Latin America Task Force
Sanctions compliance is a worldwide effort. A global vision has long been part of ACSS, advancing sanctions compliance, furthering compliance-business lines communication, and speaking out for sanctions compliance professionals worldwide.
New human rights and corruption sanctions have driven renewed impetus in the US sanctions regime for the Latin America region. Companies based in or doing business with Latin America and investors exploring opportunities in the region, will be faced with new risks.
With this in mind, the LatAm Taskforce wishes to expand engagement and ACSS membership in the region and strives to expand ACSS portfolio of programs and resources to help businesses navigate sanctions risks.
The Task Force consists of several members living or working across the Latin American region or with a link to the region, with a broad range of sanctions compliance experiences.
Xiomara Castro | Manager Global Sanctions | Scotiabank
Xiomara is a Manager, Global Sanctions, at Scotiabank based in Toronto, Canada. She supports the Global Sanctions Office Advisory team. Before joining Scotiabank, Xiomara worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers (Ecuador) and Deloitte (USA), and she was a partner in a law firm in Ecuador where she provided advisory to clients in business operations and complex transactions. Xiomara is a Licensed Attorney in Ecuador, a Fulbright scholar and holds an LL.M. in Comparative Law from the University of Florida with a certificate of specialization in International Taxation. Xiomara has obtained an LL.M. in Canadian Common Law from Osgoode Hall Law School in Canada.
Angel Niño Torres | Head of Compliance
Head of Compliance for Coinbag, a blockchain-based Robo-advisor company for sustainable Crypto investing based in Ireland. CEO of FTT Lawyers, a Venezuela-based Law Firm specializing in International Corporate Law and AML/CFT & Sanctions Compliance for domestic and international companies in Venezuela. Sanctions Researcher for the Regulatory and Sanctions Data company PST.AG. Senior Compliance Writer for Interrupt Media. Professor of Business Law at Universidad Rafael Urdaneta (URU). Member of the Editorial Task Force and the Latin America Task Force of the Association of Certified Sanctions Specialists (ACSS). Certified AML FinTech Compliance Associate (CAFCA). Certification in Crypto Regulation and Financial Crime Compliance (CRFCC).
Rocío Gainza | Senior Manager, Global Sanctions & Screening, AML Risk. | Scotiabank
Rocío Gainza is licensed to practice law in Venezuela, her country of birth, and in Ontario, Canada, where she has lived for 8 years. She has more than 10 years of experience in the financial industry. Six of them as a lawyer in Venezuela, in the legal department of one of the main financial institutions in the country, where she practiced banking law with a focus on regulatory affairs. For the last 4 years, she has worked at Scotiabank, in the Global Sanctions Office, where she is currently Senior Manager, and provides advice on sanctions to the different lines of business in Canada and in the jurisdictions where Scotiabank has a presence in Latin America and the Caribbean.
