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"Unfortunately, I must say that you don’t have to be a criminal mastermind to come up with a sanctions evasion or circumvention scheme… most of the time, they’re not very sophisticated.” In the latest episode of the “Sanctions Space” podcast, Justine Walker is joined by...
Former Financial Crime Enforcement Network (FinCEN) Director Kenneth Blanco once said, “Banks must be thinking about their crypto exposure. If banks are not thinking about these issues, it will be apparent when examiners visit.”1 This advice from the former FinCEN director can also be applied...
In this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran Beer talks with Tristram Hicks, co-author with Nicholas Gilmour of “The War on Dirty Money,” an examination of the promise and shortcomings of the current costly global effort to combat financial crime. Drawing on his years as...
The term financial technology (fintech) is many times used interchangeably when referring to regulatory technology (regtech) and supervisory technology (suptech). However, these technological solutions should not be lumped together. Let us unpack the distinct differences. What is Fintech? Fintech includes the provision of financial services...
The global COVID-19 pandemic had widespread consequences. International lockdowns and subsequent work-from-home mandates created an unprecedented increase in financial crime, leading to a rising demand for anti-money laundering (AML) specialists. This has been primarily driven by continuous changes in technology, where security measures may not...
“Who watches the watchmen?” Often, in a very small company, there is only one person who serves as both the back office and compliance person. And as the person in the hot seat, you know that good systems are critical to prevent deliberate and inadvertent...
After almost a decade of military and political conflict, in February 2022, Russian troops invaded Ukraine through its eastern border in what the Kremlin officially denominated a “special military operation.” Among the immediate results were a massive and ever-growing humanitarian crisis (with more than eight...
When thinking of employees who have reached managerial roles or work in loss prevention, the last attribute that comes to mind is untrustworthy. However, that is exactly what they were in 2022 at Amazon. These roles naturally convey trust, which can lead to unquestioned agreement...
In this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran Beer talks with David Lewis, executive secretary of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) from 2015 to 2022, about the FATF’s recent plenary that gray listed South Africa and Nigeria, formally suspended Russia from membership, and criticized...
Faced with the challenges imposed by COVID-19 and global economic downturns, what will differentiate strong businesses from weak ones going forward will be their ability to think ahead, adapt and innovate. Fighting corruption and other financial crimes continues to be a huge operational burden and...
