Bio

Charlene has recently taken the position of Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) of Localcoin, a Toronto-based BitATM company whose mission is to provide a simple buying & selling experience of digital currency for customers in North America. Localcoin has the goal to offer customers safe, quick and cost effective access to virtual currency, in a way that is both safe and responsible - with a focus on compliance. Charlene provides advisory on compliance, risk management/mitigation, innovation, and safety and security, through her work on advisory boards, committees, university programs, and to start-ups as the Principal of Complifact AML Inc. She was most recently the CAMLO of Coinsquare, and CCO of Coinsquare Networks Inc. (CNI), where she created the first AML compliance regime for a registered digital asset company to be approved by a Big-5 Canadian Bank for a transparent account relationship. During her 20 year career, Charlene has held roles as the CCO, CAMLO, CABCO, and CPO at several Canadian and Foreign scheduled banks, where she was responsible for AML/ATF, anti-bribery, regulatory (RCM), and privacy compliance program building & remediation. Charlene has worked with several “Big 4” accounting firms and a Canadian fintech company, where she has assisted global financial institutions with post-regulatory exam remediation and AML/ATF investigations. She currently teaches courses on AML/ATF compliance and cryptocurrency, including the Osgoode Certificate in Blockchain course, and is a recurring speaker at their National AML Compliance Conference. She is a part of the Program Advisory Council (PAC) for the Ryerson University Chang School’s blockchain program, and lectures for the University of Toronto's Global Leadership Program. In 2020, Charlene was called to appear at the Commission of Inquiry into Money Laundering in BC (Cullen Commission) as an Expert Witness with respect to cryptocurrency. In 2019, she participated in the UN FATF private sector consultation meetings on digital currency in Vienna, Austria, and remains part of their private sector forum on an ongoing basis. She works closely with the Federal government in Canada advising on cryptocurrency regulation, and is a member of the Transparency International Working Group on Beneficial Ownership. Charlene is also on the Advisory Board of Canada's National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA). She appeared as a speaker at Toronto's 19th annual Ideacity Conference, Untraceable's Blockchain Futurist Conference, and many CI conferences (speaker bio available upon request).