Welcome Sepideh!

Sepideh Rowland

Why is financial crime increasing?

We’ve all heard about the loosening of the regulatory reins in Washington, but one place where that’s definitely NOT happening is financial crime and sanctions. This administration has strongly signaled that it will remain focused on this area, particularly on matters related to drug trafficking and national security. 

We’re thus doubly thrilled to welcome Sepideh Rowland to Klaros as our newest partner - thrilled because she’s a known quantity to many of us and we’re excited to work with her again, and thrilled because she brings unparalleled knowledge and experience related to BSA/AML and sanctions, areas of critical interest to our clients.

Sepideh is a senior compliance executive with deep regulatory and operational knowledge of banking, money services business, virtual assets, and fintech. She has 25+ years of legal and compliance experience in developing and administering consumer and financial crimes compliance programs to align with regulatory requirements and industry best practices. She’s been the chief compliance or BSA/AML and sanctions officer at several of the financial community’s most respected institutions, community banks, and money services businesses, and has extensive experience interacting with Federal and state regulatory authorities. 

Sepideh is deeply immersed in the world of BSA/AML compliance and financial crimes. She serves as co-chair of the Editorial Board of the ABA’s Bank Compliance magazine, co-chair of the U.S. Capital Chapter Advisory Board for the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS), and as an Advisory Board member for the American Bankers Association’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Conference and Certified AML and Fraud Professional (CAFP) certification program. She’s also an instructor for both the ABA’s AML and Fraud School and the FFIEC Examiner Workshop. She received the 2023 American Bankers Association’s Distinguished Service Award for Financial Crimes in recognition of her career and contributions to the banking industry.

Sepideh received a J.D. from Michigan State University School of Law and a B.A. from George Washington University. She holds certifications in AML and fraud from the American Bankers Association and the Independent Community Bankers of America, is a member of the Michigan and DC Bars, and serves as an independent director for Battle Financial.

Want to chat about risks and opportunities for your business in light of the current administration’s focus on financial crime and BSA/AML, and what it means for banks and fintechs? We’d love to hear from you. Send us a note at hello@klaros.com.