What We Do

Our Approach

We help our client address their most fundamental business and regulatory and compliance needs: ensuring that their risk and compliance programs are effective, comprehensive, business driven, risk based and meet regulatory and audit requirements. We understand today’s complexities: the fiercely competitive industry landscape; digital transformation; the new technologies and analytic tools; the new players forming FinTechs; the Crypto ecosystem; the heightened regulatory expectations; ESG; the heightened use of global sanctions; the tightening of budgets; and the need to quickly determine new risks and make changes to existing programs. Our clients rely on us for support on their most important and challenging projects because they trust our judgement and our industry experience.

Key Advisory Areas

IMAG Advisory is expert in:​
  • Governance and ESG related issues, Culture Change, Lines of Defense roles and responsibilities
  • Compliance Program Structure, staffing and reporting
  • Financial Crimes Risk Management: ensuring program alignment to business strategy; “hidden” risks detection
  • Financial Crimes Program Elements: Know Your Customer, Transaction Monitoring, Watchlist screening, SAR Reporting
  • Cutting edge Financial Crime training
  • Analytics, Systems and Technology: utilization, gap analysis; technology rightsizing, system selection, transformation, upgrades and vendor selection and solutions
  • De-siloing: creating greater synergy and effectiveness between cyber, Financial Crime, fraud, sanctions and crypto areas
  • Process and Root Cause Analysis across and within the lines of defense
  • Improving Control Environments: improving early detection
  • Program Remediation and improving PMO output and synergy
  • On-site and off-site advisory: transition and supplemental staffing of critical roles

Industry Expert
Training

We offer advanced, targeted training on cutting-edge subjects which resonate across traditional banking and the FinTech and Crypto ecosystems.

Financial Crimes Program Optimization
This is a two-phase advanced level course designed for Chief Risk Officers, Chief Compliance Officers and Financial Crime Directors of all types of financial institutions who are constantly required to “do more with less”. In the first phase, participants are trained in the use of a highly proven program diagnostic methodology which includes an analysis of culture, function, structure, process, skills, tools and metrics and self-measurement. As technology is the bedrock of risk and compliance programs, the second phase focuses on agnostic technology optimization methodologies and techniques including the leveraging of existing technologies across the wider cyber, fraud, sanctions and Financial Crimes programs. The combination of phases leads to programs that are more effective and highly more efficient. Phase one of the advanced course is led by Gary Peterson and Phase two is led by Corey Cardine.

Product Strategy in New Markets

This is an advanced level business strategy course geared to new entrants to the traditional financial services ecosystem. In a time of regulatory uncertainty, the introduction of new products and services poses complex questions regarding market, customers, risk, regulations and delivery platforms. This course outlines these issues and considerations which should be planned and evaluated in order to ensure that new products are introduced in a seamless and effective manner. This course is led by Min You.

Analytics in Context

This is a highly innovative course designed to give an understanding of the utilization of advanced analytics applied to current industry technologies. The course is divided into three user group segments: basic, intermediate and advanced. It ensures that those at all levels of the program understand how the utilization of analytics supplements current KYC, monitoring and reporting as well as use of advanced analytics to detect new and hidden patterns of suspicious activity. This Course is led by Haibo Zhang who has significant industry analytic experience at some of the largest international banks and firms.

Blockchain Technology

This is an advanced course in the understanding of blockchain technology and its application to banking and Financial Crime platforms. This Course is led by Haibo Zhang.

Recent Engagements by Team Members

Program enhancement and remediation

Multiple Financial Crimes engagements regarding the enhancement of existing programs, including oversight for the planning, design, implementation and remediation of all phases of the AML and sanctions risk; remediation planning and oversight of complex regulatory orders

Delivery Platforms

Reviewing multiple digital delivery platforms for one of the largest global money transmitters in order to ensure conformance with KYC requirements

Delivery Platforms

Advising a significant FinTech converting to a crypto asset custodian bank in establishing its risk management infrastructure and framework to meet enhanced regulatory requirements; Conducting a compliance risk assessment for digital assets to ensure applicability of banking laws and regulations and has provided guidance to the client in establishing more robust compliance management system; Conducting an enterprise-wide risk assessment for all functional areas of a trust bank to identify risks and evaluate embedded control environments

Technology assessments

Reviewing multiple technology platforms to determine enhancements and selection

Sanctions

Overseeing and advising, from multi-global locations, the roll-out of the economic sanctions program of one of the largest global banks

On-site Advisory/Transition Management

Acting as on-site senior advisor to the Financial Crimes and Project Management area of a major European FBO during its remediation of regulatory actions; Acting as interim Global Head of Compliance for a major global financial institution during a management transition

Data Analytics

Reviewing the feasibility of adapting fraud technologies to encompass a wider area of Financial Crimes risk through the use of data analytics

Process Mapping

Utilizing three-dimensional process mapping across multiple geographical locations of a major financial institution, communicating across all levels of staff to completely map their regulatory compliance and AML compliance processes, identifying control issues, operational risk, and identify opportunities to maximize the overall controls in a highly scrutinized regulatory environment;

Controls

Managing the planning, execution and oversight of issue validation for consent order remediation

Internal investigations

Conducting a detailed internal review in Europe of whistleblowing allegations for a major global client

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