CONFERENCE
The EU Financial Sector at a Crossroads
Emerging Risks & Resilience in Times of Global Conflict
November 18th 2025
Europe’s financial institutions stand at a turning point.
This conference brings together top legal, banking, and technology experts to discuss how AI, deepfakes, and regulatory change are redefining compliance, risk, and resilience across the EU financial system.
The EU Financial Sector at a Crossroads
Emerging Risks & Resilience in Times of Global Conflict
Join leading experts from KG Legal and Kyndryl for an in-depth discussion on how AI, compliance, and cybersecurity are reshaping the European financial ecosystem.
About the Conference
The European financial sector is entering a critical decade. Regulatory frameworks such as DORA, NIS2, and the evolving AML package demand not only compliance, but also operational and technological resilience. Simultaneously, AI-driven automation, deepfakes, and cyber conflicts are reshaping how financial institutions manage risk, identity, and reputation.
Special Guest – Ralph Goff
former CIA Chief of Station
The conference “The EU Financial Sector at a Crossroads: Emerging Risks and Resilience in Times of Global Conflict”, organized by KG Legal in partnership with Kyndryl, will bring together experts from law, technology, and finance to discuss how Europe’s financial systems can withstand the next wave of disruption.
Through real-world case studies and cross-disciplinary analysis, we will explore:
- How AI and behavioural analytics enhance the detection of financial crime;
- How cryptocurrency transfer patterns can expose hidden flows of illicit finance;
- How deepfake manipulation and synthetic identities threaten customer verification;
- How digital evidence and data forensics are redefining managerial responsibility and corporate governance;
- And how public–private cooperation can strengthen resilience against cross-border financial crime.
THEMATIC OVERVIEW
Core Focus Areas:
AGENDA (PRELIMINARY)
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16:00 Opening Remarks - KG Legal Partners
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16:20 Update on the Ukraine War: the Battlefields, the Boardrooms and the Bureacracies - Ralph Goff
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16:50 Analysis of Cryptocurrency Transfer Patterns in the Context of Criminal and Terrorist Financing: Implications for the Polish Banking Sector - Dr. Robert Pakla, Kyndryl
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17:20 Deep Fakes – New Challenging Enemy in the Financial Industry - Christopher Demas, Kyndryl
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17:50 White Collar Crime 2.0: How Digital Evidence Redefines Managerial Liability - Attorney-at-law Mateusz Grosicki, KG Legal
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18:20 Stock Market in the Face of War: Trends and Perspectives - Maciej Kietliński, Kozminski University
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18:50 Global Mobility, Local Rules: The Challenge of Client Identity Verification in the EU - Joanna Grynfelder, Cracow School of Business
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19:20 AI, Influence, and Systemic Risk in Financial Markets - Dr. Piotr Kotlarz, University of Oxford
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19:50 Networking
Featured Presentation
Financing Intelligence Operations and Terrorism Through Hybrid Transaction Channels: Detection with Modern Analytical Tools
Speaker: Dr. Robert Pakla, Kyndryl
This keynote explores the use of AI-driven pattern analysis and behavioural transaction mapping in detecting money laundering and terrorism-financing risks in digital payment ecosystems.
Dr. Pakla will present practical findings from ongoing research and case-based architecture models that strengthen AML systems across the Polish banking sector.
Deep Fakes – New Challenging Enemy in the Financial Industry
Speaker: Christopher Demas, Director, Customer Enterprise Architect – Kyndryl
As deepfake technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, the financial sector faces a new class of cyber and fraud threats. Christopher Demas will explore how synthetic media, voice cloning, and AI-generated identities are being used to manipulate transactions, bypass verification systems, and erode trust in digital interactions.
This session highlights real-world incidents and proactive defense models combining AI-driven detection, multi-factor identity verification, and data integrity frameworks. It offers a roadmap for how banks and fintechs can adapt their compliance and cybersecurity strategies to counter emerging deepfake risks.AI, Influence, and Systemic Risk in Financial Markets
Speaker: Dr. Maciej Kietliński – Kozminski Univeristy
PhD in Economics from the Warsaw School of Economics (SGH). Licensed Investment Advisor and Stockbroker, holding the international CIIA certification. Academic lecturer at Kozminski University, author and host of the stock market and economic program “Rynki od Zera” (Markets from Scratch) on Kanał Zero, and former manager in the Deals Department at PwC. Private investor active in the capital market for over 10 years. Author of market and economic commentary published in Forbes, Reuters, Gazeta Wyborcza, Do Rzeczy, Rzeczpospolita, and Parkiet – The Stock Exchange and Investors’ Daily
GIobal Mobility, Local Rules: The challenge of Client’s identity verification in the EU
Speaker: Joanna Grynfelder
The presentation will examine how financial institutions can maintain robust compliance standards amid increasing cross-border mobility and complex client structures. As individuals and companies operate globally, verifying true beneficial ownership, assessing geographical risks tied to residency and citizenship, and ensuring consistent due diligence have become critical challenges.
This session explores real-world compliance dilemmas — from navigating multilingual documentation and diverse legal systems to verifying the source of wealth and funds — and outlines practical strategies for balancing regulatory rigor with operational efficiency in a borderless financial landscape.
SPEAKERS
Dr. Robert Pakla
KYNDRYL
Certified court-appointed expert witness in AML, CTF, AI systems, and compliance with DORA and NIS2 (authorization valid until 2028).
At Kyndryl, Dr. Pakla leads strategic initiatives in financial crime prevention, designing advanced AML and fraud-detection architectures that integrate AI, blockchain, and behavioural analytics.
His work bridges regulatory compliance with real-world system performance, enhancing resilience across critical financial infrastructures.
An active author and speaker, he contributes regularly to both academic and industry publications on AML, cybersecurity, and operational resilience.
Christopher Demas
KYNDRYL
Chris joined Kyndryl as a Director, Customer Enterprise Architect on April 1st 2024. Chris is a results-driven Fintech professional with demonstrated expertise in building strategic products, administering program management, and managing customer success within the Technology and Financial Services industries.
He has been recognized for successfully bridging business and technology realms to design and deliver innovative solutions that drive profitability and client satisfaction.
Prior to Kyndryl, he has served in numerous customer focused executive and leadership capacities in the financial services industry. Chris is adept at leading cross-functional teams, optimizing processes, and nurturing client relationships to ensure long-term growth and value creation.
After joining Kyndryl, he has continued to create value by embracing artificial intelligence (AI) and spearheading an initiative to create a Kyndryl branded offering KDICAI, providing a no code SaaS solution.
Attorney-at-law Mateusz Grosicki
KG Legal
Mateusz Grosicki is an attorney-at-law specializing in white-collar crime, AML compliance, and financial crime prevention. Since 2012, he has advised companies from the energy, mining, and financial sectors on corporate compliance, internal investigations, and regulatory risk management.
He leads legal teams implementing anti-money laundering (AML), data protection (GDPR), and whistleblower procedures in commercial entities. A Ph.D. candidate at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin and a graduate of Chicago-Kent College of Law, he combines academic insight with extensive practical experience.
Mateusz regularly represents clients before criminal, administrative, and supreme courts, and serves as a member of the Subgroup on Financial Instruments within the Blockchain Working Group at the Polish Ministry of Digital Affairs. He is a frequent speaker and media commentator on compliance, cybersecurity, and anti-fraud regulations.
Dr. Maciej Kietliński
Kozminski Univeristy
Licensed Investment Advisor and Stockbroker, with over a decade of professional experience in the capital markets.
He has built his expertise across both the brokerage industry and consulting, integrating practical market insights with strategic advisory.
Dr. Kietliński is currently the host of the stock market program Rynki od Zera on Kanał Zero and serves as a lecturer in Business Valuation at Kozminski University.
Joanna Grynfelder
An expert with over twenty years of experience in consulting and managing compliance and anti-money laundering (AML) areas in domestic and international financial institutions. Co-author of the publication “Counteracting Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing. A Practical Guide” from 2018, and two commentaries on the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act published by Wolters Kluwer. Specializes in the following areas: AML risk assessment, beneficial owner, PEP (Politically Exposed Person), KYC (Know Your Customer), financial security measures, and sanctions. Currently, she heads the Compliance Management Department at a bank. Lecturer in postgraduate studies in “Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing” at the Cracow School of Business of the Cracow University of Economics.
Dr. Piotr Kotlarz
Dr. Piotr Kotlarz is a Research Fellow in Data Science at the University of Oxford and an Assistant Professor at Kozminski University. His research focuses on applying Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to financial markets, with particular interest in systemic risk, market resilience, and the transformative impact of Generative AI on the financial sector. Beyond finance, his work includes experimental and computational approaches to political economy and the social sciences, such as social media analysis and behavioural responses to global events. Collaborating with universities, regulators, and central banks across Europe, Dr. Kotlarz contributes to projects that connect data science, finance, and public policy. He previously worked at the European Central Bank, the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, and the Vienna University of Economics and Business.
Meet Ralf Goff
former CIA Chief of Station
Kyndryl is a global IT infrastructure and services company supporting financial institutions in strengthening their AML frameworks through advanced analytics, cloud modernization, and AI-driven automation.
KG Legal | Law. Technology. Resilience.
Kancelaria Graś i Wspólnicy is a Warsaw-based law firm specialising in White-Collar Crime & Compliance, banking and financial law, and technology-driven regulatory frameworks.
The firm advises corporations, financial institutions, and technology providers operating in highly regulated sectors such as finance, energy, and cybersecurity.
KG Legal’s team combines deep legal expertise with a strong understanding of digital transformation, supporting clients in areas including:
- AML and counter-terrorism financing compliance,
- implementation of DORA and NIS2,
- blockchain and Web3 regulation,
- AI governance and data protection,
- cross-border litigation and corporate liability.
As a partner of the EU Financial Sector Conference, KG Legal provides the legal perspective bridging innovation, regulation, and risk management – ensuring that technological progress aligns with legal integrity and strategic resilience.