fraud prevention and AML
monitoring. As Unit21's founding engineer, he wrote the company's first lines of code seven
years ago and later led the AI organization as Head of AI, then as COO, before stepping into the
CEO role. Tyler is the technical architect behind Unit21's AI Agents platform, which automates
over 200,000 financial crime reviews per month for more than 200 institutions across 90
countries.
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S Ramesh
Managing Director, Global Head of Payments, Risk, and Data Solutions at TD bank
Ramesh is a senior technology and product executive with 25+ years modernizing platforms across global financial institutions (TD Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui, J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup) and a parallel track record as founder, CEO, and CTO across multiple early-stage startups. He is the author of Designing Microservices and publishes on Agentic AI and the future of payments. As a former tech incubator founder (Philosopher's Stone Ventures) and angel investor through Tech Coast Angels, Ramesh has a rare blend of enterprise scale and startup velocity, advising on product and tech strategy, AI and data architecture, payments and financial infrastructure, and the operating discipline required to scale from seed to institutional adoption.
Vijay Gopaladesikan
Managing Director, Global Head – Transaction Monitoring Correspondent Banking, Regional Head, Financial Crime Surveillance Operations, Europe & Americas at Standard Chartered Bank
Vijay Gopaladesikan is a senior banking professional with nearly two decades of experience in financial crime risk management and transaction monitoring. He currently serves as Managing Director and Global Head of Transaction Monitoring within Financial Crime Surveillance Operations in Standard Chartered Bank, with additional regional leadership responsibilities. In his role, he oversees multi-jurisdictional teams across the U.S., Europe, and Asia, driving strategic initiatives to strengthen detection frameworks, optimize monitoring models, and enhance compliance with evolving regulatory expectations. Vijay has extensive experience engaging with global regulators, audit functions, and industry bodies, and is known for delivering robust, defensible risk management solutions aligned to leading standards. He has led large-scale transformation programs, including model optimization, case management enhancements, and operational effectiveness initiatives across complex banking environments. Vijay is a strong advocate for collaboration, innovation, and talent development in building resilient and forward-looking financial crime control frameworks.
Mark Elkommos
Head of Compliance (US) at The Bank of East Asia Limited
Mark Elkommos is the Head of Compliance (US) at The Bank of East Asia, Limited, a regulatory and financial crime compliance executive with over 18 years of leadership in BSA/AML, sanctions, and fraud risk management across top-tier global institutions. Known for building high-impact compliance programs and driving innovation through advanced technology integration, he is a recognized thought leader and keynote speaker on financial crime prevention and emerging fraud risks.
Heather Balke
Senior Sales Executive at Temenos
Heather Balke is a financial services and enterprise software executive with over two decades of experience in sales, marketing, product development, consulting, operations, and strategy. Currently a Senior Account Executive at Temenos, she focuses on Tier 3 Banks, leveraging deep expertise in GRC and accelerating technology modernisation and digital transformation. Her career spans venture-backed roles at VoxSmart (Series B) and Omniscience (Series A), senior positions at SAS Institute, Wells Fargo Global Fund Services, Barclays Capital, and serving as Director of Outside Research at Neuberger Berman. Ms. Balke holds an MS in Finance from Baruch College (CUNY), a BS in Finance and Philosophy from Marymount College of Fordham University, and a Certificat Supérieur from the Université de Paris La Sorbonne. A champion for women in finance and technology, she serves as an Advisor with Women in RegTech New York, a Wolfpack Leader with Women in Financial Markets(WIFM), a committee member with 100 Women in Finance's Fintech Committee, and has been recognized as an "Inspiring Fintech Leader" by NYC Women Fintech. Heather has held board positions with Fonkoze, a Haitian microfinance organization, and The Renaissance Project in New Orleans.
Pietro “Pete” deVolpi
Director, Global Head of Anti-Money Laundering Advisory at MUFG
Pietro “Pete” deVolpi is the Global Head of Anti-Money Laundering Advisory at MUFG Bank and is based in New York. At MUFG, Pete oversees a global team of compliance managers focusing on complex product and customer risk, and spearheads financial crimes compliance initiatives related to digital assets. Pete also actively represents MUFG in industry working groups on topics including digital assets, payment transparency, and correspondent banking. Prior to joining MUFG, he was a financial services risk manager at a Big Four Accounting Firm, where he aided clients with program remediation and strategic design of AML and sanctions compliance programs. This followed Pete practicing as an attorney in New York for several years primarily on matters representing institutional investors. Pete is a graduate of the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University and earned his Juris Doctor degree from American University Washington College of Law. He is also a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS).
Zarik Khan
Regulatory Compliance Director at Wise
Zarik Khan is a Regulatory Compliance Director at Wise, where he leads second-line monitoring, testing, risk assessment, and compliance analytics strategy for North America. He brings nearly two decades of experience across fintech, payments, and consumer lending. Previously, he led compliance testing and monitoring at Flex, building the company's first second-line testing function, and held senior internal audit roles at Google and Discover Financial Services. His work centers on translating regulatory expectations into practical testing programs, data-driven monitoring, and executive risk reporting. Zarik is the founder and editor of Fintech Compliance Chronicles, a newsletter on fintech regulation and enforcement trends."
Ivan Puerta
Executive Director, Treasury Services at J.P. Morgan Payments
Ivan Puerta is a senior payments and product executive with 20+ years of experience driving innovation across global banking, digital commerce, and transaction services. He is an Executive Director in Treasury Services for J.P. Morgan Payments, where he leads Treasury Payments Rails Risk Oversight—shaping strategy, strengthening risk governance, and advancing oversight for next-generation payment capabilities.
Previously, Ivan held senior roles at a leading global bank in merchant acquiring and e-commerce payments, helping build and scale digital acquiring platforms. His experience spans product leadership, risk and controls, operations, regulatory transformation, and cross-border payments across North America and Latin America.
Ivan began his career in Colombia in trading, financial regulation, and banking risk management during the 2008 financial crisis. He is known for pairing strategic vision with execution discipline and rigorous governance to deliver large-scale transformation in complex global organizations.
Jyoti Menon
VP of Product at Bread Financial
Jyoti Menon is a seasoned product leader with more than 20 years of experience, building in FinTech since before the industry had a name. She leads at the intersection of product, strategy, and customer experience, creating digital solutions that drive measurable growth, simplify complexity, and deliver meaningful value. As VP of Product at Bread Financial, Jyoti oversees a portfolio powering end-to-end customer experiences across payments and servicing. Her prior roles include leading payments at Citi, where she shaped initiatives in digital wallets, e-commerce, and modern funding strategies and early product work at American Express developing mobile-first solutions for corporate travel and expense. Beyond her professional work, Jyoti is committed to expanding access and opportunity, serving as a Trustee at Barnard College and supporting programs like Beyond Barnard and the Athena Center. She also serves on the boards of Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project and the Indo-American Arts Council, advancing education, representation, and the arts. Jyoti’s contributions have been recognized with the Columbia Alumni Association Award (2023), Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business (2024), and honors from the Indo-American Arts Council (2025). She believes great products, and great companies, are built by diverse teams, bold thinking, and an unwavering focus on the customer.
Raghvendra Singh
Americas Head of Financial Crime Prevention Technology at UBS
Raghvendra Singh is the Americas Head of Financial Crime Prevention Technology at
UBS, bringing nearly two decades of experience implementing and consolidating
technology solutions across major financial institutions. He leads large-scale
implementations across the Americas with deep expertise in AML transaction
monitoring,market conduct surveillance, control room, and information barriers.
Known for driving cross-functional initiatives focused on operational efficiency, emerging
technology integration, and AI adoption within the compliance domain, his work bridges
the technical and regulatory landscape — making him atrusted voice in the fight against
financial crime.
Bhaskar Banerjee
Managing Director at Accenture
Bhaskar Banerjee is a Managing Director with Accenture Strategy & Consulting (S&C)
Global Network, where he leads the Financial Services practice, driving profitable growth,
strategic sales origination, and complex transformation programs across global banking and
capital markets clients. With over two decades of consulting experience, Bhaskar has
advised many of the world`s leading financial institutions on large-scale business and
technology transformation initiatives. He is recognized for his expertise in payments
modernization, cash management transformation, ISO 20022 adoption, real-time
payments, digital assets, and next-generation payment infrastructures.
Throughout his career, Bhaskar has led numerous enterprise-wide payments and transaction
banking transformation programs—from strategy and business case development through
execution and value realization. He has successfully delivered multi-country transformation
initiatives and currently plays a key leadership role in advancing Accenture`s Global
Payments Platform practice, helping clients modernize their payments ecosystem and
navigate emerging industry trends.
As a frequent industry speaker and trusted advisor, Bhaskar brings practical insights on the
future of payments, regulatory transformation, innovation, and the evolving digital financial
services landscape.
Judie Rinearson
Partner at K&L Gates
Judie Rinearson is a partner at K&L Gate’s New York and London offices where she has served as co-chair of the firm’s global Fintech group and global Digital Assets, Blockchain Technology and
Cryptocurrencies group. Judie’s practice focuses on both traditional and emerging payment systems, fintechs, open banking, electronic/mobile payments, cryptocurrencies and stablecoins. She has more than 35 years’ experience in the financial services industry, including 18 years at American Express’s General Counsel’s Office. She has a truly global perspective, having worked both in Australia and New Zealand, as well almost two years in London. Her regulatory expertise includes compliance with state and federal consumer protection laws, anti-money laundering laws and state money transmitter licensing laws. Named one of the most influential women in Fintech by the American Banker, Judie is a thought leader with respect to payments and banking regulations, Judie speaks and publishes frequently on cutting-edge topics in this space, most recently addressing “Deep Fake Fraud: The Scourge of the Payments Industry,” at Pay360 in London.
Steve Mott
Principal at BetterBuyDesign
Steve Mott is a 40-year veteran of the electronic payments and security industry. His payments consultancy, BetterBuyDesign, specializes in payments landscape and strategic assessments; analyses of transaction economics and fees; innovative uses of debit and banking networks; evaluations of authentication, security and fraud mitigation technologies; and handicapping of business prospects for alternative payment types and venues—especially for online and mobile commerce and real-time payments. Steve is an acknowledged pioneer in online commerce (named one of “Top 25 Unsung Heroes of the Internet” in 1997 and one of the “Top 25 Most Intriguing Minds for the New Economy in 1998”) and has served as an SME in digital and mobile payments and security for the Federal Reserve and other industry organizations.
Steve also advises investment firms on industry trends and developments, conducts business valuations and M&A/due diligence support, and serves as an expert witness in patent, trade secret, antitrust and commercial agreement matters. He participated extensively with the Federal Reserve’s Faster Payments Initiative, including as an elected Steering Committee member of the Secure Payments Task Force. He is a founding member of the Faster Payments Council, where he has been elected to its Board of Directors twice. He has spoken at more than 200 payments conferences, and written extensively for publications such as Digital Transactions and n*genuity Journal, over the past decade.
Leslie Kim
Senior Vice President at U.S. Bank
Leslie Kim is Senior Vice President at U.S. Bank, leading the Business Deposits product portfolio. In this role she leads the deposit strategy and end-to-end customer experience for small and medium-sized businesses while driving deposit growth strategies across various channels and segments. Before joining U.S. Bank, Leslie held key leadership positions at JPMorgan Chase and Citibank, where she led high performing product management teams dedicated to delivering seamless experiences for clients across Commercial, Business Banking and Consumer sectors.
Jacqueline White
Executive Vice President at Brim Financial
Ms. White is a Global C-Suite executive with a career in both high tech Software & Consulting organizations like Oracle, SAP, Accenture. Most recently she was President of Temenos, a Swiss-based Core Banking Provider with responsibility with for 3,000 employee and 3 global geographies. With more than 25 years of leadership in enterprise banking technology, financial services software, and large-scale systems integration, she has built, transformed, and scaled multi-hundred-million-dollar businesses operating across six continents and engaging financial institutions at the highest levels of strategic decision-making.
Her career is defined by a singular capability: translating complex technology into commercial outcomes for banks and financial institutions. She has led P&L responsibility at scale — including a $650M global FSI practice at SAP and a $1B Banking & Capital Markets line of business at DXC Technology — while simultaneously building the talent infrastructure, customer experience frameworks, and go-to-market strategies that sustained that growth.