Phephile Tsembekile Dlamini

Phephile Tsembekile Dlamini

Senior Integrity Officer, African Development Bank

Formerly Lead Specialist-Financial Integrity, Central Bank of Eswatini

Phephile Dlamini is a seasoned policy and compliance professional with deep expertise in Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT), integrity risk management, financial sector governance, and tax policy. She currently serves as a Senior Integrity Officer at the African Development Bank (AfDB), where she leads initiatives to strengthen financial integrity frameworks across African jurisdictions and beyond.

Over the course of her career, she has played a pivotal role in national and regional AML/CFT platforms, including participating in AML/CFT mutual evaluations, national risk assessments, and national post-evaluation implementation efforts. A certified AML/CFT assessor, she has extensive experience in developing risk-based supervisory frameworks, conducting sectoral risk assessments, and evaluating internal risk models of financial institutions. Her work is grounded in a policy-driven, risk-informed approach that supports compliance while advancing financial inclusion.

She has played a key role in international policy dialogue through her work with the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI), where she champions proportionate regulation, inclusive financial systems, and alignment with global standards such as those of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the Basel Committee, and other international standard-setting bodies. In recognition of her technical expertise and leadership, she received the AFI Technical Leadership Award in 2024.

Previously, she led the development and implementation of Central Bank of Eswatini’s risk-based AML/CFT supervisory framework and sectoral risk assessment for the banking sector. Her work also includes contributions to national policy on digital financial services, including drafting recommendations on electronic Know Your Customer (e-KYC) frameworks to support financial inclusion objectives.

She holds a MS in Taxation from the University of Pretoria and a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Principles -Compliance from the University of Johannesburg, with additional certifications in fintech innovation and regulation, data science, risk management, and board governance.

Recognized for her technical leadership and impact, she continues to support jurisdictions and international organizations in building inclusive, resilient, and compliant financial ecosystems.