Nassos Paltayian is a prominent professional in the field of compliance, particularly known for his expertise in anti-money laundering (AML), counter-terrorist financing (CTF) and Sanction compliance. He serves as the Head of Compliance at Abacus Limited, a company based in Nicosia, Cyprus. His career began in 2005 in a Big4 as an auditor in financial services. In 2008, he qualified as a Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and became a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Cyprus (ICPAC).

In 2009, Paltayian joined Abacus Limited, initially working in international business services, where he played a significant role in major merger and acquisition deals. He also served as secretary for the Cyprus Stock Exchange and the Securities and Exchange Commission Committee of ICPAC. Since 2014, he transitioned to the Compliance Department at Abacus, where he has been responsible for updating and monitoring the firm’s compliance systems related to AML, CTF, international sanctions, training, internal audits, FATCA, CRS and ISO 27001 compliance matters.

Paltayian is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), having earned this certification in March 2015 after joining the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS) in 2014. He currently holds leadership roles as the vice-chair of the ACAMS Cyprus Chapter and served as chairman of ICPAC’s Compliance Committee. Additionally, he has been involved in high-profile projects, such as leading the Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions module of the National Risk Assessment, coordinated by the Central Bank of Cyprus, the local financial intelligence unit and the World Bank. His work extends to increasing public awareness about AML and CTF issues and he is recognized for his contributions to training and seminars in the field, including participation in numerous task forces for the issuance of Directives, Guidance Notes and Certifications in the field of AML, CTF and Compliance.