2nd edition of Sofia Compliance Forum will be focused on Compliance in the Age of Accountability:
Beyond Policy Compliance:
As regulatory expectations intensify and business environments become increasingly complex, compliance is no longer confined to policy adherence or control functions. It now operates at the intersection of governance, technology, regulatory scrutiny, and individual responsibility. In this evolving landscape, organizations are required not only to comply, but to demonstrate accountability at every level of decision-making. The second edition of Sofia Compliance Forum addresses this shift by positioning compliance as a central management function, one that shapes strategy, defines responsibility, and enables more informed and resilient business decisions.
SCF 2025 Statistics
Location
John Atanasoff Hall
29 april, 2026
Agenda of the Sofia Compliance Forum
the event will be held in a bilingual format (English and Bulgarian) with live translation
8:30 - 9:30
Registration & Networking Coffee
OPENING BLOCK – SETTING THE TONE
9:30 - 9:50
Welcome & Context
- Mr Anton Petrov – Chief Compliance Officer & Member of the Management Board, Fibank
- Mr Nikola Bakalov – Chief Executive Officer & Chair of the Management Board, Fibank
- Mr Orlin Hadjiiski – Partner, Tax, Legal and People Leader PwC SEE
9:50 – 10:10
From Policies to Accountability:
Why Compliance Became a Leadership Risk
- Mr Kalin Hristov – Supervisory Board Member DSK Bank; Ex. Minister of Finance, BNB Management Board
ACT I – COMPLIANCE AS GOVERNANCE, NOT PAPERWORK
10:15 – 11:05
Who Really Owns Risk? Compliance, Management or the Board
- Mr Ivan Dimitrov – Chief Compliance Officer, Hiab
- Ms Christina Koycheva – Regional Legal & Compliance Officer Bulgaria and Greece, Veolia
- Ms Virag Filep – Head of Compliance Support, MBH Bank Hungary
- Mr. Vladimir Filipovski – Chief Compliance Officer at Magna MedTech Group
11:10 – 11:40
Context-setting Presentation:
- Mr Samuel Grand – INSEAD International Director certified, INED, Advisor to Supervisory & Management Boards, lecturer (previously Executive Cte member, CRO at ABN AMRO Luxembourg, Lombard Odier Europe and Edmond de Rothschild Europe)
SPECIAL ADDRESS
11:40-12:00
AML Supervision in Practice: Trends, Expectations and Reality Across Sectors
- Representatives of the Bulgarian Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU)
12:00 – 13:00
Lunch & Networking
ACT II – TECHNOLOGY AS DECISION SUPPORT (NOT MAGIC)
13:00 - 13:20
Context-setting Presentation
What Technology Can – and Cannot – Fix in Compliance
- Mr Faisal Islam, President Binderr
13:25 – 14:15
AI, Automation and Accountability: Who Is Responsible for the Outcome?
Moderator: Mr. Trayan Kosev – Managing Partner KGK law firm; leading innovations lawyer
- Ms Albena Petkova – Director Antifraud and AML Services, Borica
- Mr Miglen Evlogiev, Chief Information Security Officer, Evrotrust
- Ms Rocio Suarez Gray – Market Planning Director, Financial Crime Compliance, LexisNexis® Risk Solutions
- Мs Elisa Stefanoni – CFE, Director, Anti Financial Crime Data and Solutions, Moody’s
ACT III – WHERE COMPLIANCE FAILS IN REAL LIFE
14:20 – 14:40
When Controls Exist but Fail: Lessons from Real Cases
- Mr Michael Weis – Forensic and Anti-Financial Crime Leader, PwC Luxembourg (formerly also in charge of Financial Crime for PwC France)
14:45 – 15:30
Economic Crime Beyond AML: Fraud, Misconduct and Insider Risk
Moderator: Ms Jitka Logesova – Head of firm-wide investigations, crisis response and compliance, Wolf Theiss
- Mr Michael Weis – Forensic and Anti-Financial Crime Leader, PwC Luxembourg (formerly also in charge of Financial Crime for PwC France)
- Ms Yana Prodanova – Head of Risk & Compliance ops, MyPos (also Member of the European Fraud Advisory Council of Mastercard); former Chief Risk & Compliance Officer (also MLRO) of Paynetics; former CRO & Member of the Board of TBI Credit
- Ms Maja Matic – Head of Research and Corruption Risk Analysis at the Serbian Anti-Corruption Agency (Agencija za sprečavanje korupcije)
15:30 – 16:00
Coffee break
16:00 – 16:20
Human Behaviour and Ethical Blind Spots in Compliance Decision Making
- Mr Christian Hunt – lecturer and consultant; previously COO of UK’s Prudential Regulation Authority, Head of Compliance & Operational Risk at UBS Asset Management and UBS EMEA
16:25 – 17:15
Compliance Under Pressure: When Business Urgency Meets Regulatory Reality
Moderator:Mr Krasimir Stefanov – Senior Manager, PwC Law Office
- Mr Nikolay Spasov – CEO DBank
- Ms Reny Mitkova – Board Chair EOS
- Ms Mihaela Prakova – Manager Risk and Compliance, Vivacom
- Ms Vesna Sokolovska – Associate Director of Legal Affairs, Advisory and Operations; Compliance Officer; Data Protection Officer, Alkaloid AD Skopje
CLOSING
17:15 – 17:30
Closing Remarks
- Mr Anton Petrov