The Assembly Hollywood by ACAMS Unites Public and Private Sectors to Protect Against Financial Crime

Senior officials from the U.S. Treasury, Department of Justice, IRS and FBI join banking and fintech executives to address AI, crypto, fraud and sanctions

HOLLYWOOD, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amid technology-driven evolution in financial crime risks, rising geopolitical tensions, and major global events like the World Cup, ACAMS, the certification and intelligence company for the anti-financial crime community, hosted one of its flagship annual events, The Assembly Hollywood. The conference took place from April 20-22 at the Diplomat Beach Resort Hollywood, Florida, and drew more than 1,800 compliance professionals, regulators, law enforcement officials, and financial sector leaders from around the world.

The three-day conference explored the most pressing threats to the global financial system through the lens of headline-driving moments – from generative AI and stablecoins to geopolitical conflict in places like Venezuela, regulatory changes and fraud schemes like the “Ocean’s 11” of money laundering. This year’s event also featured a Spanish-language track to expand accessibility and reflect the growing importance of the Latin American region in global anti-financial crime work.

“Criminals may have networks but we have networks too,” said Neil Sternthal, CEO of ACAMS, to the crowd of 1,800+ anti-financial crime professionals. “As old threats evolve and entirely new ones emerge, The Assembly Hollywood acts as a moment in time for us to reflect and prepare to deliver the next wave of solutions rooted in innovation, collaboration and the drive to create a safer tomorrow.”

ACAMS is the largest convener of the global AFC community. Through community-based convenings, certifications and broader educational opportunities, ACAMS helps AFC professionals identify and mitigate risks to stay ahead of criminal threats. When criminals move funds across borders, ownership structures, fiat currencies and digital assets, no single institution sees the full picture, making cross-sector collaboration imperative.

The event featured more than 160 speakers across over 65 expert-led sessions, workshops and presentations addressing pressing topics in the current AFC landscape. It opened with a keynote address from Jonathan Burke, Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing, U.S. Department of the Treasury, highlighting the need for financial institutions to understand what customers are doing beyond surface level KYC and emphasizing that effectiveness, not size, should be the measuring stick of success for risk and compliance protocols. The programming that followed included speakers from the U.S. Department of Justice, HM Treasury, Financial Action Task Force, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, Bank of America, Coinbase, Circle, Capital One, First Citizens Bank, Santander Mexico and more. Panels, case studies, and deep dives spurred engaging conversations on topics such as trends in anti-money laundering, shifting U.S. regulatory posture, human and drug trafficking risk, sanctions policy, and AI-enabled fraud.

Building on the momentum from The Assembly Hollywood, ACAMS is set to bring together Europe’s AFC community at The Assembly Europe in Frankfurt, Germany, from May 12-13.

About ACAMS®
ACAMS is the leading international membership organization dedicated to providing opportunities for anti-financial crime education, best practices, and peer-to-peer networking to AFC professionals globally. With over 120,000 current members across 200+ countries and territories, ACAMS is committed to the mission of combatting financial crime through the provision of anti-money laundering/counterterrorism-financing, anti-fraud and sanctions knowledge-sharing, thought leadership, risk-mitigation services, and platforms for public-private dialogue. The association’s CAMS certification is the gold-standard qualification for AFC professionals. It also offers CGSS certification for sanctions professionals, CAFS certification for anti-fraud professionals, and CCAS certification for AFC practitioners in the crypto space. ACAMS’ 65+ Chapters globally further amplify the association’s mission through training and networking initiatives. Visit acams.org for more information.