Evolution of the Global Crypto Ecosystem: Blockchain-Based Forensic Accounting and Web3 Compliance

With over 20 years of finance and accounting experience, Vernise Knighton is a dynamic executive who excels at aligning operational details with strategic goals. In her current role as Senior Director of Accounting and Head of the Center of Excellence at Propeller Industries, Vernise oversees core finance functions—from A/R and A/P to company-wide budgeting—while streamlining processes and identifying growth opportunities.

Her leadership track record spans industries including food manufacturing, real estate, and receivables management. She has led critical projects such as ERP system implementations and external financial reviews, drawing on her unique strength as a certified mediator to foster collaboration and resolve complex challenges.

Vernise also brings firsthand entrepreneurial insight as co-founder of her husband’s construction business and a stakeholder in a homestead venture. She earned a B.S. in Accounting from DeVry University and an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management.

Archana Bae is an economic sanctions and financial crime compliance leader with nearly 25 years of experience across global banking, consulting, and U.S. government agencies—most notably the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the CIA. Between 2007 and 2009, she served as the CIA’s representative to OFAC’s inter-agency committee and later joined OFAC as a Sanctions Investigator (2010–2013), supporting key programs targeting the Specially Designated Nationals Kingpin list, Afghanistan Narcotics, and Transnational Criminal Organizations.

Upon transitioning to the private sector, Archana joined HSBC’s Financial Crimes Compliance division (2014–2018) as the U.S. Regional Head of Sanctions Investigations, working closely with regulatory and legal bodies such as the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Reserve Board, the Department of Justice, and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network to address the bank’s 2012 Deferred Prosecution Agreement commitments. She then contributed to sanctions and AML program development at K2 Intelligence, advising financial institutions, fintechs, and global jurisdictions.

Now leading Porta Strategies, Archana brings her subject matter expertise to clients seeking to strengthen their sanctions and AML risk management frameworks. She holds an MBA from The Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School, a BBA from Towson University, and a Graduate Certificate in Intelligence and Analysis from Mercyhurst College.

Robert Triano serves as the BSA Officer at East West Bank, bringing nearly two decades of experience across regulatory agencies, banking institutions, and a global payments firm.

He spent a decade at both the Federal Reserve Bank and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, holding roles including BSA and Fiduciary Risk Manager, Lead BSA Examiner, and Senior Examiner. He then moved into the private sector as Director of Crypto Asset Risk at Mastercard, where he provided compliance guidance across APAC, NAM, and EMEA regions.

Before joining East West Bank, Robert held leadership positions at UMB Financial Corporation—overseeing BSA, OFAC, CTR, and regulatory relations—and at First National Bank of Omaha. At East West Bank, he has also served as SVP overseeing BSA, sanctions, and operations risk, reporting directly to executive leadership.

He maintains multiple industry certifications covering BSA, OFAC, crypto-asset compliance, and fintech risk management, underscoring his commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the financial system.

Tasneem Abdulrahman is a financial crime compliance professional with over a decade of experience helping organizations establish resilient risk and governance frameworks. Currently serving as Associate Director of Risk & Compliance at Anaptyss, Tasneem has driven AML initiatives and technology integrations to detect emerging threats and meet evolving regulatory standards.

Prior to her role at Anaptyss, she held multiple compliance and risk leadership positions at American Express and other financial institutions, focusing on areas such as payments, installments, and governance.

Tasneem’s expertise extends to cryptocurrency regulation, suspicious activity reporting, and multi-jurisdictional compliance, underscored by her Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) credential.