Staff Notes Archives - ACAMS Today

December 2021 - February 2022, Staff Notes

AML in APAC: 2021 in Review

December 8, 2021 /Leave a comment

The return to “normal” was anticipated for 2021, with the successful rollout of vaccination programs in many countries. Countries are now making the hard decision of “lives” versus “livelihoods”: opening the economy or continuing with restrictions. This article focuses on a review of sanctions, trade,...

September 2021 - November 2021, Staff Notes

Making Event Trigger Reviews Work

September 3, 2021 /Leave a comment

Event trigger reviews (ETRs) or event-driven reviews are part of the anti-financial crime (AFC) controls of ongoing monitoring or ongoing reviews. Unlike periodic reviews, which follow a cycle, ETRs are ad hoc. In addition, ETRs differ from anti-money laundering (AML) investigations as ETRs are...

June - August 2021, Staff Notes

Data Analytics and a Good Old-Fashioned Investigation

June 25, 2021 /Leave a comment

This article covers two case studies where a bank effectively deployed data analytics as part of an anti-money laundering (AML) investigation. One case relates to potential online streaming of child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE) and the second case relates to potential terrorist financing....

June - August 2021, Staff Notes

Cashless Societies: Changing Times for AML Professionals

June 25, 2021 /Leave a comment

Cashless societies have become less of an abstract idea and more of a tangible reality since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdown restrictions around the world have significantly impacted the way transactions take place. The so-called “new normal” has left fewer opportunities...

ACAMS Today Europe, May - June 2021, Staff Notes

Brexit Deal: Impacts in the Fight Against Financial Crime

May 20, 2021May 24, 2021 /Leave a comment

After years of intense negotiations, two general elections and a third prime minister, the UK finally secured a Brexit agreement with the EU on 24 December 2020, officialising its exit from the bloc. The Brexit deal, formally known as The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation...

Aspects of APAC, March - May 2021, Staff Notes

Enhancing China’s AML/CTF Framework

March 30, 2021March 30, 2021 /Leave a comment

Since the 2019 People’s Republic of China (China) mutual evaluation report (MER) by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the country has taken a number of actions to strengthen its anti-money laundering/counter-terrorist financing (AML/CTF) framework. This article provides an update on China’s efforts to...

Aspects of APAC, March - May 2021, Staff Notes

The Keys to a Successful Conduct Agenda

March 30, 2021March 30, 2021 /Leave a comment

On September 10, 2020, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) issued its “Guidelines on Individual Accountability and Conduct.”1 Effective September 10, 2021, the guidelines focus on the measures financial institutions (FIs) in Singapore should enact to accomplish the following: Promoting the individual accountability of...

March - May 2021, Staff Notes

Diversity Can Strengthen Anti-Financial Crime

March 30, 2021February 15, 2022 /Leave a comment

Diversity. Equity. Inclusion. Although you may have seen these three words more and more over the last year, it is important not to gloss over their meanings too quickly. After decades of activism promoting fairer treatment for all and a year of civil unrest...

EMEA Connect, March - May 2021, Staff Notes

CBDCs: The Time Has Come

March 30, 2021April 29, 2021 /Leave a comment

For better or worse, digital currency is here to stay. Within the last decade, the use of virtual currencies has increased significantly, with retailers such as Whole Foods and Starbucks accepting payment in bitcoin.1 Perhaps encouraged by their adoption (Bitcoin has soared from $5,000 in...

December 2020 - February 2021, Staff Notes, Tech Scope

Practical Machine Learning: Advanced Techniques to Gain Alert Efficiencies

December 22, 2020February 15, 2022 /Leave a comment

The anti-money laundering (AML) community is drowning in false positives. A 2018 review by Microsoft found most transaction monitoring systems have a 95%-99% false positive rate.1 Machine learning and artificial intelligence have been widely viewed as the solution to reducing the number of false...

ACAMS Today

The Magazine for Career-minded Professionals in the Anti-Money Laundering Field

Four Questions: Understanding ESG’s Convergence with Fighting Financial Crime

Making Russian Sanctions Stick and Fighting Financial Crime, with Ilze Znotina

Understanding and Identifying Sex Trafficking

Preventing Digital Payment Systems Fraud

Megan Lundstrom: Human Trafficking Survivor, Crusader and Game Changer

Understanding Human Trafficking

Staff Notes