Compliance/AML/CFT/AI Governance
Adrián Merah
Núñez
Legal and compliance professional specialising in AML/CFT, regulatory risk and AI governance. Experience in banking, consulting and cross-border expansion between Europe and Latin America.
I turn regulation into a competitive advantage.
A 30-minute video call to talk about money laundering, compliance, risk, AI or shared experiences.
- 01 · PlacementMoney enters the system.
- 02 · LayeringHops to hide its origin.
- 03 · IntegrationIt returns to the legal economy.
+5,000
employees at the education-sector client whose compliance programme I designed.
Legari Consulting
+10
European companies supported on their entry into Latin America.
ICEX · ieTeam Brasil
4
working languages: Spanish, Catalan, English and Portuguese.
ES · CA · EN · PT
2
jurisdictions of specialisation: Spain (EU) and Mexico.
AML/CFT
01 · About
I work in the gap between the compliance a company thinks it has and the compliance it actually has.
Most companies don't fail by breaking the rules on purpose. They fail because the rules changed while they were looking the other way.
Today I work in the second-line Compliance function of a Spanish banking group. Before that, I designed compliance programmes and AML/CFT procedures as a consultant, working remotely from Thailand, and spent a year in São Paulo helping European companies enter Latin America.
I'm not the legal profile who tells you what you can't do. I'm the one who builds the how, so that what you want to do is viable, clean and hard to challenge.
02 · Career
Banking, consulting and international expansion.
Same roles and dates as on my LinkedIn profile.
View LinkedIn profileJan 2025 – Present
Banco Cooperativo Español · Compliance Specialist
Central services bank for the Caja Rural cooperative banking group. Second-line Compliance: AML/CFT, risk maps, quality assessments of group entities and regulatory risk in AI and DORA.
Madrid
Feb 2024 – Jan 2025
ICEX · ieTeam Brasil · International Trade & Compliance Consultant
ICEX Internationalisation Fellowship. Market-entry strategies and local regulatory alignment for companies with projects in Latin America.
São Paulo
Mar 2023 – Jan 2024
Legari Consulting · Compliance & AML Manager
ISO 37001, 37301 and 27001 management systems, AML/CFT procedures and whistleblowing channels for clients in Europe, Latin America and the Philippines.
Thailand (remote)
Jan 2023 – Mar 2023
Interafi · Compliance & AML Consultant
Audits of AML/CFT systems and external expert reports for financial institutions supervised by the CNMV, Spain's securities regulator.
Madrid
Oct 2021 – Jan 2023
LeasePlan, now Ayvens · Corporate Legal & Compliance Advisor
KYC/CDD due diligence, AML/CFT risk analysis, and review of corporate policies and GDPR.
Madrid
Education
- Law degree · Universidad Miguel Hernández
- Master's in Legal Practice (bar access) · Universidad Nebrija
- Master's in Executive Compliance and Data Protection · EIP
- Postgraduate in Business Administration · Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (CITIUS scholarship)
- MBA and Master's in Fintech, Big Data and BI · ENEB, Universidad Isabel I
Certifications
- Professional lawyer qualification (Título profesional de abogado) · Spanish Ministry of Justice
- FIOC in Regulatory Compliance and AML/CFT · Mexico, 2025
- Compliance Officer Certification · CUMPLEN
- CAMS · ACAMS In preparation
03 · Services
Where I add the most value.
For companies that need a compliance system that is alive and auditable, not a manual gathering dust. Detailed service pages are in Spanish.
Anti-money laundering (AML/CFT)
Risk assessment, due diligence and controls aligned with FATF standards, for obliged entities in Spain and Mexico.
Ley 10/2010 · EU AMLR 2024/1624 · LFPIORPI 02Corporate compliance programmes
Risk-based programmes that work across borders without duplicating effort, and stand up to an inspection.
ISO 37301 · ISO 37001 03Whistleblowing and compliance culture
Reporting channels aligned with the EU Whistleblower Directive, and training that turns rules into habits.
Directive (EU) 2019/1937 · Ley 2/2023 04AI governance
Impact assessments and control frameworks so you can use AI with legal certainty in Spain and the EU.
EU AI Act (Regulation 2024/1689)How I work
Three steps, no manuals gathering dust.
- 01
Assessment
I get to know your business, your real regulatory exposure and what already works.
- 02
Plan
I prioritise the risks and define proportionate controls, with a timeline and clear owners.
- 03
Implementation and follow-up
I put the system in place, train the team and check that it keeps working over time.
04 · Recommendations
“I would hire him again without hesitation.”
“He always carried out his work exceptionally and autonomously, and in his final months became a very important part of the Legal department.”
“He showed a great ability to work under pressure, with a very receptive attitude. He learns quickly, which allowed him to grow a great deal professionally in a short time.”
“He learned Portuguese quickly and fitted naturally into the team. […] He handles every project professionally and delivers excellent results.”
Translated from the Spanish and Portuguese originals.
See all 8 recommendations on LinkedIn05 · Publications
I write about what I do.
My articles are written in Spanish.
All publicationsPublished in Top Compliance InternacionalCo-author of «Compliance: Legado de Integridad» (Tirant lo Blanch, forthcoming)
AI riskTop Compliance Internacional
From Google to ChatGPT: the new dimension of risk in Compliance and AML
Generative AI did not invent money laundering. It has amplified its reach, increased its speed and lowered the cost of entry for criminals.
Read in SpanishAI risk
AI governance in regulated environments: build the control framework before the regulator demands it
An AI governance model is a strategic decision that reduces operational, reputational and legal risk from the very first deployment.
Read in SpanishAML / CFT
Enhanced due diligence in Latin America: the risks European parent companies underestimate
Expanding into Latin American markets brings regulatory exposures that risk models designed in Europe don't always capture.
Read in SpanishNewsletter
Compliance Pulse
A weekly pulse on Compliance, AML/CFT and AI: 3 stories that matter and 4 opportunities in the sector. Written in Spanish.
06 · Contact
Shall we grab a coffee?
Thirty minutes, by video call and with no strings attached, to talk about money laundering, compliance, risk, AI or shared experiences. Or, if you prefer, write to me. I work in Spanish, English and Portuguese.