Building Trust in Crypto and AI: Navigating Fintech Compliance
AI and crypto adoption in financial services is accelerating, and the regulatory landscape is racing to keep up. Every fintech builder is navigating the tension between speed, growth, and compliance.
Join Equinox Compliance for an evening of expert discussions and the San Diego premiere of Self Custody (2026), a Bitcoin-focused action-thriller short film about a father trying to recover a lost fortune.
Advanced tickets: $12
Day of tickets (if available): $15
Schedule:
7:00 – 7:30 PM — Welcome
7:30 – 9:00 PM — Lightning talks and panel
9:10 – 10:00 PM — Film screening and Q&A
10:00 – 10:30 PM — Networking
Lightning talks and panel:
Amber de Volk
Joseph Ciccolo
Ieva Urbaite, panel moderator
Film Q&A with Adrian Grenier, Henry Cejudo, and director Garrett Patten
About the filmmakers:
Adrian Grenier
An actor, filmmaker, musician, entrepreneur, and environmentalist best known for his starring role as Vincent Chase on HBO's Entourage and memorable turns in The Devil Wears Prada and Drive Me Crazy. Adrian also stars in CryptoKnights, a reality series bringing together influential Web3 figures to evaluate and invest in emerging crypto projects. He is as passionate about embodying compelling characters as he is about developing successful business ventures and leading a global evolutionary shift: a campaign for environmentally conscious living. He is the founder of Kintsugi Ranch, a regenerative homestead in Bastrop, Texas, co-founder of Lonely Whale, and a UN Environment Programme Goodwill Ambassador.
Henry Cejudo
An American freestyle wrestler and former UFC champion known as "Triple C." Henry won Olympic gold at the 2008 Beijing Games at age 21, becoming the youngest American to do so. He went on to become only the fourth fighter in UFC history to hold simultaneous Flyweight and Bantamweight titles, making him widely recognized among the greatest combat athletes of his generation. Since retiring from competition, Henry's next chapter has included acting and making his debut in Self-Custody.
Garrett Patten
A filmmaker, producer, and founder of TBK Productions with credits spanning 14 films, including The Birthday Cake, Bandit, and In the Hand of Dante. His work has premiered at major festivals and is known for blending emotional realism with high-concept storytelling. A USC graduate, Garrett built a successful career in business before transitioning to entertainment and is active in private equity through Promus Capital.
About our speakers:
Amber de Volk — CEO & Founder, Equinox Compliance
A senior compliance architect and regulatory advisor with 18+ years of experience across fintech, banking, payments, and emerging financial technologies. Amber holds an LLM in Financial Risk Management and specializes in AML program development, AI oversight, and enterprise risk management. She partners with founders and executive teams to build scalable, defensible compliance frameworks that drive growth and enable safer innovation.
Joseph Ciccolo — Founder & President, BitAML
A crypto compliance authority with over a decade of experience advising hundreds of clients, from early-stage startups to large multinational institutions, across exchanges, OTC desks, payment processors, kiosk operators, and DeFi projects. Joe also serves as Executive Director of the California Blockchain Advocacy Coalition (CBAC), where he has testified before the California Assembly and Senate on digital financial asset licensing policy. He holds CAMS and AMLCA credentials and is a graduate of Northeastern University.
Chris Groshong — President, CoinStructive, Inc
A cryptocurrency investigations specialist and expert witness with over 11 years in the crypto industry. Chris has testified in U.S. Federal Court and, since 2024, has focused his expert witness practice on family law and divorce proceedings involving digital assets, consistently enabling parties to settle without testimony. He also founded the Crypto Recovery Alliance, a non-profit providing free blockchain forensics, mental health resources, and scam prevention education to victims of crypto fraud. He is a member of InfraGard, the FBI's public-private partnership program.
Ieva Urbaite — Chief Business Officer, Equinox Compliance
Ieva brings 15+ years scaling SMBs, startups, and Fortune 500 companies through strategic marketing, partnerships, and operations. She has led GTM strategy, managed compliance workflows with partner banks, and driven cross-functional alignment across Marketing, Product, Sales, Risk, and Operations.
Emily Miller — Chief Operations Officer, Equinox Compliance
Emily leads internal operations and supports Equinox’s client portfolio. With a background in compliance community development, project and campaign management, and operational design, she helps keep complex initiatives running smoothly from start to finish. Emily is also a mum of two and an equestrian instructor, bringing the same poise, energy, and steady execution to her work at Equinox.
Brought to you by Equinox Compliance. This event is not associated with Finovate Spring.