By Alisha Houlihan and Xolisile Khanyile
Each year around International Women’s Day, AML Intelligence pauses to recognise the extraordinary women shaping the global fight against financial crime.
Several years ago, this reflection took the form of our Women in FinCrime webinar, a conversation designed to highlight the voices, leadership and lived experiences of women working across compliance, regulation, law enforcement and financial services.
What began as a single annual discussion quickly grew into something much more meaningful: a community.
The Women in FinCrime initiative was founded on a simple but powerful principle, that progress in this sector is strengthened when people lift one another up.
It celebrates women who are not only leaders in their own right, but who actively support and inspire those around them: colleagues, peers and the next generation entering the profession.
Over time, the conversations sparked through those webinars evolved into real-world connections.
Today, the Women in FinCrime community gathers in person at two of AML Intelligence’s flagship events each year, the European Anti-Financial Crime Summit (EAFCS) in Dublin and the International Anti-Financial Crime Summit (IAFCS) in London, where our Women in FinCrime breakfasts bring together professionals from across the sector to connect and share insights.
While this year we are not hosting the traditional webinar around International Women’s Day, it felt important that the spirit of that conversation should continue.
It is therefore a privilege to introduce this reflection from Advocate Xolisile Khanyile, Former Director of South Africa’s Financial Intelligence Centre and Chair of the Global Coalition to Fight Financial Crime. One of the most respected voices in the global anti-financial-crime community.
During her tenure at the South African Financial Intelligence Centre, she was instrumental in establishing SAMLIT, the first African Public-Private Partnership, which brought together over 20 banks.
Ms Khanyile also spearheaded the development of the Fusion Centre, an inter-agency initiative housed at the FIC designed to enhance the use of financial intelligence.
Her commitment to sharing her insights with other nations underscores the value of meaningful collaboration. Her efforts have significantly influenced the global dialogue on combating illicit finance and promoting financial integrity.
In the piece that follows, Xolisile shares her perspective on leadership, progress and the continued importance of supporting women across the financial-crime ecosystem.
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I always look forward to the AML Intelligence Summits and conferences. What I deeply appreciate is the prominent recognition of women involved in the fight against financial crime. Regulators and those within the regulated sectors are not merely there to tick compliance boxes or introduce new regulations and laws.
Rather, we are driven by a clear purpose to make a significant contribution to combating financial crime and to ensure that our businesses and operations are not infiltrated by criminality or misused for illicit purposes such as money laundering.
This Financial Crime sector remains an industry that is still predominantly male, but encouragingly, there is a growing presence of women and women leaders in particular, making meaningful contributions to this important cause.
Women bring unique and invaluable qualities to the fight against financial crime, they are natural leaders, strategic thinkers, nurturers, visionaries and diligent professionals, all while balancing personal and family commitments.
Historically, women have often been perceived as supporters rather than leaders, yet experience consistently demonstrates that women are equally, if not more, capable. We continually strive to find effective solutions and drive positive change.
Sadly, even today, women in most jurisdictions and sectors continue to face unequal pay compared to their male counterparts or are unfairly criticised when they achieve positions traditionally held by men.
There remain stereotypes and prejudices, such as questioning women’s achievements or attributing their success to factors other than merit.
We belong in these roles; we have earned our positions and we are born leaders. We will continue to celebrate and support one another until the world fully recognises that we all equally belong.
I wish to acknowledge the countries and organisations that consistently recognise and value the vital role of women in the fight against financial crime and money laundering. I encourage all women leaders to actively bring more women into senior positions and provide them with meaningful opportunities for growth and visibility.
My sincere thanks to the men and organisations who see women not as afterthoughts or statistics, but as equals and valued contributors.
In my country, the phrase ‘wathinta abafazi, wathinta imboko’ is commonly used. This slogan originated on August 9th, 1956, during a significant event when women of all races marched to the Union Buildings to protest against apartheid and pass laws.
The phrase literally means if you strike a woman, you strike a rock. This represents women’s strength, bravery and resilience, all as enduring and solid as a rock.
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The story of Women in FinCrime has always been about more than a single event or moment in the calendar.
It is about recognising the people who strengthen this sector every day, the investigators, regulators, regulated sectors, compliance leaders, policymakers and analysts working across the world to protect the integrity of our financial systems.
Advocate Khanyile’s reflections are a powerful reminder that leadership, resilience and collaboration remain essential in the global fight against financial crime.
As I enter my fifth year with AML Intelligence, it feels especially meaningful to reflect on the growth of the Women in FinCrime community.
We look forward to continuing these conversations in person at our Women in FinCrime gatherings at the EAFCS in Dublin on April 29 and IAFCS in London, October 7.
If you would like to join us at a Women in FinCrime breakfast, please feel free to contact me at ahoulihan@amlintelligence.com.
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