Assita Kanko is an elected member of European Parliament for Flanders. She is an author, and women rights defender determined – amongst other things – to help end Female Genital Mutilation, a practice she underwent at age five in her country of birth Burkina Faso.
Besides women’s rights, Assita also focuses on business legislation. Currently Assita is one of the two co-rapporteurs for new European legislative proposal on the Regulation on Transfers of Funds. Although the blockchain is public, the current anonymity associated with crypto-currencies brings with it clear risks for criminal activities such as money laundering and terrorist financing. The proposal will extend the so-called ‘travel rule’ from traditional wire transfers to transfers in crypto assets. This means that information identifying the originator and the beneficiary will be recorded and shared between crypto service providers, such as trading platforms, along with the transaction. Assita’s goal for this legislation is to tackle crime without jeopardizing people’s privacy or hampering innovation and progress.
Assita hosts the podcast Assita, Rebellious & Free where she discusses on sensitive issues around freedom, security and self-determination.
Prior to joining Parliament, Assita served in boards of directors, worked for companies such as PwC and BNP Paribas, and for businesses where she structured international operations. She also founded Polin, a political incubator to empower women in politics. Assita holds a Master in International Politics and an MBA and is fluent in Dutch, French and English.