The Europe Express column features anti-financial crime-related content with a regional focus in Europe from subject-matter experts. If you would like to contribute to this column or have any topics you would like to suggest, please email editor@acams.org.
Our award-winning regular contributor is Stefano Siggia, CAMS, senior consultant at the Brussels-based regulatory and compliance consultancy firm Pideeco. Siggia was born in Italy but grew up in Bangladesh, China, Germany and Belgium, where he currently resides. After earning his bachelor’s degree in international affairs from Vesalius College and a master’s degree in international relations from the Brussels School of International Studies
(University of Kent), he worked at Banca Monte Paschi Belgio.
Qatargate refers to European Parliament officials, lobbyists and their families who were allegedly involved in corruption, money laundering and organised crime, influenced by the governments of Qatar, Morocco and Mauritania. In December 2022, there were several arrests and searches affecting former and current members of...
Sanctions can be effective if they are proportional to the strength of their enforcement and the unity of global efforts. EU sanctions against Russia, its oil and natural gas industry, are not an exception to this rule. Whilst many suggest that sanctions have worked as...
Editor’s note: This article is the first part of a two-part series on the emotional consequences of fraud and how financial institutions (FIs) can respond to address the issue. The second part “Responding to the emotional impact of fraud” can also be found in the...
Campania’s Camorra, one of the four major Mafia groups in Italy, along with Sicily’s Cosa Nostra, Calabria’s ‘Ndrangheta and Puglia’s Sacra Corona Unita, is one of the most insidious and dangerous criminal organisations in the world. With a history spanning over a century, Camorra has...
Imagine back-to-back loans between several companies registered in offshore jurisdictions. This could look like or be a set of transactions indented for tax planning within a legitimate business activity. However, the picture can change quickly. For example, if it is established that the ultimate beneficial...
C alabria, the southern region of Italy referred to as the “toe” of the “boot,” is home to one of the most dangerous crime syndicates in the world—the ‘Ndrangheta. Its ruthlessness has made it one of the major players in the international drug market, allowing...
For the past 100 years, the mafia’s brutal and lawless presence has influenced everything from pop culture to history, extending beyond Italy’s borders to impact crime around the world. The word mafia is used as an informal term for four major groups: Calabria’s ‘Ndrangheta, Campania’s...
Disclaimer: This article was written the first part of December 2022. Given the rapid pace at which new pieces of information are being uncovered on the FTX case, there is a potential impact on the views expressed due to different angles and perspectives about this...
In February 2022, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) categorised the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as an increased monitoring jurisdiction as part of the Mutual In February 2022, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) categorised the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as an increased monitoring jurisdiction1...
On 10 February 2022, over 100 individuals attended the ACAMS Netherlands Chapter webinar focusing on the integration of environment, social and governance (ESG) principles into existing anti-money laundering and combatting the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) compliance frameworks. KPMG Netherlands Sustainability Partner Marco Frikkee and Rebecca...
Our award-winning regular contributor is Stefano Siggia, CAMS, senior consultant at the Brussels-based regulatory and compliance consultancy firm Pideeco. Siggia was born in Italy but grew up in Bangladesh, China, Germany and Belgium, where he currently resides. After earning his bachelor’s degree in international affairs from Vesalius College and a master’s degree in international relations from the Brussels School of International Studies
