April’s ACAMS AML Professional of the Month was awarded to Nesar Yosufzai, CAMS. Yosufzai was recognized for his dedication and guidance in the anti-money laundering (AML) field. Yosufzai has been serving in Afghanistan’s banking sector since April 2008 where he has gained extensive experience. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics, an MBA in finance and is an academic gold medalist. His areas of expertise include anti-money laundering/counter-terrorist financing (AML/CTF), financial crime investigation, risk management, credit information bureau and asset recovery.
Yosufzai joined the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS) community in May 2016 and achieved his CAMS certification in July 2017. He is also an AML/CTF qualified assessor, having learned the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) fourth round of mutual evaluations methodology.
His achievements include leading the project and efforts to establish the first electronic and modern Credit Information Bureau—Public Credit Registry in Afghanistan; introducing the first credit report; establishing the online securing charges registry on movable properties; and coordinating with relevant AML/CTF stakeholders to get Afghanistan off the compliance document of FATF’s “Grey List” in June 2017. In addition, he is currently leading the first national money laundering/terrorist financing risk assessment in Afghanistan.
Yosufzai has attended several training workshops, plenaries and international conferences. He has not only obtained qualified pieces of training facilitated by well-known international agencies in more than 20 countries, but also delivered specialized presentations at international conferences. He has also been recognized by different local and international agencies and has achieved numerous recognition and appreciation letters.
Yosufzai, with his multi-team management and project delivery skills, has worked closely with the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, UNODC, IFC, US-Treasury, Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering, Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units and National Crime Agency.
Yosufzai is a frequent speaker in Dari, Pashto and English. In order to maintain continued development in his areas of expertise, he has been providing visiting lectures/coaching support upon request.
Do you have a mentor who has actively influenced your anti-money laundering (AML) career path in a positive way? Does someone in your network exemplify excellence in AML? Recognize their commitment: Nominate them for ACAMS AML Professional of the Month.
