Baltics Chapter

Alexandre is a Fintech & Anti-Financial Crime professional with over 13 years of practical experience in the financial services industry in various countries across Europe.

He holds a Master's degree in International Economics & Finance and in French-American International Affairs. 

He has been working with WU for 7 years in various risk management and anti-financial crime roles and has subsequently accompanied several Fintechs (such as Simplex, Sonect and Arival Bank) through their licensing processes and the establishment of their EU operations and AML/CFT programs.

Alexandre co-initiated the establishment of the ACAMS Baltics Chapter in 2017, which he continues to co-chair. He is CAMS certified, ACAMS member since 2013 and ACAMS instructor since 2017. 

Alexandre is currently leading Innovation & Strategy @ AMLYZE (www.amlyze.com) an innovative RegTech solution he co-founded, and board member of the Fintech HUB LT's association.

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Uldis Upenieks brings over 25 years of experience in the financial sector, including 20 years in the banking industry. He has held prominent leadership roles, most notably serving as Chief Compliance Officer at Citadele Bank, one of the largest banks in the Baltics.

As the co-chair of the ACAMS Baltic Chapter, Uldis is deeply involved in shaping Latvia’s regulatory framework for AML (Anti-Money Laundering), CTF (Counter-Terrorism Financing), and CPF (Counter-Proliferation Financing). His efforts extend to promoting best practices in the financial sector across these critical areas.

Before his tenure at Citadele Bank, Uldis served as Chairman of the Board at IPAS CBL Asset Management. Earlier in his career, he was a Board Member and Head of Internal Audit for the PrivatBank Group. From 2002 to 2009, he led the Client Oversight Function at Citadele, and from 2009 to 2011, he was Vice President and Deputy Director of the Risk and Compliance Sector.

Uldis holds a master’s degree in Business Administration and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Riga Technical University. Additionally, he has studied at the Riga Graduate School of Law and completed the prestigious Corporate Governance course at INSEAD.

Janis is an Assistant Director at EY Baltics, leading the Forensic and integrity services service line:

During his 11 years of professional experience in assurance and advisory in the Financial Services industry, Janis served more than two years at EY Luxembourg and five years with another Big 4, leading the Forensic Services in the Baltics as well as the Financial Crime Practice for Central Europe.

• Certified Financial Analyst (CFA)
• Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA)
• Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS®), with an Advanced Certification in Audit (CAMS®-Audit)
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

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Mari-Liis Kurg is a compliance professional with over a decade of experience in heavily regulated banking environments, specializing in Financial Crime Prevention. She has been working in different Credit Institutions (SEB, Coop Pank, Nordea and ING bank) within Baltics, Nordics and Benelux regions concentrating on risk assessment and regulatory compliance, ensuring adherence to policies, procedures, and laws.

She has a strong legal and business acumen to deliver solutions and controls aimed at optimizing performance across dynamic environments, harnessed strong communication skills to monitor and report on compliance issues to both internal and external stakeholders–conveying complex legal and commercial terminology alongside business requirements in an easily understood format. Currently based in Brussels, but with strong tights in Baltics.

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Andris Nikitins is a Deputy Head of the Financial Stability Department of Latvijas Banka, the central bank of Latvia. His responsibilities include management of the non-bank financial sector macro-prudential analysis and providing of consultancy to the Ministry of Finance and the Financial and Capital Market Commission of Latvia in AML/CFT matters.

Before joining Latvijas Banka, Andris since 1992 held several positions in banking and insurance. He has experience in operational risk management and compliance.

Andris has a degree in radio engineering and holds a MBA from the Riga Technical University. He is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS®), a certification from the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS®).

Email: andris@nikitins.lv

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Kerstin Pilt has more than 10-years of experience in the Banking and finance sector, including AML/CFT field in banking. Currently Kerstin serves as Head of Compliance at Swedbank Estonia.

Prior joining Swedbank, Kerstin held the position of Head of Legal at Nordea Estonia for 8 years. Her earlier experience involve working as a legal counsel at Financial Supervisory Authority and as attorney at law in some of Estonia’s leading law firms.

She has LL.M degree in International Business law and is a Certified Anti Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS®).

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Priit Vuks has worked in the banking industry since 1994, including in Swedbank, DNB Bank and Luminor Bank Estonia being responsible for legal and compliance matters including AML/CFT, anti-bribery and ethics.

Priit Vuks has been a member of the AML, Compliance and data protection working groups of the Estonian Banking Association. He has a law degree from Tartu University’s Institute of Law and is a Certified Anti Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS®).

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Airida Prenskiene has 13 years of experience in the Banking sector, the last nine years focusing in AML Compliance at Western Union, Vilnius, Lithuania. Currently responsible for leading Consumer Monitoring and Investigations (FIU division) unit in Lithuania and overseeing regulatory reporting program within 40+ countries globally.  

Prior joining Guidehouse, Airida held different positions in Western Union, Nordea Bank Lithuania and Swedbank.  

She has master degree in the field of Business management and as of 2013 is Certified Anti Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS®).  

Rūta Bajarūnaitėis a Chief officer at the Sanctions Group at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania. In her daily activities, she is responsible for the preparation and coordination of proposals for sectoral measures, including the support for individual listing proposals. She also provides policy guidance and monitors international trends and developments in the area of sanctions.

Before joining the MFA, Rūta gained professional experience in the area of anti-money laundering and sanctions at the Center of Excellence in Anti-Money Laundering (public-private partnership established in Lithuania), where she led the Legislative Initiatives and Methodology Group and Sanctions Task Force. Prior to that, Rūta worked as a bilingual lawyer and supported an international law firm on a high-profile anti-money laundering investigation in Stockholm. Later, she joined KPMG Lithuania as an AML advisor.

Rūta Bajarūnaitė holds two masters degrees (in international law and in international economics and politics) from Mykolas Romeris University in Lithuania.

Toms Platacis holds the position of deputy head of the FIU Latvia since January 2021 and is currently its Acting Head. Toms has led the Strategic Analysis Division and Co-operation Co-ordination Division (the Latvian public-private partnership model), strengthening the implementation of the public-private partnership Institute in the FIU Latvia, as well as the cooperation between law enforcement authorities and obliged entities. Toms is an active evaluator of Moneyval/FATF peer evaluations and has been a part of 2 mutual evaluations.

Before joining the FIU Latvia, Toms gained professional experience in the field of anti-money laundering in law firm “Deloitte Legal” and other law firms where he specialized mainly in financial crime prevention and participated in several large-scale international projects.

Toms Platacis has obtained a Master's degree in law at the University of Latvia, as well as has gained international study experience studying in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Edgars Pastars is a Partner at COBALT Latvia specializing in banking and financial regulation, AML/CFT, sanctions, and broader anti-financial crime frameworks. He also serves as a legal and anti-financial crime advisor to the Finance Latvia Association, supporting sector-wide regulatory policy and public-private cooperation.

Edgars has extensive experience in financial regulation, compliance governance, and public affairs. He participates in several Europol EFIPPP workstreams and is a member of European Banking Federation committees on legal, AML/CFT, sanctions matter.

Prior to joining COBALT and the Finance Latvia Association, Edgars served as a legal advisor to the Parliament of Latvia, the President of Latvia, and the State Audit Office.

He holds a law degree from the University of Latvia, is a visiting lecturer in Banking Law at Riga Graduate School of Law and holds CAMS and CGSS certifications. He is also a co-author of several books on legal matters.

Email: edgars.pastars@cobalt.legal  
Phone: + (371) 29213847
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