Home
Our Services
Partners
Join Us
Links
News/Events
Clients
Resources
Job Search
Contact Us
 
Our Mission

Meeting the needs of Corporations, Banking and Financial sectors in Lebanon, the Middle East and North Africa needs for studies, consultancies and training of their managers and staff according to the latest international standards and developments, aiming is to assist financial and non-financial institutions to remain in compliance by managing their compliance risks, which can be defined as the reputation risk, legal, regulatory, financial loss, or any loss that these financial and non-financial institutions may suffer as a result of their failure to comply with all applicable laws, regulations, codes of conduct and standards of good practice. As a professional body we provide a full range of services, largely to companies and securities compliance professionals, including:

  • Financial Corporate Consultancy
  • Review of Policies and Procedure
  • In-house technical and professional Compliance, AML/CFT, and Financial Crimes Training
  • Public Training /Seminars
  • Social Networking / Newsletters
  • Continuing professional developments
  • Certification Processes
  • E-learning Modules

 
 
The benefits we can offer you:
  • We provide support to your compliance team.
  • We are a sympathetic ear with whom your compliance team can discuss ideas and check their understanding and interpretation of the various Mena regulations.
  • We carry out compliance “Checks” and perform ongoing monitoring of compliance obligations.
  • We offer an independent and objective viewpoint.
  • We cultivate and foster a compliance regime and culture.
  • We provide non-threatening reports.
  • We draft practical and realistic policy and procedure documents.
  • We draft compliance plans and programs.
  • We assist in the application process for your regulatory and correspondent banking obligations.
  • We specialise in compliance training, which also counts towards Continued Education.
 
Our Team

Nisrine Abou Saleh - HR & Project Management Consultant, accredited member of the Team Management System Network, and Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM). She holds a Masters Degree in Human Resources Management from Saint Joseph University. She successfully delivered several courses in soft skills and HR Management and has been involved in several projects applied to different types of organizations such as banks, financial institutions, corporations, hotels and Industrial sectors.

  
 
Ayman Malas - Information Technology Consultant, is an independent consultant, providing advice on information technology strategies, the design of web sites and use of e-commerce systemsworks in partnership with clients, advising them how to use information technology in order to meet their business objectives or overcome problems. Specializes in initiatives ranging from web development and systems integration to network security and technical support.
 
Compliance Alert Advisory Board Members
Dr. Linda Eagle, Founder and President of The Edcomm Group Banker’s Academy is a 21-year-old multimedia education and communication consulting firm specializing in the development of creative business solutions that improve productivity, customer service and market share - providing bottom-line results. The Edcomm Group Banker’s Academy has had the privilege of assisting many distinguished clients with business solutions in the form of eLearning programs, classroom instruction, multimedia production and online and print based documentation. Edcomm Banker's Academy offers many off-the-shelf and customized courses such as Compliance Training, Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Training, Teller Training, and Systems Training specifically designed for Banks, Credit Unions and Money Services Businesses (MSBs).
http://www.bankersacademy.com
 
Dr.Paul Morcos, PHD Comparative Law (France) Lawyer and coordinator of the Lebanese Legislation Monitor , has suggested a basket of amendments to the banking-secrecy law and the law to fight money laundering which prevent exploiting banking secrecy in crimes, violations committed by transitory clients and debtors who are either defaulting or declared bankrupt. Analyzing the conceivable role of banking secrecy following the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and the collapse of Bank Al-Madina, Morcos also suggests mechanisms for the efficacy of the accountability and transparency of both senior functionaries and politicians. Morcos , who heads the legal affairs unit at the Bank of Beirut and the Arab Countries, emphasizes that the suggested legal amendments and new mechanisms are aimed at preventing the misuse of the right to banking secrecy but not eliminating or reducing it. Morcos brings up the notion of "re-sketching the boundaries of banking secrecy" since there should be a limit for each rule of law; otherwise, right would turn to abuse (e.g. Bank Al-Madina, Hariri assassination). Morcos concludes that banking secrecy in Lebanon is still one of the international regulations most protective for the bank's client.
 
http://www.justiciabc.com
 
Michael Matossian, CPA, CAMS joined Arab Bank PLC in November 2005 as the Global Head of Group Regulatory Regulatory Compliance Division . Michael has more than 25 years of experience in regulatory risk management, anti-money laundering and compliance. Over the past 13 years his roles have included Chief Compliance Officer, Senior Vice President and Director of Regulatory Risk Management, Director of Anti-Money Laundering , Bank Secrecy Act Officer and General Auditor at three different leading US financial institutions; he spent ten years working for a "Big Four" public accounting firm, and two years with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency . Michael participates on several national and international task forces that address anti-money laundering and compliance matters. He holds the following certifications: Certified Public Accountant, Certified Management Accountant, Certified Risk Professional, Certified Fraud Examiner and Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist.
 
 

Hany Abou-El-Fotouh, CAMS, Policy and Corporate Affairs, Board Secretary, CI Capital, Cairo/Egypt, a former First Vice President, Corporate Governance & Compliance Group Head at ABC Bank Egypt . He has 20+ years banking experience in the Middle East and considered as a leading subject matter expert with extensive experience in compliance, training and corporate governance best practices.

Founder of the Middle East Compliance Officers' Forum (MECOF) with +600 members, he has been honored in 2005 & 2006 for his work in promoting compliance awareness in the MENA region. He also takes part at Examination Review Task Force which reviews the exam questions for the ACAMS certification program. Hany is a renowned speaker on subjects relating to compliance, anti-money laundering and corporate governance. He is constantly rated as a “passionate,” “dynamic,” and “engaging” speaker.

 
 
 
Wissam Fattouh - Deputy Secretary General, Union of Arab Banks Fattouh joined the Union of Arab Banks (UAB) in January 1990. He served as the director of conferences and was responsible for the supervision of regional and international events. Currently the assistant secretary general of the UAB, Fattouh opened the channels of communication with international bodies in the financial community and is recognized as a pioneer in the MENA region for creating AML/CFT technical training programs and forums. Fattouh has also established a number of professional associations such as the Group of Certified Compliance Officers (GCCO), Group of Certified Risk Managers (GCRM), and was one of the initiators of the US-MENA Private Sector Dialogue on AML/CFT where he remains as an active member of its steering committee.
http://www.uabonline.org
 
Tania Fabiani, CAMS, CFE, ’Tania Fabiani has recently been appointed by HE Riyad Al Mubarak and the Crown Prince to be in charge of the Forensic and Integrity Department within the Abu Dhabi Audit Authority (ADAA). ADAA's mission is to provide independent, objective assurance and consulting services designed to assist Abu Dhabi Government in achieving its objectives and executing its policy agenda. During her term with Deloitte and Touche ME, Tania has led several disputes, investigations and compliance matters for entities in the Middle East region, including entities in Saudi Arabia .Tania started her career with KPMG LLP in the USA and spend more than 10 years providing advisory services including financial due diligence, complex accounting FCPA violations, fraud investigation, fraud risk assessments, anti-money laundering investigations and evaluations of related programs and regulatory compliance services.
 
 
Hussam A. Al-Abed, CAMS is a White Collar Crime consultant, public speaker and a leading trainer in the banking industry, with expertise on subjects ranging from Money laundering, Detection of forgery & Counterfeiting, Prevention Of Bank Fraud, 419 - Scam, Safeguarding Customer Information against Social engineering, Identity Theft and pretext Calling, Internet Fraud, Armed robbery Prevention up to Bank Security and investigation of Financial Crimes. He is The Middle East Task force representative for The Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists -ACAMS, Associate Member of The Arab Academy for Banking & Financial Sciences, Founder of The International Anti Fraud Team (IAFT), Representative for Jordan & The Middle East, for Counterfeits & Forgeries review. The Annual Passport Guide. Money Laundering Alert And Armed Robbery Training Manual.
 
 
Mr. Jihad Feitrouni joined Al Hilal Takaful (a subsidiary of Al Hilal Bank) in June 08 in the capacity of Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Feitrouni has 20 years experience in the insurance industry and is a holder of a BSc. degree in Commercial Sciences and Business Administration from Lebanese University in 1987.He has worked for several insurance companies in Lebanon, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE and has played a major role of establishing and managing several companies in the Takaful Industry and he is an expert and advisor in Islamic Business Module. He is currently a member of several insurance and takaful associations and federations locally and internationally.
 
 
Mohammad S.Mansour, CAMS Head of AML & CFT Unit at the Commercial Bank of Qatar (August 2005-till present). He has headed the AML&CFT Unit at the Commercial Bank of Qatar for the last two years. He was a Senior Research Analyst & Senior Investigator with the Special Investigation Commission-SIC -Lebanon's Financial Information Unit; where he led several AML investigations (Local & International), with international counter parts such as; FINCen, Austrac, and TracFin. He represented the Egmont group in the FATF/MONEYVAL ? Typology Exercise in 2004. Mohamad is a frequent lecturer in international conferences with ACAMS, UAB , US -MENA PSD and others, on AML & CFT issues. He is a member of the CAMS Exam Task Force. He is also a member of the World Union of Arab Bankers & a founding member of the Compliance Best Practices Committee for the MENA region.
 
 
Muhammad Mustapha Abdul Rahman, CAMS
He joined the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as a pioneer staff of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) in 2004 and later became the Head, Operations and Liaison Affairs responsible for identifying suspicious transactions in the financial sectors in Nigeria, development of intelligence reports, development and deployment of reporting formats for reporting entities to the FIU, sensitization of Financial institutions and Designated-Non Financial Institutions, development of statistics, and the study of trends & patterns to aid the study of typologies in West Africa. He now Heads the Monitoring and Analysis Department of the NFIU.
He is a member of Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS), member of International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts (IALEIA), and International Association of Crime Analysts (IACA).
 
 
JOHN F. WALSH, President and Chief Executive Officer, SightSpan Inc., Mooresville, North Carolina, prior to forming SightSpan, Walsh was the Wachovia CIB Data Czar, where he managed data gathering and information sharing initiatives across the investment bank's platform. Former senior vice president of AML technology at Bank of America, held leadership positions at Merrill Lynch and other financial services firms and spent many years managing broker dealers and trading firms in high risk countries. He has over 20 years of international experience from both the securities, engaged in high risk trading and commodities, and banking Industry, with a valuable experience addressing global risk management and compliance issues.
http://www.sightspan.com
 

Mr. Vincent J. Raniere, EVP–Global of Products Sales at SOFGEN , Holdings Limited (SOFGEN), as of August 1st, 2009, Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) and with over thirty experience in international banking, former President IDOM, Inc, Vincent J. Raniere’ strengths are in accounting, compliance, management and regulatory reporting, systems and operational functions. Mr. Raniere maintains close contact with many industry leaders and high level regulators within various Regulatory Agencies affording him the opportunity to discuss and gain insight into future regulatory changes. He was primarily responsible for winning the contract to become a part of the Core Technology Team for the FFIEC Agencies ‘Call Report Modernization Project’. This provided SOFGEN the opportunity to act as a business adviser to the development team, offering our expertise in banking, regulatory reporting, the current call report collection process, and the workings of the various regulatory agencies.
 

Mr. Leas Bachatene Managing Director, Middle East & APAC
Leas is the founder and Managing Director of Complinet’s Middle East operation. He has responsibility for the development of the business throughout the region. The Middle East is key in Complinet’s growth plans. Complinet has its regional offices in Dubai and over the last year it has experienced 200% growth in revenue. Complinet has a number of new customers in the region and also hosts the rulebooks for the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) and the Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority (QFCRA).
As well as running and managing the ME operations from Dubai, Leas will also be involved in building operations in Singapore and Hong Kong. He will be working closely with the current Complinet teams in Asia and market participants to develop and execute Complinet’s strategy for the Middle East and APAC region
 
 
Regulatory Compliance and Risk Services
Julia Mold, CAMS, Partner - Vice President, Clear Sky Compliance Inc.
Boca Raton, Florida
An accomplished financial professional, Julia Mold’s professional experience covers multiple areas of service, including regulatory investigations, Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”) and Anti Money Laundering (“AML”) remediation, and other risk management matters.
The scope of her 18 years of financial services industry experience spans global and U.S. domestic banks, correspondent banks, broker-dealers, private equity funds, mutual funds, money services businesses and insurance companies. She has conducted almost thirty large and complex financial crime projects for clients that have included assessments of fund transfers, payment processing, currency transaction reporting, private and correspondent banking, high risk customer investigations, investigator training, suspicious activity detecting and investigating, including development of automated rules and scenarios. Ms. Mold specializes in project management, complex investigations, risk mitigation issues and internal audits.

 
 
Hesham Hamdy Chief Compliance Executive Officer, Bank of Alexandria, BankBasel II Diploma, the American Bankers Association, Member of the Institute of Internal Auditors, Inc, USA, Former Head of Risk Management for the Bank of Alexandria. He joined the bank as a member of the new senior management team responsible for reengineering, modernising and privatising the bank, with the task of bringing together the strands of risk management. He is leading a team of experts in the fields of credit, operational and market risk and is responsible for Risk Management, Central Credit Administration, and Central Investigation & Information. Hesham is also a member of the Board of Directors of Egyptian Banks' Credit Bureau and Egyptian Iron and Steel Company.
 
Mr. Samir Tyan, Partner-Advisory Services, Mr. Tyan is a results oriented senior executive with over 30 years of progressive international experience with exceptional managerial, consultancy and business development skills backed-up with a strong technological knowledge and experiences in the global IT industry. He is a Subject Matter Expert in the banking industry resulting from a track record of achievements within reputable banking institutions as well as solution and service providers to the banking and finance industry. During the last four years he was respectively the Business Development Manager for a company selling Anti-Money Laundering solution and services and then a company selling core banking system. Since February 2009 he is Marketing Manager for BML Istisharat, an independent software vendor providing a universal core banking solution for the banking and finance industry. From 1995 to 2004, he was the IT Manager and then Purchasing Manager at Bank Société Générale – Lebanon. Before that, Mr. Tyan had several IT managerial and consultancy roles in the Telecom, Human Resources and Banking and Finance industry in Sweden where he graduated from Örebro / Uppsala University in Sweden in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science in System Analysis combined with Business Administration.
 
 
Ghaus Bin Ikram, CAMS, ACFE, Anti-Money Laundering Manager working in Compliance Department joined Doha Bank in October 2007 managing AML/ATF Functions of all local branches in Qatar and International operations, former Compliance Officer at Commercial Bank International UAE and Citibank Pakistan. He has 10 years banking experience with local and foreign banks in Pakistan, UAE and Qatar with expertise in KYC/EDD Profilings, Transaction Monitoring, Sanction Screenings, Developing AML Policies/Procedures, Investigations / filing STR's and Trainings. Moderator of Global Compliance & AML Forum (GCAF) since 2007 focusing on latest Compliance/AML updates, discussions, laws/regulations, issues for promoting the awarenes of Anti Money Laundering and Anti Terrorist Financing for the members from various countries.
 
Rony Klayani, ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management Representative - Certified Internal Auditor, Certified Customer Service Trainer (CCST) Managing Partner for Creative Services Group, S.A.R.L. a Business Training & Consultancy – Public Relation and Trade Services Lebanese Company founded in 2006. He is also a managing partner for CS Group Qatar LLC, a Marketing & Management Consulting and Public Relation Qatari Company founded in 2007. He established KAIZEE LLC, Distributor and Representative for Service Quality Institute USA, in the GCC and MENA region. He holds a Masters in Business Administration, in addition to Special Business Certificates form the German Delegate of Industry and Trade.
 
 


© 2007 - 2009 Compliance Alert

Designed By Calura & Hosted By Lebanon Solutions