MARIA TURCAN
@mariaturcan
Senior AML and financial crimes compliance specialist bridging AI/ML transaction monitoring with measurable risk reduction.
United StatesWhat I'm looking for
I’m a senior financial crimes professional with 5+ years leading AML program governance and scaling financial crime controls in high-growth fintech and global payment environments. I bring direct, hands-on experience owning enterprise AI/ML AML system deployment, acting as the strategic compliance-engineering bridge.
In my most recent role, I translated regulatory requirements into technical specifications and delivered a significant, measurable reduction in false positives across the full transaction monitoring program. I also scaled AML operations across 5,000+ monthly cross-border transaction alerts—triaging, investigating, and decisioning each alert against BSA/AML, OFAC, and FATF standards.
I strengthen onboarding and customer risk from the start through KYB and complex business onboarding reviews, including assessment of corporate structures, beneficial ownership chains, and institutional risk profiles. I served as final QA reviewer and audit gatekeeper for client onboarding files, verifying CDD/EDD documentation, identity records, and beneficial ownership structures for examiner review.
My work spans SAR/STR escalation and model risk oversight, including SR 11-7, alongside deep expertise in BSA/AML, OFAC, FinCEN, and FATF standards. I’m CAFCA (ACAMS) certified and focused on building controls that are both compliant and operationally effective—so teams can escalate confidently and reduce noise.
Experience
Work history, roles, and key accomplishments
KYC & AML Risk Analyst
Novatti Group
Aug 2021 - Jan 2024 (2 years 5 months)
Owned enterprise AI/ML AML compliance transformation as primary compliance-engineering liaison, translating regulatory requirements into technical specifications and reducing false positives across the transaction monitoring program. Scaled AML operations across 5,000+ monthly cross-border transaction alerts and led KYB and complex business onboarding reviews using BSA/AML, OFAC, and FATF standard
Anti-Fraud & KYC Officer
IQ Option Europe Ltd.
Mar 2020 - Aug 2021 (1 year 5 months)
Owned independent escalation decisions for high-risk accounts in a high-volume alert environment, investigating fraud, money laundering, and suspicious behavioral patterns on a digital trading platform. Disrupted identity fraud schemes involving manipulated documentation and geolocation discrepancies and produced regulatory-grade escalation reports from card transaction and payment flow reviews.
Risk & Compliance Analyst
eToro Group Ltd.
Dec 2019 - Dec 2020 (1 year)
Conducted end-to-end KYC and transaction monitoring investigations on a globally regulated social trading platform using proprietary case management systems. Processed daily PEP and sanctions alerts via World-Check, cleared false positives, escalated confirmed matches for SAR filing consideration, and identified linked-account fraud networks using metadata analysis to prevent significant chargebac
Client Operations Associate
eToro Group Ltd.
May 2019 - Dec 2019 (7 months)
Supported Risk & Payments and Compliance teams with complex account and transaction inquiries, ensuring adherence to AML policies and KYC standards across client interactions. Helped manage client-facing risk requests to maintain compliance in operational workflows.
Education
Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Master of Arts, Southeast European Studies
Earned an MA in Southeast European Studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Bachelor of Arts, Political Science & Public Administration
Earned a BA in Political Science & Public Administration at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
Availability
Location
United StatesAuthorized to work in
Job categories
Skills
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