At 19 years old, I set out on an adventure and lifelong dream—to see Europe. Armed with my backpack and everything I thought necessary to survive a six-week excursion to the continent, I began visiting country-after-country. I learned from this thrilling adventure that Europe was more than what I had imagined and studied in college. This continent opened my eyes to different cultures, food, architecture, art and natural beauties that in my opinion should be experienced firsthand. It was my personal renaissance—it led to more trips and a longer stay in one of the most beautiful regions in the world.
ACAMS Today is having a renaissance of its own. I am proud to unveil the inaugural edition of ACAMS Today Europe. In addition to its cultural wonders, Europe is also one of the leaders in the fight against financial crime: From the European Union Directives, the General Data Protection Regulation and sanctions, to its continued fight against terrorist financing and more.
The lead article in ACAMS Today Europe poses the question, Fintech: Friend or foe to anti-financial crime? Seen as complementary to traditional bank accounts, digital bank accounts and e-wallet services are often regarded as lacking a culture of compliance. Learn possible solutions on how to tackle the risk of fintech banking.
The next featured article, Emerging Sanctions Challenges for Global Counter-Terrorism, covers the latest changes in global sanctions and addresses the challenges that the transformation of the Islamic State has caused in combatting financial crime.
Also in this issue, an article on the notable changes to the Fifth AML Directive, and another on using suspicious activity report analysis to report the link between financial crime and gambling.
The inaugural ACAMS Today Europe edition contains articles not only in English, but also in German and French.
I would be remiss if I did not thank the newly formed ACAMS Today editorial committee—Europe for their invaluable contributions in both content and language expertise.
I hope ACAMS Today Europe will provide a renaissance of sorts to those of you continuously fighting financial crime. I am looking forward to meeting and speaking with many of you in Berlin this coming June.
See you soon, À bientôt, Bis bald,
