ACAMS Malta Chapter March 2026 Virtual Event: Beyond Following the Money: Asset Recovery in the Age of Crypto-Enabled Financial Crime

Andrew is an independent AML/CFT Compliance Consultant currently engaged in the Caribbean, Malta and other International Financial Centres. Previously Andrew was the Head of Financial Crime Threat Mitigation for HSBC in Malta. This role involved identifying, understanding and mitigating the financial crime risks in Malta and transnationally through Investigations, Analytics and Intelligence.

Andrew enjoyed a career in the Royal Navy where his early sea-going deployments included the Caribbean for hurricane relief and counter-narcotics operations, and global deployments to the Middle East and Far East for defence engagement and security assurance operations. He undertook a number of operational deployments in the Balkans (2003) in support of investigations into war criminal financial facilitation and support networks, Iraq (2004 and 2007) investigating Iraqi WMD sanctions evasions and terrorist networks, Afghanistan (2009), and Bahrain (2011) for maritime security operations, counter-narcotics, counter-piracy and counter-terrorism roles in the Gulf and Indian Ocean.

Andrew served in the Ministry of Defence in London and the NATO Headquarters in Naples, Italy and also spent 4 years as a liaison officer in Washington DC where his remit included geo-political analysis, counter-terrorism, technology and innovation design and acquisition, and specialising in Threat Finance (the Department of Defense term for hybrid AML/CFT warfare) in relation to homeland security threats. This involved working closely with international intelligence and law enforcement agencies, academia, think-tanks, regulators and vendors.

Andrew is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) and Certified Cryptocurrency Investigator (CCI). He is Co-Chair of the ACAMS Malta Chapter and a former member of the Washington DC Chapter. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from Queen Mary, University of London and a Master’s degree with Distinction in Intelligence and International Security from King’s College, London with a dissertation focused on the use of intelligence in financial institutions for AML/CFT Compliance. Following a Master’s level module at the United Nations’ University for Peace (UPEACE), his current academic interests are the Crime-Terror Nexus in Relation to Illicit Finance, Moving from Follow the Money to Getting Ahead of the Money through Predictive Intelligence, and Financial Intelligence as a New Intelligence Discipline.

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Daniel Abela joined the Malta Financial Services Authority in 2022 as the Deputy Head of the Financial Crime Compliance Function. He is responsible for the Onsite Inspections Team and leads his team for numerous interactions with the subject persons. Prior to joining the Authority, Daniel worked for some years in the Consultancy business related to Financial Crime.  He also has over 15 years of experience in Banking where he worked in various areas such as Retail Banking, Wealth Management and Financial Advisory. He was also employed in the Financial Crime Compliance department of an International Bank, where he was responsible for the areas of Commercial & Corporate Banking, Global Trade & Receivable Finance, Global Banking & Markets, Wholesale Credit Risk and Global Asset Management.  He holds qualifications from both the ICA and ACAMS in relation to AML, Sanctions, Anti-Bribery & Corruption, Human Trafficking & Modern Slavery, holds a Master of Science in AML & Compliance, and is also a Certified Crypto Currency Investigator from the Blockchain Intelligence Group.

Sofia Maria Cucciniello is a senior legal and regulatory professional with over 15 years of international experience in fintech, digital assets, payments and financial crime compliance.

She operates at the intersection of law, AML governance and regulatory supervision, translating complex regulatory frameworks into practical, risk-based and operationally sound solutions.

She has held senior Legal, Compliance and MLRO roles across MiCA-licensed groups and MFSA-regulated institutions, leading licensing processes, regulatory remediation programs and structured supervisory engagement across the EU, the UK and the US.

Sofia is Deputy Chairperson of FIMA and a Board Member of the ACAMS Malta Chapter.

A former His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officer turned recognised global authority on asset recovery. Founder of the leading end-to-end asset management platform purpose-built for seized, forfeited, and distressed assets — including cryptocurrency — serving law enforcement and government agencies across multiple continents, and an advisor to Council of Europe on asset recovery.

A 30-year veteran of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), bringing decades of frontline international leadership in transnational crime investigations, including criminal asset forfeiture across multiple jurisdictions. Jason was a former DEA Attaché to Italy and Malta, having knowledge and expertise on EU and Maltese legislations. Now driving Asset Reality's international expansion and partnerships with law enforcement agencies, asset recovery offices, and regulators navigating the complexities of digital asset recovery at scale across jurisdictions.