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.
In stark contrast to the cold day of June 9, 1995, the atmosphere at the Egmont-Arenberg Palace in Brussels was ablaze with tension and anticipation. As members of the Belgian financial intelligence unit (FIU), the Cellule de Traitement des Informations Financières (CTIF-CFI) patiently awaited the...
In 2021, Belgian authorities intercepted a colossal 89 metric tons of illicit drugs valued at 4.5 billion euros (approximately $4.8 billion) within the confines of Antwerp’s bustling port in what was known as Operation Sky ECC. Despite the successful achievement and the apprehension of 888...
Companies involved in transnational business are concerned about sanctions primarily because of the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which is highly active in terms of enforcement and imposes large penalties on sanctions violators. Conversely, while the European Union (EU) has also been active...
Le 24 février 2022, de son plein gré, la Russie a décidé d’envahir l’Ukraine. La mesure la plus dissuasive, décidée par les gouvernements européens, fut alors le gel des avoirs des oligarques russes. À ce jour, les pays de l’Union européenne, Belgique et Luxembourg en...
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one of the least attractive African mining jurisdictions for foreign investors. As some know, there are numerous business prospects in the Congolese mining industry. The mining industry is the strategic focus of public policy and projections for national...
There is not a more fitting metaphor than Pandoras Jar1 in describing the entry of artificial intelligence (AI) into our society. Pandora’s “box” is a historical mistranslation;2 an inaccuracy. It was described as Panadoras Jar. The application of AI and machine learning in financial crime...
When Lisa Paus, a financial expert in Germany’s Green Party, tried to identify the owners of the Kundamm-Karee ‘Fürst’ project, she hit a wall. The approximately 635,071-square-foot urban area that would house office spaces, retail stores and art galleries at Kurfürstendamm, one of Berlin’s most...
Editor’s note: This article is the second part of a two-part series on the emotional effects of fraud and how financial institutions (FIs) can respond to address the issue. The first part, “The Emotional Consequences of Fraud,” is available on the Europe Express column. Understanding...
The Italian criminal underworld is infamous for its Sicilian mobsters and Calabrian drug traffickers, but little is known of the “Fourth Mafia,” or the Sacra Corona Unita (SCU).1 Sprung from the depths of Apulia’s prison system, it makes up one of the major mafia groups...
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...
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
