Ahmed Refaie
@ahmedrefaie
Senior AML/KYC and sanctions compliance analyst focused on audit-ready risk reduction.
United StatesWhat I'm looking for
I’m a senior sanctions, AML, and KYC compliance professional with 14 years of experience across banking, regulatory oversight, and cross-border compliance. I’ve built and strengthened controls for high-volume transaction filtering and name screening, managing high-risk cases while improving escalation outcomes, reducing false positives, and maintaining audit-ready documentation across client onboarding, screening, and ongoing monitoring.
In my most recent role, I lead end-to-end review and quality assurance for escalated AML/KYC and sanctions cases, driving closure within turnaround times while maintaining service levels above 90%. I also support filtering-system enhancements as an SME, partner with vendors and IT to refine watchlist filters and exclusion rules, and help implement workflows for blocking versus rejecting transactions to preserve regulatory integrity. Earlier, as a supervisor, I guided CIP/CDD reviews for digital banking customers and delivered consistent suspicious activity reporting output, and I started my compliance career with off-site reviews and on-site inspections for AML/CFT and sanctions controls at the Central Bank of Egypt.
Experience
Work history, roles, and key accomplishments
Senior Compliance & Risk Analyst
New Valley Resources Group
Apr 2025 - Present (1 year 2 months)
Protected the business from legal, financial, and reputational risk across 40–55 monthly shipments and vessels by reviewing cross-border transactions, counterparties, and trade documentation for sanctions and export-control red flags. Strengthened decisioning and escalation of higher-risk counterparties/destinations and improved vessel and ship-to-ship transfer screening.
Resolved 65 escalated AML/KYC and sanctions cases by leading end-to-end reviews, ensuring CDD/EDD evidence completeness, and driving case closure within required turnaround times. Managed review of nearly 4,000 potential daily red flags, reduced low-quality alerts by 25–30% while preserving detection effectiveness, and reduced escalations/open cases by 32%.
AML / Sanctions Compliance Analyst
New Valley Resources Group
Jan 2022 - Jan 2023 (1 year)
Reduced compliance and reputational risk in export transactions by reviewing buyers, suppliers, and intermediaries for sanctions/AML concerns prior to approval. Built and maintained KYC files and compliance documentation to improve audit readiness and support risk-informed cross-border due diligence decisions.
Supervised 18 analysts and strengthened onboarding controls for digital banking customer CIP/CDD reviews while maintaining service levels above 91%. Standardized review practices, improved audit readiness, produced ~40 SARs per month through alert review and 90-day review cycles, and reinforced KYC documentation and remediation standards.
AML / CFT Risk Analyst
Central Bank Of Egypt
Jan 2012 - Jan 2019 (7 years)
Strengthened regulatory oversight of AML/CFT and sanctions controls by conducting off-site reviews and on-site inspections focused on KYC, transaction monitoring, and screening. Assessed sector-wide ML/TF risks using supervised-institution data and supported remediation planning through supervisory reporting aligned to FATF standards.
Education
Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework
Full Sail University
Bachelor of Science
Earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.
Tech stack
Software and tools used professionally
Availability
Location
United StatesAuthorized to work in
Job categories
Skills
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