Navigating Compliance Challenges and Regulatory Arbitrage in Financial Services

In this episode of Financial Crime Matters, Kieran talks with Christina Rea about her brief tenure at Binance.US as interim chief compliance officer. Christina discusses what it was like to head U.S. compliance for Binance.com, the world’s largest digital assets trading platform, as it underwent scrutiny from regulators and law enforcement that ultimately culminated in a $4.3 billion penalty against Binance.com and a guilty plea for money laundering failures by the VASP’s co-founder Changpeng Zhao that resulted in his paying a $50 million fine and the possibility of up to 18 months in prison. Christina, who launched a consulting firm after resigning from Binance.US after about six months at the VASP, also touches on what it takes to protect yourself as a compliance officer whose business is facing tough oversight.