Webinar: Crypto Regulation in Latin America by TRM Labs

TRM Talks | Monthly Webinar Series

In conversation with industry experts to discuss Latin American crypto policies, news and what comes next for the region in the world of digital assets.

About This Webinar

Hosting the largest number of internet users per capita in the world, Latin America has seen a booming wave of technological advancement in recent years. In just the last two years, we have seen an explosion of interest in digital assets in the region.

Just last year, El Salvador became the first country in the world to approve a cryptocurrency as official legal tender, leading to a global discussion on the risks and opportunities associated with the adoption of cryptocurrencies.

We have also recently seen policy makers in Brazil, the region's largest crypto hub, begin the process of developing a regulatory framework for digital assets by passing a bill addressing key definitions, consumer protection, anti-money laundering, fraud and other key issues.

Simultaneously, other countries in the region such as Mexico are working to clearly define a regulatory framework for crypto. On the other hand, countries including Bolivia have banned the use of cryptocurrencies entirely.

With so much activity, both positive and negative, happening in the crypto space within Latin America, TRM Talks will be delving into the region’s regulatory landscape alongside guest speakers from Bitso and K2 Integrity.

Mariano Federici

Senior Managing Director, K2 Integrity

Mariano Federici is one of the foremost respected experts and global leaders in the field of financial integrity. He was instrumental in the design of the international anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing framework and the establishment of financial intelligence units across the world.

He is currently a Senior Managing Director at K2 Integrity, where he helps clients, including governments, financial institutions, and virtual asset service providers design, establish, and maintain strong and effective financial crimes compliance programs and financial intelligence units.

Mariano is a leader in the firm’s Digital Assets Practice Group, from where helps clients assess and mitigate risks to financial integrity, navigate invidivual compliance questions, and design and maintain compliant control environments. He also works with the industry through capacity building and thought leadership initiatives aimed at helping advocate for smart regulatory frameworks, educating regulators on the safety features of digital assets from a financial integrity perspective. Mariano helped create Diem Network’s US financial intelligence function and acted as its interim head.

Prior to joining K2 Integrity, Mariano served as Chair of the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units, the international organization that brings together the operational agencies dedicated to fight financial crimes.

María Celeste Plee

Head of Compliance Argentina, Bitso

Maria Celeste is a legal & compliance practitioner trained in anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing, anti-bribery and compliance with more than 15 years of experience in different fields of the national and international system of prevention, investigation and enforcement of financial crimes. She is now Head of Compliance for Argentina at Bitso, leading the Compliance strategy and operation of one of the biggest regional crypto exchanges in Latin America.

Previously she has held different management positions within the financial services industry in Argentina, specifically in the traditional banking sector and the Fintech industry. In addition, Maria Celeste was appointed as a Director of Supervision and later as Chief of Staff at the Financial Intelligence Unit of Argentina. In the international sphere, she has been selected as a financial industry expert to conduct the FATF Standards Mutual Evaluation in the Dominican Republic.

Erick Rincón Cárdenas

Lawyer, Universidad del Rosario

Erick is currently a Partner at Rincón Cárdenas & Moreno, an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Jurisprudence of the Universidad del Rosario, and Manager of TICTANK in the Universidad del Rosario

Ari Redbord (moderator)

Head of Legal and Government Affairs, TRM Labs

Ari Redbord is Head of Legal and Government Affairs at TRM Labs, a blockchain analytics company. Prior to joining TRM Labs, he served as a Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary and the Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the United States Department of Treasury. In this capacity, he worked with teams from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and other Treasury and interagency components on issues related to sanctions, the Bank Secrecy Act, cryptocurrency, and anti-money laundering strategies.

Previously, Mr. Redbord served as a Senior Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, where he investigated and prosecuted cases related to cryptocurrency, terrorist financing, sanctions evasion, export control, child exploitation and human trafficking. He has received numerous awards from FinCEN, the FBI, and the United States Attorney's Office, including the Attorney General's Award for leading an interagency task force dedicated to prosecuting those who abuse and exploit children.