Compliance Archives - ACAMS Today

Compliance, Featured Column, Practical Solutions, Tech Scope

Harnessing Data in the Fight Against Financial Crime

February 25, 2025February 26, 2025 /Leave a comment

In recent years, many technologies have been introduced to anti-money laundering (AML) programs. That is a welcome development, but money laundering does not seem to be on the decline. In fact, as much as 5% of global gross domestic product is laundered each year, according...

Compliance, Tech Scope

Reenvisioning Digital Assets under the Trump Administration

January 24, 2025 /Leave a comment

On January 23, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order titled “Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology,” marking a pivotal shift in US policy on digital assets and financial innovation. The directive aims to bolster the nation’s leadership in blockchain and cryptocurrency...

AFC Challenges, Compliance, Fraud

Trade Surveillance in 2025

January 10, 2025January 10, 2025 /Leave a comment

From JPMorgan’s $450 million data governance fines to the high-profile manipulation and fraud conviction of Archego’s Bill Hwang, trade surveillance and abuse were center stage ...

Compliance, December 2024 – February 2025

SARs That Count: Words Matter

December 19, 2024December 19, 2024 /Leave a comment

When the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued its Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in September 2020, titled “Anti-Money Laundering Program Effectiveness,” it marked a significant shift in how anti-money When the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued its Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) in...

Compliance, December 2024 – February 2025

SAR Optimization: Seeing the Forest Beyond the Trees

December 19, 2024December 19, 2024 /1 Comment

Suspicious activity reports (SARs) provide crucial intelligence that helps law enforcement develop cases, uncover assets and discover connections to investigate criminal networks. However, the sheer volume and complexity of SARs make them difficult to analyze efficiently. This article is the first part of a two-part...

AFC Challenges, Compliance

SAR Optimization: An LE Perspective

December 19, 2024December 19, 2024 /Leave a comment

This article is the second part of a two-part article on suspicious activity report (SAR) optimization for enhanced investigations. The first part of the article was published in the December 2024-February 2025 edition of ACAMS Today. Upstream analytics help optimize SAR data processing through entity...

AFC Policy, Compliance

AML/CTF Rules Guide—Executive Orders and the Rulemaking Process

December 19, 2024December 19, 2024 /Leave a comment

This article, part two of an overview of the “notice and comment” process in rulemaking, will discuss the roles of Executive Orders and the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the process, as well as the three stages of the process. The first part...

Compliance, December 2024 – February 2025, Exclusive

AML/CTF Rules Guide―Effective Public Commenting

December 19, 2024December 19, 2024 /Leave a comment

On July 3, 2024, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network published a proposed anti-money laundering/counter-terrorist financing “program” rule in the Federal Register. The publication gave the public notice of the proposed rule, invited the public to submit comments within 60 days, and provided a cost and...

Compliance, Exclusive, Tech Scope

Leveraging Strategic Intelligence in Cryptocurrency Compliance

October 29, 2024 /Leave a comment

The cryptocurrency space is evolving rapidly, making a cutting-edge compliance function essential. Instead of the reactive measures often used by traditional financial institutions and early crypto exchanges, the future lies in a proactive approach to compliance—one driven by the introduction of a strategic intelligence team....

AFC Challenges, Compliance, Understanding AI, World Digest

The Changing Landscape of Auditing AI

October 17, 2024 /Leave a comment

Financial crime compliance has been a strategic priority for all financial institutions (FIs) globally. The increased dynamism in the business landscape and the enhanced use of digitization have exposed FIs to increased levels of financial crime compliance risk globally. Considering the same fact, regulators across...