Featured
The World Cup: A magnet for financial crime
When the FIFA World Cup starts, the world comes together in celebration. However, while fans are focused on the games, criminal networks see an opportunity.
From harmless wagers to global crime in sports betting
Placing bets in crypto on the amount of warnings (or “yellow cards”) given out in a third Estonian football league match on obscure betting platforms accessed via the Telegram messaging app might sound like a questionable, yet relatively harmless pastime for a Sunday activity.
ACAMS celebrates AFC professionals with ACAMS Awards
In September at ACAMS’ The Assembly Las Vegas at the Aria Resort and Casino, three members and one ACAMS chapter were honored for their accomplishments during a special awards presentation.
From the Editor
Running toward the goal
“Coach, do we really need to run 3 miles today?” As an assistant soccer coach at a local high school, I heard this comment quite often at the beginning of the soccer (football) season. The players were still adapting to our staff’s overarching goal of training the team with not only the best technique possible but to build great endurance and stamina as well.
Inside this Edition
- AFC Challenges
- AFC Policy
- Awards
- Career Guidance
- Fraud
- Global Financial Crime Review
- Interview
- Know Your Chapter
- Meet the ACAMS Staff
- Member Spotlights
- Practical Solutions
AML/AFC trends in 2025 and emerging topics for 2026
Financial crime risks are evolving faster than the frameworks designed to counter them, and in 2025, institutions around the world faced a critical inflection point. This was shaped not only by compliance and regulatory pressures, but also by broader macro forces: the acceleration of post-pandemic digitization, the proliferation of real-time payments and an increasingly complex web of geopolitical sanctions.
New drug trafficking typologies: A dual-market reality
During the first quarter of the 21st century, drug trafficking remained one of the few global threats to which every nation―regardless of political system, military strength or geography―was equally vulnerable. Much like a resilient virus that evolves faster than public health systems can respond, the drug trade mutates continuously, adapting to local socio-economic environments while exploiting blind spots in national security and financial controls.
The end of the “de minimis” exemption: Strengthening U.S. trade controls
In August 2025, the U.S. formally ended its long-standing duty-free exemption for low-value imports, called “de minimis.” This represented a policy shift that marked one of the most consequential changes in U.S. customs law in decades.
Great moments in American CTF
For ACAMS professionals: Do you remember a time when anti-money laundering (AML) did not include counter-terrorist financing (CTF)? In the U.S., CTF history is recent and revolves around the main “‘material support,” criminal statute 18 U.S.C. 2339B, which has only been around for 25 years.
ACAMS celebrates AFC professionals with ACAMS Awards
In September at ACAMS’ The Assembly Las Vegas at the Aria Resort and Casino, three members and one ACAMS chapter were honored for their accomplishments during a special awards presentation.
Internal audit: The gateway to career hot zones in AFC
The financial crime world is having its moment. On one side, there is a gravitational pull toward the bold new frontiers of financial crime prevention―crypto exchanges, fintech startups, banking as a service (BaaS) platforms and embedded finance ventures―where technology moves fast, acronyms multiply overnight and job titles sound like startups themselves.
Fraud trends in 2026: What to expect
Fraud continues to evolve quickly, challenging even the most prepared financial institutions (FIs). The FBI reported that in 2024 alone, Americans lost over $16.6 billion to increasingly complex schemes. As we move into 2026, fraud prevention programs must adapt to stay ahead of perpetrators.
The World Cup: A magnet for financial crime
When the FIFA World Cup starts, the world comes together in celebration. However, while fans are focused on the games, criminal networks see an opportunity.
From harmless wagers to global crime in sports betting
Placing bets in crypto on the amount of warnings (or “yellow cards”) given out in a third Estonian football league match on obscure betting platforms accessed via the Telegram messaging app might sound like a questionable, yet relatively harmless pastime for a Sunday activity.
In the spotlight: Fighting human trafficking at global events
When the world’s spotlight shines brightest on events like the Super Bowl, Formula 1, the electronics trade show CES and soon the 2026 FIFA World Cup, it also illuminates something far darker. Behind the glamor, the global media coverage and the surge of tourism, predators exploit the same influx of people, money and the anonymity that make these spectacles possible.
North Korean IT worker infiltration: Synthetic identities
Globally, companies are facing a new insider threat: foreign operatives from the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea (DRPK) posing as legitimate information technology (IT) professionals.
Atsuo Takada: Globally connecting through The ACAMS Assemblies
Atsuo Takada specializes in financial crime countermeasures, especially for anti-money laundering (AML), product management from discovery to collaboration, as well as the implementation of fintech solutions. In addition, he oversees business planning and marketing.
ACAMS Malta Chapter: A webinar on professional money launderers
On September 29, 2025, the ACAMS Malta Chapter held an engaging webinar on professional money launderers (PMLs), “Professional Money Launderers: Methods, Trends and Detection.” This article will explore how PMLs exploit financial systems, the common methods they use and how to detect them. PMLs are experts―either as an individual or a group―who carry out money laundering as a service to criminal organizations.
ACAMS Greater Buffalo Chapter: A night of insight and recognition at the BSA Officer Roundtable
On October 1, the ACAMS Greater Buffalo Chapter hosted a memorable in-person outdoor event at Larkin Square: “The BSA Officer Roundtable.” The evening brought together a vibrant community of antifinancial crime (AFC) professionals from a wide range of financial institutions―large, small, local and global―for an engaging exchange of ideas, practical insights and meaningful networking.
From awareness to action: ACAMS South Florida Chapter advances the fight against HT
On September 29, 2025, the ACAMS South Florida Chapter convened financial crime professionals, law enforcement officials, survivor advocates, technology leaders and students at Florida International University in Miami for a full day of learning and collaboration focused on combating human trafficking.
ACAMS New York Chapter celebrates its 20th anniversary
Twenty years ago, a group of anti-financial crime (AFC) professionals gathered at the offices of U.S. Trust in New York City, marking the first event of the ACAMS New York Chapter. In November 2025, roughly 250 AFC professionals gathered to commemorate the chapter’s 20th anniversary, a milestone that honors its enduring legacy and highlights the vital role ACAMS chapters play in the global fight against financial crime.
Gabriel Vedrenne: Crafting data-driven AFC journalism
ACAMS Today recently caught up with Gabriel Vedrenne, who is the senior reporter covering Europe for ACAMSmoneylaundering.com. Prior to joining ACAMS, he spent a decade in Paris, France, as a business journalist and managing editor. After joining ACAMS in 2019, he spent nearly six years in London before moving back to France last autumn.
Md Nasim Akhtar, CCAS—Mumbai, India
Md Nasim Akhtar is a financial risk management professional with 15 years of experience across leading investment banks. He currently works at Deutsche Bank, where he specializes in the risk management of the FX and Rates businesses. He has held roles in both risk control and risk audit functions.
Monika Kobosko, CAMS—Warsaw, Poland
Monika Kobosko is head of Group Compliance Financial Crime Testing and Analysis at Nordea, where she leads a multi-disciplinary team delivering independent testing and advanced analytics to assess the effectiveness of financial crime controls across the group.
Lucas Naldi, CAMS—Sao Paulo, Brazil
With over 10 years of experience, nine of which have been dedicated to anti-money laundering (AML)/counter terrorist financing, Lucas Naldi is an AML specialist recognized for his career path that connects the rigor of the traditional financial system with the agility of financial technology.
Narrowing the gap and building relationships between LE and FIs
In the ever-evolving landscape and the seemingly non-stop escalation of global financial crime, a convergence of perspectives is essential, encompassing both police priorities and methods with those of financial institutions.
Guide to successfully implementing AFC systems
Implementing a new anti-financial crime system is a complex and large project because of the amount of data required to enable the system and the regulatory expectations for the system’s capabilities and performance.