Our Team

Ruslan is an Anti-Money Laundering and compliance professional with a passion for the place where traditional financial crime meets the world of virtual assets. Over the course of his career, he has worked across multiple international regulatory environments, building a reputation for combining solid compliance fundamentals with genuine technical depth in blockchain tracing and cryptocurrency investigations. His work covers a lot of ground — from designing transaction monitoring frameworks and building out rule libraries to standing up FIU infrastructure and training analyst teams from the ground up. He has a particular knack for tailoring AML programs to the unique risk profile of virtual asset service providers, whether that means calibrating alert thresholds, developing typology-based detection logic, or building the kind of documentation that holds up to regulatory scrutiny. Where Ruslan really stands out is on the investigative side. He has hands-on experience tracing funds across various blockchains, including Bitcoin’s UTXO model and Ethereum’s account-based architecture. He is well-versed in identifying various obfuscation techniques and translating what he finds into clear, defensible investigative narratives. Ruslan has also invested heavily in knowledge transfer, developing training programs and reference materials that make complex on-chain concepts accessible to compliance teams at all experience levels. At the end of the day, Ruslan is someone who genuinely enjoys this space — the technical puzzle of following funds on-chain and the compliance challenge of building programs that keep pace with a fast-moving industry.

Fara is a compliance professional with over a decade of experience across financial services and the cryptocurrency sector. With a background in banking and regulatory compliance, Fara has developed experience in anti-money laundering (AML) and risk assessment, with a growing focus on RegTech tools and blockchain analytics to help detect and manage financial crime risks more effectively. Fara’s work spans traditional financial systems and digital asset environments, with experience supporting compliance programs for crypto exchanges and fintech companies. This includes exploring how regulatory technology and blockchain analytics can improve transaction monitoring and strengthen risk detection. Fara is interested in how data-driven tools can support more adaptive and effective compliance processes.

Charné Van Heerden is the Head of Audit at Provenance, a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), and a Cryptocurrency Security Standard (CCSS) Auditor and advocate. She leads internal audit engagements across the crypto asset industry with a strong focus on governance, risk management, internal controls, and operational resilience. She emphasizes that strong controls and effective risk management should support operational efficiency and long-term sustainability. Charné actively promotes adoption of the CCSS as a cornerstone for secure custody and key management practices. She also serves on the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) Global Content Advisory Group (GCAG), where she contributes to advancing global audit practices and aims to educate auditors on the nuances and critical importance of crypto asset security and compliance. Before moving into the crypto space, Charné worked in risk-based internal auditing across multiple industries. At Provenance, she focuses on applying established assurance principles to emerging technologies, helping organizations implement resilient and sustainable control environments that meet regulatory and industry expectations.

Carlos Iván Merino is a government affairs professional with 10+ years in public service and campaigns. Working in NJ state government, he founded the New Jersey Innovation and Technology Alliance (NJITA) to educate businesses, government entities, and residents on blockchain, AI, and emerging tech impacts across New Jersey.

Kirk Phillips, CPA, CMA, CFE, CBP, CEP has been in the crypto space full time for 12 years as an author, investor, degen, educator and advisor. He is founder of CryptoBullseye.Zone, a crypto intelligence system for learning mistake-free crypto. He is the author of the Ultimate Bitcoin Business Guide™, The Crypto Tax Blueprint™, the AICPA Blockchain Fundamentals course, Coindesk articles and numerous other publications. Kirk is a member of the AICPA Digital Asset & Virtual Currency Task Force and regularly speaks and educates CPAs and attorneys about the crypto and blockchain space. He is also a BitAngels Philadelphia City Leader and involved with numerous other initiatives in the digital asset space.

Sarina is an entrepreneur who has founded companies at the intersections of emerging technology, marketing, art, and blockchain. Her journey with blockchain began in 2011 at the world’s first Bitcoin conference, and she has been an active member of the community ever since. At her core, she leads with a customer-first mindset, turning complex ideas into clear, accessible language that anyone can understand. Her focus is on building companies that lower barriers to entry and open new markets.

I am a cybersecurity and physical security professional with over a decade of experience across government, critical infrastructure, and the financial services sector. I currently serve as Regional Security Manager for Eastern Europe at Mastercard, based in Istanbul, where I lead integrated security programs covering threat intelligence, regulatory engagement, and the evolving risk landscape of digital assets. I hold a Master’s in Cybersecurity and am the author of an IEEE-published study on organizational maturity in AI, cybersecurity, and digital transformation, examining how institutions adapt to emerging threats. I am also a Certified Blockchain Security Professional™ and have earned multiple credentials in cryptocurrency foundations. These certifications reflect a deliberate shift toward developing technical fluency in blockchain risk domains. My professional roots are in law enforcement and physical security, where I gained deep experience in operational risk, crisis response, and protecting critical environments. Rather than a limitation, this background provide me with real-world insight into human-layer vulnerabilities, security culture, and the importance of holistic threat modeling. I am particularly focused on minimizing the human attack surface — from social engineering to insider risks — and see this as one of the most urgent challenges in Web3 security. I see my role as a translator — between technical systems and real-world vulnerabilities, between crypto-native communities and institutional standards. My mission is to make blockchain ecosystems not only secure in code, but safe in practice. I serve as Vice Chair of ASIS Türkiye Chapter, contribute to the OSAC Istanbul Steering Committee, and collaborate with public and private sector partners across Türkiye, Ukraine, and Central Asia to promote security maturity and education. I support localization of tools like the GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit and speak regularly on AI, and security convergence. I am eager to support the CryptoCurrency Essentials Committee by helping expand C4’s educational reach, strengthen global standards, and foster a culture of resilient, human-aware security in crypto ecosystems.

Taher enables FinTech through Platform Solutions. He specializes in Digital Assets, Crypto Custody & Tokenisation products. He is an avid Learner; believes in growing knowledge by sharing it.

Tara is Head of Product at Twinstake, an institutionally focussed staking provider. Before this she led education efforts as Head of Technical Crypto Advisory at the crypto compliance firm Elliptic, and held a number of product related roles across the ~4 years she spent there. She has also led product for a number of other crypto startups and spent a number of years at HSBC within the commercial bank and within the corporate and institutional digital team. She is also the author of The Bitcoin ABC Book, creator of the Game Against Cryptocurrency and the world’s first Crypto Advent Calendar.

Marc is a CryptoCurrency Security Standard (CCSS) Auditor, Certified Bitcoin Professional (CBP), Certified Ethereum Professional (CEP), NORS Qualified Readiness Assessor, and ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor. An active crypto/blockchain community member, Marc has authored numerous articles and books and volunteers his time for several associations, councils, and committees. Marc conducted the first CCSS audit certifying Fireblocks as the first QSP CCSS Level 3.

Hadi has helped build blockchain-based businesses and platforms in a regulated environment since 2016 and for publicly listed companies since 2019. He is an advisor on crypto operations and treasury controls for institutional clients. Prior to diving into the blockchain industry, he was a professional investor for close to 20 years including at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Bessemer Trust and Blakeney Management. Hadi is a CFA Charterholder and holds a BSc (Hons) in Banking and International Finance from City University Business School, London in the UK, and a Certificate in Fintech Future Commerce from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the USA.