2026 AML Inkanyezi Award

The AML Inkanyezi Award recognises individuals whose sustained leadership, integrity and influence have materially strengthened the AML and financial crime compliance ecosystem across Southern Africa. It honours legacy contribution and system-level impact.

Tonight’s recipient has made a sustained contribution to AML and financial crime supervision in South Africa and internationally.

She led South Africa’s supervisory strategy during the FATF Mutual Evaluation and later chaired the working group responsible for financial institution supervision during the country’s greylisting period. Internationally, she has served as a FATF assessor, contributed to mutual evaluations in Japan and Jersey, and represented South Africa in international supervisory forums. She has also strengthened supervisory capability beyond South Africa through AML training programmes for Sub-Saharan Africa and introduced initiatives to improve engagement with banks and life insurers.

For her leadership during a period of national regulatory scrutiny, her international contribution to standard-setting and evaluation, and her commitment to strengthening supervisory capability, the 2026 AML Inkanyezi Award is presented to Sameera Dawood-Bhagwan.