Ramandeep Chhina

Dr. Ramandeep Chhina is a director of AML/CFT and an international expert in the field of financial regulatory compliance and trade fraud, with over 19 years of experience in the industry. She has a diverse educational background, having earned a DPhil in Law from the University of Oxford, as well as a Master of Studies (MSt) in Transnational Commercial Law. In addition, she holds several certifications and memberships in related fields, including the Certified Financial Crime Specialist (CFCS) and the Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), and is a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the Association of Certified Financial Crime Specialists (ACFCS), and the Society of Legal Scholars in the UK. She is also a fellow of the Higher Education Academy in the UK, and a qualified solicitor with the Law Society of England & Wales.

Throughout her career, Dr. Chhina has worked on various projects across multiple countries, including the World Bank Strengthening Financial Stability Project in Mongolia, and has collaborated with organizations such as GIZ and Open Ownership. She has also been involved in EU/Council of Europe projects against Economic Crime in Kosovo, Albania, Moldova, Georgia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Ukraine, as well as with the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Missions to Albania, Serbia, and Tajikistan. Additionally, she has worked for nearly 12 years with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR-PFTP), providing her with extensive knowledge and experience in the field.

As an international consultant, Dr. Chhina offers a range of services to financial institutions, international organizations, and countries, including consultancy, risk assessment, training, implementation support, regulatory examination support, and program management. She provides expert advice and guidance on complying with regulations related to Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), Customer Due Diligence (CDD), Know Your Customer (KYC), Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) writings, and Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) compliance. She conducts risk assessments to identify potential risks associated with money laundering, terrorist financing, and other financial crimes within a financial institution, and provides training programs and workshops to increase understanding of AML/CFT regulations and maintain compliance.

In addition to her work as an international consultant, Dr. Chhina has also held positions as an Associate Professor and Assistant Professor of Business Law at Edinburgh Napier University and Heriot-Watt University, respectively, and as a Visiting Professor at the University of Antwerp. These positions further demonstrate her extensive knowledge and experience in the field of financial regulatory compliance.

In conclusion, Dr. Ramandeep Chhina is a highly qualified and experienced professional in the field of financial regulatory compliance, offering a range of services to financial institutions, international organizations, and countries to ensure compliance with regulations aimed at preventing financial crimes.

Dr. Ramandeep Chhina, as a professional in the field of financial regulatory compliance, offers the following key services:

1. Consultancy: Providing expert advice and guidance to financial institutions, international organisations, countries on how to comply with regulations related to Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT), Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), Customer Due Diligence (CDD), Know Your Customer (KYC), Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) filings, Financial Crime Risk in Trade Finance, Beneficial Ownership, Trust, Virtual Asserts,  Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs), and Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) compliance. 

2. Risk Assessment: Conducting risk assessments to identify and assess the potential risks associated with money laundering, terrorist financing, and other financial crimes within a financial institution.

3. Training: Providing training programs and workshops to financial institutions, international organisations, countries and their employees to increase their understanding of AML/CFT regulations and their role in maintaining compliance.

4. Implementation Support: Providing support to financial institutions, international organisations, countries in the implementation of AML/CFT compliance programs, including the development of policies, procedures, and controls.

5. Regulatory Examination Support: Providing support to financial institutions, international organisations, countries during regulatory exams and audits to ensure compliance with AML/CFT regulations.

6. Program Management: Managing the AML/CFT compliance program for a financial institution, international organisations and countries, including overseeing the development and implementation of policies and procedures, conducting risk assessments, and ensuring the ongoing effectiveness of the program.

Current Projects & Role:

• International Consultant, United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC)—Beneficial Ownership Project, Vienna 

• International Consultant, American Bar Association's Rule of Law Initiative (ABA-ROLI)—Intelligence-Led Financial Investigations, Western Balkans and South-East Asia 

• International Consultant on Beneficial Ownership, ADB 

• International Consultant, Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI)—Extractive Sector Integrity, Philippines 

• International Consultant, Asian Development Bank (ADB) – AML/CFT Projects in the Marshall Islands and BO Project (Regional) 

• International Expert, AML/CFT Pool of External Experts, European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL) 

• International Consultant, Council of Europe (CoE)—AML/CFT Projects in Serbia, Romania, and Tunisia, 4AMLD assessment; and two framework contracts. 

• On-Board Consultant, United Nations Institute for Training and Research—Public Finance 

• Honorary Visiting Associate Professor, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Specific experience in the region/countries 

Dr. Ramandeep Chhina has a wealth of experience working in various countries and regions across the world. She has worked extensively in South and Southeast Asia, including India, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Myanmar. She has also worked in countries such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Mongolia, Tajikistan, and Ukraine in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Additionally, Dr. Chhina has worked in several Balkan countries, including Albania, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia. She has also worked in Western Europe, including Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Albania (Southeastern Europe), Armenia (Europe, Asia), Azerbaijan (Southwestern Asia), Belgium (Western Europe), Bulgaria (South-East Europe), Croatia (Southeast Europe), Czech Republic (Central Europe), Dubai (Western Asia), Georgia (Europe, Asia), Hong Kong (‎Eastern Asia), Kazakhstan (Central Asia),  Kosovo (Southeast Europe), Kyrgyz Republic (Central Asia), Laos (Southeast European), India (South Asia), Indonesia (Southeast European), Iraq (Middle East), Mongolia (East Asia), Marshall Islands (Asia / South Pacific), Moldova (Southeast European), Montenegro (Southeast European), Myanmar (Burma) (Southeast Asian), North Macedonia (Southeastern Europe), Poland (Central Europe), Philippines (Southeast Asia), Romania (Southeastern European),  Samoa (Asia-Pacific), Serbia (Central and Southeast Europe), Sri Lanka (South Asia), Slovakia (Central Europe), Taiwan (East Asia), Tajikistan (Central Asia), Thailand (Southeast Asia), Turkmenistan (Central Asia), Tunisia (Northern Africa), Ukraine (Eastern Europe), West Bank - Palestine (Western Asia), United Kingdom (Europe) and Uzbekistan (Central Asia)

Organisation Worked with and/or for:

Dr. Ramandeep Chhina has worked as an international consultant for several organizations over the last 15 years to advise on AML/CFT, beneficial ownership, trade fraud, financial crime, trust, NPOs, the extractive industry, virtual assets, and cryptocurrency regulations. These organizations include Asia Development Bank (ADB), American Bar Association – Rule of Law Initiative (ABA-ROLI) in the USA, Belgian Development Agency (BTC), Council of Europe (CoE), Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, Norway (EITI), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Open Ownership (Global Impact, USA), Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), SWIFT Institute in Belgium, Taiwan Academy of Banking and Finance (TABF), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), United Nations Office on Drugs and Office (UNODC), and The World Bank.