Shows
Financial Crime MattersFighting identity theft and the financial exploitation of children, with Renata Furst GalvãoIn this episode of "Financial Crime Matters," Kieran talks with Renata Furst Galvão about identity theft, focusing on the theft of children’s identities for financial exploitation. Renata recounts the theft of her own identity as a six-year-old child and the tremendous burden it placed on her until her financial records were cleared of debt in her late twenties. Renata draws on her experience as a victim as detailed in the YouTube documentary short “One in Fifty” and the expertise she subsequently achieved in her professional life as partner manager for risk intelligence at the LSEG Group. https://www.youtube...
2025-09-0227 min
Financial Crime MattersUncovering Links to Chinese Underground Laundering and More:LatAm Conference Special with John TobonIn this episode of "Financial Crime Matters" Kieran talks with John Tobon, former assistant director for the Department of Homeland Security Investigations' Countering Transnational Crime and Terrorism Division, to set the stage for ACAMS' upcoming Assembly Latin America in Cancun, July 21- 22, 2025. In this fast-moving conversation, John and Kieran discuss Chinese underground money laundering, migration and money laundering, and the state of public private partnerships in Latin America. https://www.acams.org/en/events/the-assembly/the-assembly-latam
2025-07-1512 min
Financial Crime MattersFighting Corruption at Home and Abroad, with TI France's Sara BrimbeufIn this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks with Sara Brimbeuf, head of the illicit financial flows program at Transparency International France.
Sara and Kieran discuss TI France's efforts to fight bribery and corruption in conjunction with TI chapters around the globe and the non-governmental agency's current efforts to bring to justice French intermediaries accused of aiding global leaders in laundering the proceeds of corruption.
Sara also describes the uses and limits of TI's well-known "Corruption Perception Index," and its new benchmark, the Opacity in Real Estate Ownership (OREO) Index, which tracks 24 jurisdictions' requirements for disclosure of real estate owne...
2025-07-0721 min
Financial Crime MattersBlockchain Forensics and Surviving Detention in Nigeria, with Tigran Gambaryan and Andy Greenberg.In this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks with Andy Greenberg, senior writer at WIRED and author of the blockchain forensic thriller “Tracers In The Dark.” Halfway into their conversation, they are joined by Tigran Gambaryan, head of financial crime compliance at Binance and a former IRS-CI investigator.
Andy, Tigran and Kieran discuss Tigran’s detention by Nigerian authorities for 8 months as part of the government's effort to force Binance to pay billions in penalties, which was the subject of an in-depth WIRED article by Andy. They also talk about Tigran’s role as a blockchain forensics pioneer documented by Andy in “...
2025-05-3024 min
Financial Crime MattersCountering Violent Extremist Groups, with Hans-Jakob SchindlerIn this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks with Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, Senior Director of the Counter-Extremism Project about the current violent threats posed by Islamic radicals, and right-wing and left-wing extremist groups.
Drawing on his expertise as Senior Director of the Counter Extremism Project and years of diplomatic service, Hans names the extremist organizations that currently threaten to unleash global violence.
While detailing some of the catalysts for the militancy of these organizations, including ongoing conflict in the Middle East and Africa, and political polarization in the United States and Europe, Hans also discusses what financial institutions and gove...
2025-05-1627 min
Financial Crime MattersUnderstanding North Korea’s $1.5 Billion Bybit Theft, with Geoff WhiteIn this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks with Geoff White, the author of three crucial books on financial crime, including “The Lazarus Heist: From Hollywood to High Finance: Inside North Korea's Global Cyber War.”
Drawing from “The Lazarus Heist” and a plethora of recent information, Geoff details North Korea’s $1.5 billion theft of ether in February from Bybit, a large global cryptocurrency exchange.
During their discussion, Geoff provides a decades long history of North Korea’s efforts to steal foreign currency, particularly dollars, and describes how its hackers used a third-party vendor and long-term surveillance to empty Bybit’s Ethereum wallet...
2025-03-1830 min
Financial Crime MattersNeither Rain, Nor Snow: Fighting Financial Crime Threats to the US Postal Service, with Michael BrunoIn this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Michael Bruno, who is anti-money laundering program manager at the service’s national headquarters.
Mike details some of the Inspection Service’s efforts to tackle the theft of bank checks that are “washed” to fraudulently change the payees and amounts and that are all too often stolen during violent attacks on mail carriers. Crediting the Financial Crime Enforcement Network (FinCEN), the Inspection Service’s law enforcement partners and a massive education effort, Mike shares how in roads have been made against check washing. He also discusse...
2025-01-0927 min
Financial Crime MattersProsecuting Crypto Criminals, with the Justice Department’s Claudia QuirozIn this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks with Claudia Quiroz, Director of the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team, or NCET, at the U.S. Justice Department.
Claudia and Kieran discuss the rise in cryptocurrency-enabled crime that necessitated NCET’s creation three years ago and the team’s subsequent efforts to prosecute cyber predators and seize the proceeds of their crimes. Serving as a dedicated nerve center staffed by crypto experts within the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of Justice, where Claudia is deputy chief, NCET pursues a variety of frauds and scams, money laundering and other abuses of cryptocu...
2024-12-1718 min
Financial Crime MattersFighting the Online Exploitation of Children, with Adam Levine of the Child Rescue CoalitionIn this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks with Adam Levine, Director of Government Engagement for the Child Rescue Coalition (CRC).
Adam and Kieran discuss CRC’s efforts to enable law enforcement to trace online child sexual abuse material to its creators and collectors. During their discussion, Adam details some of the typologies associated with child exploitation that in tandem with CRC’s training and technological support has, to date, resulted in the arrest of more than 15,500 predators in more than 100 countries.
2024-12-0421 min
Financial Crime MattersStanding Against "Pig-Butchering," with Zeke Faux, Danielle Keeton-Olsen and Erin WestIn this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks with three individuals committed to exposing cryptocurrency scams and drawing attention to imprisoned investigative journalist Mech Dara, who is responsible for uncovering the horrific conditions and practices within Cambodian-based crypto fraud compounds.
Zeke Faux, author of “Number Go Up,” Danielle Keeton-Olsen, a freelance journalist based in Phnom Penh, and Erin West, Deputy District Attorney, Santa Clara County CA, discuss Dara’s treatment by the Cambodian government and its seeming indifference to fraud compounds that enslave tens of thousands and operate in plain sight, causing the financial ruin of millions around the world. Dur...
2024-10-3123 min
Financial Crime MattersProsecuting Bank Insiders Gone Bad, with the DOJ’s Michael GradyIn this episode of Financial Crime Matters, Kieran sits down with Michael Grady, chief of the bank integrity unit at the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division during the ACAMS Assembly Vegas Conference in September.
Mike talks about the BIU’s remit to pursue criminal infractions at banks, payment service providers, cryptocurrency exchanges and other financial businesses subject to the Bank Secrecy Act. During their conversation, Mike discusses some specific cases involving institutions actively involved in breaking anti-money laundering, terror finance and sanctions laws, which pose a threat to national security.
2024-10-2921 min
Financial Crime MattersParsing the TD Bank Prosecution and Regulatory Settlements, with Craig TimmIn this episode of “Financial Crime Matters”, Kieran talks with ACAMS colleague, Craig Timm, Senior Director of AML at ACAMS.
Craig and Kieran do a deep dive into the recent settlements by TD Bank with the US Department of Justice, the Federal Reserve Board, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network that resulted in more than $3 billion in monetary penalties, ongoing remediation and monitorships, as well as the prosecution of two bank insiders. With more individual prosecutions likely, Craig and Kieran layout the lessons for financial institutions from settlements and discuss how compliance prof...
2024-10-2424 min
Financial Crime MattersIndustry Leaders: Jason SomrakDetecting True Crimes with Great Accuracy, with Oracle’s Jason Somrak
In this inaugural episode of “Financial Crime Matters: Industry Leaders,” Kieran sits down with Jason Somrak, Chief of Product & Strategy for Financial Crime & Compliance at Oracle Software.
Jason talks about the Holy Grail of anti-financial crime practice: the ability to “detect true crime with great accuracy,” which includes canceling out the noise of false positives. Jason and Kieran also discuss the possibilities and limits of current technology as well as the promise for future advancements in fighting financial crime. During their conversation, Jason also takes a stab at defining what we re...
2024-10-1827 min
Financial Crime MattersUnderstanding Canada’s Enhanced Regulatory Regime, with Jacqueline ShinfieldUnderstanding Canada’s Enhanced Regulatory Regime, with Jacqueline Shinfield.
In this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks with Toronto-based attorney Jacqueline Shinfield, co-lead of Blakes’ Financial Services Regulatory Group.
Jackie details the unfolding revolution in Canadian anti-money laundering and counter terror finance, including creation of a safe harbor for information sharing among FINTRAC regulated entities and new sanctions reporting requirements.
Setting the stage for ACAMS upcoming “The Assembly Canada” November 6 and 7, Jackie also talks about how far Canada has come since the Cullen Commission Report by explaining the new role title insurers will play in verifying beneficial ownership in real estate...
2024-09-1922 min
Financial Crime MattersFighting Push-Payment Fraud and Other Online Scams, with Santander’s Chris AinsleyIn this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks with Chris Ainsley, head of fraud risk management at Santander Bank.
Drawing on more than 20-year history at Santander, Chris details how financial institutions like his are fighting the current spike in online fraud that utilizes elaborate schemes to get customers to authorize payments from their accounts into the accounts of scammers.
With it now being possible to conduct all our banking, buying, selling and a host of other transactions online, banks are tasked with educating customers about the intricate subterfuges to trick them into authorizing payments to criminals, says Chris.
Fina...
2024-09-0431 min
Financial Crime MattersPreventing Crime and Adopting a Regulatory Framework, with Kraken’s CJ RinaldiKieran talks with CJ Rinaldi, chief compliance officer at Kraken Digital Asset Exchange, about the virtual asset service provider’s efforts to prevent money laundering, terror finance, sanctions busting, and fraud.
Drawing on his experience as senior counsel at the SEC and at financial institutions, CJ also discusses the kind of regulatory regime the cryptocurrency industry needs as well as the benefits and limits of blockchain transparency for financial transactions.
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This Financial Crime Matters episode is sponsored by:
Focal - https://www.getfocal.ai
2024-08-0728 min
Financial Crime MattersSurviving Regulatory and Law Enforcement Scrutiny as a Compliance Officer, with Christina ReaIn this episode of Financial Crime Matters, Kieran talks with Christina Rea about her brief tenure at Binance.US as interim chief compliance officer.
Christina discusses what it was like to head U.S. compliance for Binance.com, the world’s largest digital assets trading platform, as it underwent scrutiny from regulators and law enforcement that ultimately culminated in a $4.3 billion penalty against Binance.com and a guilty plea for money laundering failures by the VASP’s co-founder Changpeng Zhao that resulted in his paying a $50 million fine and the possibility of up to 18 months in prison.
Christina, who launched a co...
2024-07-2330 min
Financial Crime MattersTracking crypto and money mules, with IRS-CI’s Guy FiccoKieran talks with Guy Ficco, the Chief of IRS Criminal Investigation. They discuss the IRS-CI’s recent success in tracking illicit cryptocurrency transactions. and the threat from money mules. Guy also identifies some of the latest typologies his agency is seeing, while crediting suspicious activity reports from financial institutions as catalysts for investigations, arrests and successful prosecutions.
2024-07-1124 min
Financial Crime MattersIntercepting Terror Finance, with the FBI’s Eliza OdomKieran talks with Eliza Odom, former Section Chief of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, about the top terror threats the bureau is currently focused on.
While having since become deputy assistant director of the FBI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate, Eliza discusses the seven units within the Counterterrorism Division she once oversaw, particularly focusing on the Financial Targeting and Analysis Unit, and its role interdicting terror funding.
While deeply concerned about the actions of home-grown extremists, Eliza also details the need for global cooperation and vigilance from the private sector to address the rising threat of cross border financed terr...
2024-06-2428 min
Financial Crime MattersTracking and Seizing Drug Money, with Hennie Verbeek-KustersKieran talks with Hennie Verbeek-Kusters, head of the Netherlands financial intelligence unit, about her leadership over the FIU since its founding in 2008.
During their discussion, Hennie details how the Dutch FIU has evolved to face the challenge of evermore sophisticated transnational criminal organizations and the professional money launderers they now utilize. The effort to track and seize drug money has, she says, taken on a new urgency with the unprecedented rise of violence by organized drug traffickers in the Netherlands in past few years.
2024-05-3024 min
Financial Crime MattersSeizing Assets So That Crime Doesn’t Pay, with Molly MoeserKieran talks with Molly Moeser, Acting Chief, Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section of the U.S. Justice Department, about MLARS’ efforts to seize illicit assets and, when possible, bring financial restitution to victims of crime.
During their talk, Molly discusses the seizure of illicit funds associated with kleptocracy and other crimes, including crypto assets, which require “a whole of government approach” that enlists experts throughout law enforcement.
Molly also touches on the importance of MLARS’ relationships with the private sector in identifying and seizing criminal proceeds, both as a source of intelligence and cooperative partner.
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This Financial Crime Matters...
2024-05-1524 min
Financial Crime MattersEnlisting A.I. in the Fight Against Financial Crime, with Jennifer Shasky CalveryKieran talks with Jennifer Shasky Calvery, Group Head of Financial Crime Risk at HSBC, a former Director of the Financial Crime Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, and former federal prosecutor.
Drawing on her public and private sector experience, Jen details the challenges faced by financial institutions and government and how in partnership they can detect illicit funds and catch bad actors.
Jen also talks with Kieran about HSBC’s recent partnership with Google AML AI and the promise artificial intelligence holds for financial institutions and law enforcement.
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This Financial Crime Matters episode is sponsored by:
Focal - www.getfocal.ai
HA...
2024-04-2329 min
Financial Crime MattersMaking Sense of U.S. Anti-Financial Crime Measures, with Daniel StipanoKieran talks with Daniel Stipano, partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell and a 30-year veteran of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, about the unfolding requirements of the Corporate Transparency and AML Acts and their impact on law enforcement, and financial as well as non-financial institutions.
Dan also weighs in on the current court challenges to the CTA, particularly the recent Federal court ruling that declared it unconstitutional, what the Financial Crime Enforcement Network’s latest rule-makings mean, and what the long-awaited revised customer due diligence rule might look like.
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This Financial Crime Matters episode is sponsored by:
Sy...
2024-03-1433 min
Financial Crime MattersIdentifying Financial Crime Threats, with Justine Walker and Craig TimmKieran talks with ACAMS colleagues Justine Walker, head of global sanctions and AML risk, and Craig Timm, senior AML director, about the just released “ACAMS Global AFC Threats 2024.”
Drawing on 788 in-depth interactions with anti-financial crime professionals that inform the report, Justine and Craig identify the top ten threats currently facing the global AFC community, including budget cuts at financial institutions, the rise of cyber-enabled crime, the fallout from global conflict, and more.
While detailing the threats, Justine and Craig also talk about how anti-financial crime professionals are responding and how financial institutions can prepare for the threats in their own AFC...
2024-02-1432 min
Financial Crime MattersStemming Crypto-related Crime, with Coinbase’s Grant RabennKieran talks with Grant Rabenn, Director, Financial Crimes Legal at Coinbase.
Grant, a former federal prosecutor who handled some of the Department of Justice’s earliest crypto cases, discusses the promise of blockchain offerings, while acknowledging the industry’s need to work with regulators to stem their use in financial crime and money laundering.
During their conversation, Grant also touches some of the typologies for the illicit use of crypto currency that Coinbase encounters and the value of using a variety of blockchain forensics providers to trace crypto transactions.
2024-01-3028 min
Financial Crime MattersAround the Globe to Understand Crypto, with Zeke FauxKieran talks with Zeke Faux, author of critically acclaimed “Number Go Up,” a comprehensive look at cryptocurrency, DeFi, and NFTs.
Zeke, an investigative reporter for Bloomberg BusinessWeek and Bloomberg News, discusses the trek he undertook to understand the boom and sometimes bust of various blockchain offerings. It was a journey that included a New York harbor NFT “ApeFest,” time in the Philippines with erstwhile Axis Infinity gamers who lost everything, a visit to a hotel in Cambodia attached to a “pig butchering” operation, and finally a marathon interview with Sam Bankman-Fried in the Bahamas days before his arrest.
2024-01-0831 min
Financial Crime MattersFrom Money Launderer to AML Consultant, the Kenneth Rijock StoryKieran talks with Kenneth Rijock, a former Miami-based lawyer who spent a decade as a bag man for drug-traffickers, investing their cash in accounts in the Caribbean and other offshore secrecy havens.
Ken describes some of the classic methods he used for laundering money and how law enforcement ultimately caught up with him. Following a prison term, Ken reinvented himself as an anti-money laundering advisor to law enforcement and subsequently the private sector. His story is also told in his book, “The Laundryman,” published in 2012.
2023-12-1325 min
Financial Crime MattersEnabling Law Enforcement in the Fight Against Online Child Exploitation, with Carly YoostKieran talks with Carly Yoost, CEO and founder of the Child Rescue Coalition, which has created technology that enables law enforcement to identify instances of online child exploitation and locate its perpetrators.
During their discussion, Carly details the scope of online child exploitation and how the Coalition provides tools and training to law enforcement in 98 countries that has led to the arrest of over 14,700 child predators.
2023-11-1518 min
Financial Crime MattersFighting Fraud, with the FBI’s James Barnacle and Christopher SoyezKieran talks with James Barnacle, Chief of the Financial Crimes Section, Criminal Investigative Division of the FBI, and Christopher Soyez, Assistant Section Chief.
Jim and Chris discuss how the FBI works to recover the proceeds of scams on behalf of victims. They credit banks’ suspicious activity reports with being the primary catalyst for the bureau’s successful investigations into COVID-19 related scams, while also questioning a rising reluctance within the industry to aid customers in recovering the proceeds of other kinds of fraud.
2023-10-3131 min
Financial Crime MattersPublic & Private Sectors Together in the Fight Against Financial Crime, with Kenneth A. BlancoKieran talks with Kenneth A. Blanco, Chief Compliance Officer for the Financial Crimes Unit at Citigroup, who is also a former Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) director and before that held several senior roles within the U.S. Department of Justice.
Ken and Kieran discuss the challenges of being FinCEN’s chief during the COVID-19 epidemic and his perspective on the Anti-Money Laundering and Corporate Transparency Acts created and passed during his tenure.
Having now served within both the public and private sectors in the fight against financial crime, Ken also talks about what regulators, law enforcement and AFC professionals at...
2023-10-1624 min
Financial Crime MattersMaking the World Safe for DeFi, with Seoyoung KimKieran talks with Seoyoung Kim, Associate Professor of Finance, Department Chair, at Santa Clara University, about the promise and possible perils of decentralized finance.
They discuss the recent implosion of several cryptocurrency exchanges and stablecoin minters and the great legal and judicial debate now raging over the regulation of digital assets.
In detailing some of the regulatory definitional claims now being adjudicated in U.S. courts, Seoyoung argues that the contested offerings are all analogous to financial instruments already regulated under the extant centralized finance system. As a result, she says that the proper application of rules from the centralized...
2023-08-3024 min
Financial Crime MattersParsing the Challenges of Fighting Financial Crime, with Rick Small, Dan Soto and John ByrneKieran talks with Rick Small, Director Financial Crimes Program, at Truist, Dan Soto, Chief Compliance Officer, Ally Financial, and John Byrne, Executive Vice President, AML RightSource, about what’s been achieved in the past 40 years in the fight against financial crime and what challenges lay ahead.
In anticipation of receiving the “ACAMS Lifetime Achievement Award” at The Assembly in Las Vegas in October, Rick, Dan, and John discuss the successes and shortcomings of past Bank Secrecy Act regulation, as well as what’s good and what’s bad in the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020 and the Corporate Transparency Act.
Drawing on nearly...
2023-08-0138 min
Financial Crime MattersPreparing for Europe’s AMLA and Fighting Financial Crime, with Dutch Central Banker Willem SchudelKieran talks with Willem Schudel, Head of Department, Financial Crime Supervision (AML/TF) at the Central Bank of the Netherlands, live from The Assembly Europe, ACAMS’ annual conference, held this year in Dublin.
Willem discusses the Dutch Central Bank’s preparations for the coming of the European Union’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority, or AMLA, and the bank’s latest initiatives with regulated entities, including expectations they adopt technology that will identify criminal activity and reinforce the risked-based approach.
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This Financial Crime Matters episode is sponsored by:
NICE Actimize CDD-X - https://www.niceactimize.com
SAS - https://www.sas.com/frau...
2023-07-0321 min
Financial Crime MattersCreating the Next Wave for Fighting Financial Crime, with FINTRAC’s Sarah PaquetKieran talks with Sarah Paquet, Director and CEO of the Financial Transaction Reports Analysis Centre, FINTRAC, live from ACAMS’ 27th annual moneylaundering.com conference in Hollywood, Florida.
Sarah discusses FINTRAC’s new role handling sanctions intelligence, managing the revolution in financial technology, and the financial intelligence unit’s ongoing commitment to expand and further internationalize Canada’s anti-financial crime public-private partnerships.
While detailing the initial success of the partnerships, including initiatives around human trafficking, online child exploitation and the fentanyl trade, the FINTRAC director says “we are definitely looking to bring [all] our partnerships to an international level” because FINTRAC should be se...
2023-06-0529 min
Moody’s Talks: KYC DecodedKey insights from ACAMS Hollywood 2023The ACAMS Hollywood 2023 conference was another success bringing industry professionals and practitioners together to discuss AML regulatory trends, emerging technologies, and more. In this episode, host Alex Pillow provides on-the-ground coverage capturing engaging conversations with Kieran Beer, Director of Editorial Content, Chief Analyst at ACAMS; Lukayn Hunsicker, Moody's Analytics KYC Head of New Product Innovation; Richard Graham, Moody's Analytics KYC Industry Practice Lead; Colleen Dychdala, Moody's Analytics KYC Head of Premium Content at Grid; and Modesto Rivero, Moody's Analytics KYC Senior Product Analyst. And, for the first time, Alex takes his turn in the hot seat as he shares...
2023-06-0227 min
Financial Crime MattersStemming Financial Crime in Art and Antiquities, with Steve Schindler and Katie Wilson-MilneKieran talks with Steve Schindler and Katie Wilson-Milne, partners at New York litigation and art law boutique Schindler Cohen & Hochman LLP about the state of financial crime in the global antiquities and art world.
Charting some of the civil and criminal actions that have resulted in a recent wave of repatriations of artworks and antiquities from the world’s major museums, noted galleries and private collections, Steve and Katie also discuss the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s (FinCEN) recent extension of anti-money laundering and counter-terror finance reporting responsibilities to antiquities dealers.
In laying out some of the red flags associated with...
2023-05-1826 min
Financial Crime MattersRe-thinking the ‘War on Dirty Money,’ with Tristram HicksKieran talks with Tristram Hicks, co-author with Nicholas Gilmour of “The War on Dirty Money,” an examination of the promise and short-comings of the current costly global effort to combat financial crime.
Drawing on his years as a New Scotland Yard detective superintendent and his role as an international criminal justice advisor on the operational effectiveness of anti-money laundering regimes, Tristram discusses why current anti-financial crime efforts are inadequate and how they can be improved.
2023-04-1722 min
Financial Crime MattersKeeping Up with the Financial Action Task Force and Beyond, with David LewisKieran 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 governments throughout the world for lax oversight of cryptocurrency businesses.
Currently head of global AML at Kroll, David also weighs in on the United Kingdom’s and European Union’s latest AML efforts and shares his hope for greater transparency around corporate ownership drawing on his own experience as a senior official in the UK Treasury and the National Crime Agency.
2023-03-1421 min
Financial Crime MattersHow Britain Became Butler to the World’s Financial Criminals, with Oliver BulloughKieran talks with Oliver Bullough, award winning reporter for The Guardian, about his latest book, “Butler to the World: How Britain Became the Servant of Tycoons, Tax Dodgers, Kleptocrats and Criminals.”
During their conversation, Oliver details how Britain and its territories became a favored facilitator for many of the world’s kleptocrats, having transformed a financial system that once served the country’s global empire into one adept at “investing” illicit funds and serving the whims of transnational criminals. A Russian studies specialist, Oliver expresses guarded optimism about recent U.K. legislative and regulatory developments in response to the invasion of Ukraine t...
2023-02-1626 min
Financial Crime MattersPreparing for FinCEN’s Latest Rulemakings and Beyond, with Daniel Stipano and Jamal El-HindiKieran talks with Dan Stipano, partner at Davis Polk, and Jamal El-Hindi, Counsel at Clifford Chance, about the Financial Crime Enforcement Network’s far reaching new rules for creating a U.S. beneficial ownership information (BOI) database for regulators and law enforcement, including who will be required to file personal identifying information and who will not have access to the registry.
Mandated by Congress to be operational by January 2024, Dan and Jamal also detail some of the essential questions that remain unanswered about the registry, and what the regulatory landscape will look like in 2023 and beyond.
Dan and Jamal come to...
2023-01-2928 min
Financial Crime MattersFighting the Online Exploitation of Children, with Jonathan Dupont and Tiffany PolyakKieran talks with Jonathan Dupont, a financial intelligence investigator for Western Union, and Tiffany Polyak, AFC Associate at ACAMS, about the growth in online sexual exploitation of children and the related rise in child sexual abuse materials on the Internet.
In exposing the scope of the online exploitation, Jonathan and Tiffany point to the more than 100 million reports of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in Europe and the United States in 2021, with 19,000 victims being identified in the United States alone. Drawing from their work to create ACAMS’ free online anti-CSAM training program, Jonathan and Tiffany detail typologies and tools to id...
2023-01-0416 min
Financial Crime MattersCombating Cybercrime, with Bryan SmithKieran talks with Bryan Smith, chief of the FBI’s Cybercriminal Section and a 20-year bureau veteran, about the growing threat of cybercrime to both individuals and large corporations.
Bryan discusses the destruction caused by cyber hacking, identity theft and old fashion fraud and he shares some of the successes the FBI has had in recovering stolen funds – whether in fiat currencies or crypto. While concerned about future cybercrime threats from criminals who are always innovating, Bryan also argues that there is much that can be done to prevent cybercrime and catch its perpetrators when law enforcement and the private sect...
2022-11-3028 min
Financial Crime MattersExposing Financial Crime Down Under, with Nathan LynchKieran talks with Nathan Lynch, author of 'The Lucky Laundry' - an expose of how Australia became the conduit for billons of dollars in laundered funds from the proceeds of drug trafficking, corruption, the sexual exploitation of children and other heinous crimes committed by transnational criminal organizations.
Nathan, Manager of Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence, Asia-Pacific, details how the 'Lucky Country' (as Australians view their homeland) became the 'Lucky Laundry' undermining confidence in the nation’s largest financial institutions and government, and creating a still unmet outcry for stricter anti-money laundering measures from parliament.
2022-10-1726 min
Financial Crime MattersMaking Sense of the Current Chaos in Crypto, with Joby CarpenterKieran talks with ACAMS colleague Joby Carpenter about the current tumult in the digital asset world, including plummeting cryptocurrency prices, digital value’s exploitation by money launderers, the threat from cyberhackers, and the rise in crypto-related fraud schemes.
A global subject matter expert on cryptocurrency, Joby draws on 18 years of experience in strategic and risk analysis roles across the UK government, intelligence and regulatory community and concludes that there is a saner, albeit more regulated, future ahead for digital assets.
2022-10-0322 min
Financial Crime MattersWorking to Protect Refugees Fleeing Russia’s Ukraine Invasion, with Daniel ThelesklafKieran talks with Daniel Thelesklaf, Project Director for Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking (FAST) at the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research about the effort to protect refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine from human trafficking.
While many governments, organizations and individuals are offering support for refugees that includes information, food, shelter and job placements, “there are traffickers waiting at the borders” with job and other offers that Daniel says are, of course, too good to be true. Financial institutions have a vital role and a responsibility, he adds, in helping those dispossessed by the war obtain banking servic...
2022-06-0221 min
Financial Crime MattersMaking Russian Sanctions Stick and Fighting Financial Crime, with Ilze ZnotinaKieran talks with Ilze Znotina about the challenges Latvia has faced over the past four years she has been head of the Financial Intelligence Unit, including enforcing sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
“Baltic states have suffered… a very similar situation that Ukraine is suffering right now, [but] thankfully not in recent years,” Ilze says, adding that the region is for that reason united in trying to make the sanctions work. “[Ukraine] fights for themselves and all of us in the Baltic states,” she says.
Ilze, who became head of the FIU in the wake of the collapse of the cou...
2022-05-1624 min
Financial Crime MattersUnderstanding the “Freedom Convoy” and the Funding of Extremist Groups, with Jessica DavisKieran talks with Jessica Davis, a veteran of more than 20 years in defense and intelligence roles in government and the private sector in Canada. They discuss the occupation of Canada’s capitol for three weeks last winter by the so-called “Freedom Convoy,” efforts to support the group via crowdfunding, cryptocurrency, and cash as well as the Canadian government’s successful seizure or freezing of much of that funding.
Jessica, president of Insight Threat Intelligence and author of “Illicit Money: Financing Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century,” tells Kieran that the unprecedented use of Canada’s “Emergencies Act” to clear the Convoy encampment and sei...
2022-04-2924 min
Financial Crime MattersAddressing Hunger in Afghanistan, with John Sifton and Patti GossmanKieran talks with John Sifton, advocacy director, and Patti Gossman, associate Asia director, at Human Rights Watch about the dire humanitarian situation in Afghanistan following the return of the Taliban to power.
“One in three families is facing food insecurity” from malnourishment to starvation, says Patti, adding that the crisis is affecting not only the already impoverished, but middle-class and working-class people who are no longer paid for their jobs and have no access to their savings.
“Sanctions on Afghanistan are an important part of the economic crisis, but they are not the root cause” as actions by the U.S. Treas...
2022-03-0221 min
Financial Crime MattersCombating International Wildlife Trafficking & Other Environmental Crime, with Olivia Swaak-GoldmanKieran talks with Olivia Swaak-Goldman, executive director of the Wildlife Justice Commission, about the Hague-based organization’s efforts to stop the illegal wildlife trade and other forms of environmental exploitation, currently the fourth largest source of funds for transnational criminal organizations. Olivia discusses how WJC targets traffickers in endangered species and those having the greatest negative environmental impact with its team of former law enforcement investigators, intelligence officials and prosecutors.
Olivia highlights WJC’s recent success in prosecuting ivory and Pangolin smugglers with help from Nigeria and China as well as the ongoing struggle to take down transnational criminals throughout the...
2022-02-1520 min
Sanctions SpaceSpecial Episode: Kieran Beer and Dr. Justine Walker on Russia and ACAMS 2nd Global Sanctions SummitIn this special episode, our two ACAMS podcasts meet for the second time - Financial Crime Matters and the Sanctions Space.
Following conclusion of the second ACAMS Global Sanctions Summit, Justine and Kieran convene to discuss the current Russia-Ukraine crisis. Drawing on summit deliberations they explore the current state of play of the international sanctions response, including the prospect for a ‘start high, stay high’ approach.
2022-02-0720 min
Financial Crime MattersAnticipating the Scope of Possible Russian Sanctions, with Justine WalkerKieran talks with colleague Dr. Justine Walker, Global Head - Sanctions, Compliance and Risk at ACAMS, about the likely shape of sanctions against Russia should it invade Ukraine.
In the wake of ACAM’s Second Annual Sanctions Summit, Justine discusses keynote speaker and White House special advisor Peter Harrell’s promise of severe sanctions against Russia should it attack Ukraine and analyzes the Summit buzz about how the United States, United Kingdom and European Union as well as the financial industry are preparing for possible sanctions.
“In thinking of good practice… you do need to map your Russia exposure,” Justine says, addi...
2022-02-0721 min
Financial Crime MattersImagining a Better Web 3 World That Protects Human Trafficking Victims, with Anjana RajanKieran talks with Anjana Rajan, chief technology officer for Polaris, about the work the not-for-profit does to fight human trafficking, including having helped more than 30,000 trafficking survivors via its national hotline.
In looking ahead, Anjana talks about the need to recreate the Internet to end its use by the powerful to exploit the vulnerable, a reality made only worse by the accelerated digitalization of life in the wake of COVID-19. Anjana says the current debate about Web 3, the next generation of the Internet, offers us all a chance to create a better virtual world or to further the Web’s ca...
2022-02-0120 min
Financial Crime MattersUnderstanding the Rise of DeFi and ‘DeCrime,’ with Tom RobinsonKieran talks with Dr. Tom Robinson, chief scientist and founder of Elliptic, a blockchain forensics company, about the phenomenal growth of decentralized finance, or DeFi. Offering the promise of a wide array of financial services on an inexpensive and inclusive basis, DeFi also presents a significant fraud and money laundering threat, Tom says. Drawing on Elliptic’s recently released report, “DeFi: Risk, Regulation and the Rise of DeCrime, which he co-wrote, Tom covers the need for legislation and greater regulatory oversight to stem fraud and money laundering as well as ways in which blockchain forensics are being used to track illi...
2022-01-0417 min
Financial Crime MattersExposing the American Kleptocracy, with Casey MichelKieran talks with Casey Michel about his just published book, “American Kleptocracy,” which details how the United States has become a favored destination for laundering money for corrupt politicians and other criminals. Competition among states such as Delaware, Wyoming and Nevada for fees for forming corporations and trusts as well as carveouts from oversight won by special interest groups are to blame, Casey says.
Casey, an investigative journalist who has been published widely, including in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Atlantic, Washington Post, and The Guardian, talks about how financial intermediaries, including real estate agents and lawyers, have profited from aidi...
2021-12-1523 min
Financial Crime MattersFacing a Humanitarian Crisis and Renewed Terror Threat in Afghanistan, with Alex ZerdenKieran talks with Alex Zerden about his time as Treasury attaché at the United States Embassy in Kabul, the worsening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and the renewed terrorism threat related to the Taliban’s return to power.
Alex, the principal and founder of Capital Peak Strategies, a financial technology and digital asset advisory firm, talks about how the United States presence in Afghanistan was marked by corruption connected to an inflow of money the Afghan economy was incapable of absorbing. He adds that it was nonetheless “seeing the work and sacrifices made by my Afghan counterparts” that got him through his wor...
2021-11-0117 minFinancial Crime MattersFighting Financial Crime in Canada, with Jacqueline ShinfieldKieran talks with Jacqueline Shinfield, partner at Blakes, Cassels & Graydon about the latest legislative and regulatory requirements from Finance Canada and FINTRAC that are part of the nation’s renewed vigor to fight financial crime.
Ahead of the ACAMS Annual Canada Conference on 3, 4 November, Jackie and Kieran discuss Canada’s new cost recovery plan’s impact on FINTRAC regulated entities, issues arising from ongoing regulatory examinations, technological gaps in implementing the new electronic fund transfer reporting requirements and lessons from the Cullen Commission.
“If anyone is interested in learning about money laundering, ways to launder money, trade-based money laundering, there are so m...
2021-10-1526 minFinancial Crime MattersUnderstanding Terror Finance in the 21st Century, with Jessica DavisKieran talks with Jessica Davis, president of Insight Threat Intelligence and the author of the just released “Illicit Money: Financing Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century.” Jessica discusses her comprehensive book, which is based on her study of some 50 terrorist organizations and terror attacks, in the wake of the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan and the rise of ideologically motivated violent extremist throughout the world.
“Attacks are often self-funded” and difficult to track whereas funding efforts to maintain terrorist organizations is generally done on a larger scale and often leaves a trail, says Jessica, who has served more than 20 years in v...
2021-10-0422 min
Financial Crime MattersFollowing the Money Even When Its Cryptocurrency, with Gurvais GriggKieran talks with Gurvais Grigg, Chainalysis’ Global Public Sector Chief Technology Officer, about tracking cryptocurrency used in fraud, ransomware and other crimes. Whether exchange traded digital currencies or so-called privacy coins, companies like Chainalysis, in tandem with law enforcement, are increasingly identifying cybercriminals and seizing their illicit funds, says Gurvais, who served more than 23 years with the FBI prior to joining the blockchain forensics company earlier this year.
“You see patterns and similarities. You may even see previously identified actors re-emerge,” Gurvais, who left the FBI as an assistant director and head of the crime lab, says of the fingerprints that c...
2021-09-1523 min
Financial Crime MattersDetecting and Preventing Cybercrime, with Elizabeth RoperKieran talks with Elizabeth “Liz” Roper, chief of the Cybercrime and Identity Theft Bureau within the New York County District Attorney’s office. As head of one of the most sophisticated anti-cybercrime labs in the world, Liz details what she sees as the most pressing emerging cybercrime threats and offers encouragement to prosecutors throughout the country who are challenged by spiraling incidents of cybercrime in their communities.
“From the day we first open a case, we’re working together with investigators, detectives, analysts and forensics experts to strategize,” says the 15-year veteran of the Manhattan district attorney’s office about the advantages...
2021-08-1826 min
Financial Crime MattersProtecting the Elderly and Vulnerable from Financial Exploitation, with Liz LoewyKieran talks with former prosecutor Liz Loewy, who founded the elder abuse bureau in the New York District Attorney’s office in 1994 and is co-founder and current COO of EverSafe, a company that utilizes financial technology to protect elderly and vulnerable individuals from financial abuse.
“Loved ones have a responsibility to look out for one another,” Liz tells Kieran in describing how families should adopt a strategy to protect all their members from financial crime. With the rise in digital banking, Liz argues for a “fight fire with fire” strategy that relies on fintech to prevent and detect fraud and other crim...
2021-07-3023 min
Financial Crime MattersShining Light on Right-Wing Extremism with Dr. Hans-Jakob SchindlerKieran talks with Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director of the Counter Extremism Project, about the rising threat from right-wing domestic terror groups.
Rooted in varying myths of nationalist identity, right-wing extremist groups are increasingly cooperating with one another across nation state borders, embracing long-discredited tropes that glorify white-supremacy and antisemitism, Hans tells Kieran during their discussion. While identifying some of the self-funding individual violent actors, he also describes some of the interlinked extremist groups that are raising funds with merchandise and festival ticket sales as well as criminal actions with an eye to enabling financial institutions to identify funds associated...
2021-06-1718 min
Financial Crime MattersEnding “Snow Washing” and Fighting Financial Crime in Canada with James CohenKieran talks with James Cohen, Executive Director at Transparency International Canada, about what’s wrong with Canada, including the rise in money laundering via “snow washing” and the corrupting influence of illicit foreign fund flows from transnational criminal groups.
During their talk, James discusses the battle to establish a corporate ownership registry in Canada, which received initial funding in the nation’s budget released shortly after the interview, the need for a coordinated federal response to money laundering, and his optimism that Canada is addressing financial crime.
2021-05-0323 min
Financial Crime MattersMaking Common Cause Against Human Trafficking With Sara CroweKieran talks with Sara Crowe, Strategic Initiatives Director for Financial Systems at Polaris, a not-for-profit dedicated to ending sex and human labor trafficking.
During their talk, Sara touches on Polaris’ efforts to connect trafficked individuals to law enforcement and social services through its U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline and the use of data drawn from call-ins to the hotline to create frameworks to combat human trafficking. Financial institutions are uniquely positioned to address human trafficking, since it is a form of commerce, according to Sara, who shares some of the typologies that can help financial institutions identify the proceeds of...
2021-04-1622 min
Financial Crime MattersFocusing on Illicit Trade with Louise ShelleyKieran talks with Louise Shelley, PhD, Director of the Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC) at George Mason University, about how terrorist organizations are funding themselves by engaging in illicit trade finance, often in partnership with transnational criminal organization.
During their discussion, Dr. Shelly, the author of numerous publications whose most recent book is “Dark Commerce: How a New Illicit Economy is Threatening our Future,” shares typologies and identifies some of the organizations, facilitators and financiers engaged in illicit trade. While crediting the financial services industry with taking steps to stem illicit trade, she calls on the industry and othe...
2021-03-1517 minSanctions SpaceSPECIAL EPISODE: Kieran Beer and Dr. Justine Walker‘The use of sanctions has grown incredibly, the complexity of sanctions, the reach of US person globally, the use of secondary sanctions – these are all elements which have just escalated continually over recent years, and that has resulted in some pushback from other jurisdictions’
In this special episode, our two ACAMS podcasts meet - Financial Crime Matters and the Sanctions Space. Justine and Kieran discuss the unprecedented scale and pace of change of sanctions in 2020, key trends we are likely to see in the sanctions space over the coming year, and the Biden administration’s potential approach to key regimes such as...
2021-02-2224 minFinancial Crime MattersShifts in the Sanctions Landscape with Justine WalkerA special episode for everyone monitoring the critical and shifting sanctions landscape. Kieran interviews Dr Justine Walker (who has her own podcast series ‘The Sanctions Space’) about the recent unprecedented scale of change of sanctions, key emerging trends, and the Biden administration’s potential approach to China, Iran, North Korea and others.
Next week we’re also hosting our first ACAMS Global Sanctions Summit, with speakers from White House, World Bank, UN, OFAC and European Commission. Find out more at: https://www.acams.org/en/events/conferences/sanctions-space-summit.
And subscribe to Justine’s podcast at www.soundcloud.com/sanctionsspace to hear more...
2021-02-2225 min
Financial Crime MattersThe Challenges in Preventing Financial Crime with Matis Maeker“It will happen to you: sooner or later, all financial institutions will be in the midst of a new scheme or scandal,” Matis Maeker, head of Estonia’s Financial Supervisory Authority warns.
Drawing on his experience addressing the scandals involving money laundering out of the Russian Federation and as a leader in Estonia’s effort to build a tougher AML/CFT regime, Matis, talks with Kieran about the challenges faced by both supervisory authorities and the entities they oversee in preventing financial crime. A lawyer with Estonia’s FSA since 2012 and head of the authority’s AML/CFT department for the past two...
2021-02-1519 min
Financial Crime MattersProject Shadow: Ending the Online Exploitation of Children“we were able to identify a number of financial indicators that… really allowed us to identify potential perpetrators of this crime,” Barry MacKillop, Fintrac.
“an area being under reported and investigated in Canada and globally,” Stuart Davis, Scotiabank.
Kieran talks with Barry MacKillop, deputy director at The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre (Fintrac) and Stuart Davis, Scotiabank’s global head of financial crimes risk management, about “Project Shadow,” a public-private partnership (PPP) that combats the online sexual exploitation of children in all it’s forms. Co-lead by Scotiabank and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, and with the support of Fintrac, Projec...
2021-01-1519 min
Financial Crime MattersThe Biggest Thing Since the Patriot ActKieran talks with Daniel Stipano, a 30-year veteran of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, about the “Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020,” the most revolutionary piece of anti-financial crime legislation to emerge from Congress since the “USA Patriot Act.”
Now a partner with the law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, Dan details how the Act creates a national corporate ownership registry, new examination criteria for financial institutions and Bank Secrecy Act responsibilities for art and antiquities dealers as well what to expect from the regulation writing process necessary to flesh out the Act over the next several years.
2021-01-0420 min
We Were On A Break (Series)Ep. 2 (Season 2): How To Create And Maintain A Compliance Podcast To Amplify Your Personal Brand (Denitsa Rebaine)How To Create And Maintain A Compliance Podcast To Amplify Your Personal BrandWelcome to the episode 2 of the 2nd season of the “WE WERE ON A BREAK” - Ross Voice. The series where the host, Stephen Brent Sargeant (Compliance Consultant to Bitfinex) talks to industry professionals during the CoronaVirus (COVID-19) quarantine and gains industry insights and expertise. In this episode, I get to sit down with the host of the Compliance Time Podcast, Denitsa Rebaine. We go deep into the creative process that goes into starting and maintaining a podcast and how to amplify your personal brand. Deni...
2020-12-1043 min
Financial Crime MattersKleptopia: Tom Burgis on how dirty money is conquering the worldKieran Beer interviews the award-winning Financial Times Investigations Correspondent, Tom Burgis about his new book, ‘Kleptopia: How Dirty Money is Conquering the World’.
In this episode, Tom reveals how private bankers, law firms and intelligence groups help dictators, oligarchs and organised crime penetrate democracies, and flood the global economy with dirty money.
During his career, Tom has exposed major corruption scandals, covered terrorist attacks, coups and forgotten conflicts, and traced illicit money flows from the Kremlin to Washington.
Read Tom’s bio: https://tomburgis.com
2020-11-3017 min
Financial Crime Matters“The FinCEN Files”: understanding the story behind the story‘If you don’t understand who’s behind a shell company, you’re not going to understand what’s going on with a multi-million-dollar transaction moving across borders.’
Mike Hudson and Spencer Woodman, investigative journalists at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), talk with Kieran about the 16 months of reporting that went into making sense of the FinCEN files - more than 2000 leaked SARs linking the world’s biggest banks to Jho Low, Paul Manafort, Russian oligarchs, and international crime networks.
Mike and Spencer detail their investigative methods and describe the systemic failures that led to billions of dollars of dirty money...
2020-11-1621 min
Financial Crime MattersIdentifying the Financial Footprints of Human Trafficking'Everybody has something they can do to begin to address [human trafficking] in their day-to-day business.'
Dr. James Cockayne is Head of Secretariat of Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking (FAST), a year-old United Nations initiative enlisting financial institutions in the fight against human trafficking. In this episode, James talks with Kieran about how financial institutions can help track and interdict the proceeds of human trafficking, shun investment in businesses that profit from trafficking, and help the victims of modern slavery re-enter the global financial system.
FAST has partnered with ACAMS to provide the anti-human trafficking training and certification program “Fi...
2020-11-0222 min
Financial Crime MattersCrime in Plain Sight - 1MDB'I could see in plain sight that there were dots to be joined'
Clare Rewcastle Brown first broke the 1MDB scandal in 2015, and has followed and reported on all of the developments ever since, in the Sarawak Report. In this episode Clare talks with Kieran about the latest fallout from 1MDB, the scale and scope of the corruption, and how banks can do more to detect these crimes in the early stages.
Find the Sarawak Report at: https://www.sarawakreport.org
2020-10-1915 min
Financial Crime MattersGangsters, Whales and Businessmen - Moneylaundering in CanadaSam Cooper is an investigative journalist who has dedicated his career to exposing moneylaundering in British Columbia.
From moneylaundering operations in Canadian casinos, to Chinese millionaires smuggling in cash to buy swathes of Vancouver real estate (but not to live in), Sam talks Kieran through the financial crime typologies, scams and trends he's observed during his investigations in recent years.
Follow Sam on Twitter for more scoops: https://twitter.com/scoopercooper
2020-07-2718 min
Financial Crime MattersPublic + Private - the Silver Bullet against Financial Crime?‘All too often criminal investigations hit a dead end when law enforcement encounters a company with hidden ownership’.
In this episode, Edward Kitt (Illicit Finance Policy Lead at the British Embassy in Washington DC) and Kieran talk about the UK’s public beneficial ownership register, tangible benefits of the public-private partnership group JMLIT, and how effective global information sharing might be the answer to solving both new, and cold, cases in human trafficking, moneylaundering, art & antiquities trafficking…and more.
Read the full UK Economic Crime plan at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/economic-crime-plan-2019-to-2022
2020-07-2414 min
Financial Crime MattersLaw Enforcement vs Cybercrime in ManhattanMichael Sachs talks to Kieran Beer about the cutting-edge work that the Manhattan District Attorney's office is doing to take down cybercrime. From scams involving Michael Jordan sneakers and black market Xanax, to a crypto armed robbery, he's seen it all.
Their discussion also cover the ambiguities of this new world, including ongoing tensions between law enforcement and tech companies around device encryption, and the due diligence (or otherwise) being undertaken by innovative exchange channels like Bitcoin ATMs.
See Michael's bio at: https://www.manhattanda.org/about-the-office/executive-team/
2020-05-1517 min
Financial Crime MattersThe Financial Tools of Statecraft'These tools make it harder, costlier and riskier [for rogue actors] to move money around the world.'
In this episode, Juan Zarate explains why sanctions shouldn’t be treated like a light switch, what he thinks about the US withdrawal from the JCPOA, and why financial tools are at the heart of national security efforts.
In one of Financial Crime Matters' most wide-ranging interviews, Kieran Beer also asks Juan to comment on the delicate balance between privacy and transparency, and finally…what keeps him up at night.
While at the US Treasury, Juan Zarate advised the White House on Terr...
2020-04-1730 min
Financial Crime MattersSanctions of our Time: Iran, Venezuela and the Kingpins‘We can continue to see them as an adversary or threat…and [still] negotiate an end to their nuclear program’.
In this episode, recorded in February before the scale of the global COVID-19 outbreak became apparent, Kieran Beer and Adam Szubin discuss the effectiveness of sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, and the Kingpin Act.
A sanctions insider for many years, Adam Szubin has a distinguished history of service with the US Treasury, including nine years as the Director of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). As one of the architects of the JCPOA, he’s uniquely placed to comment on...
2020-04-0217 min
Financial Crime MattersIs Money Laundering in Online Gaming Flying Under the Radar?In the first episode of Financial Crime Matters Season 2, Anton Moiseienko and Kayla Izenman of RUSI talk to Kieran Beer about their recent report on money laundering in the online gaming world (Fortnite, Clash of Clans and others).
Hear how third party marketplaces are being used to exchange game currency (bought with illegal funds) for fiat currency, how financial institutions can spot this activity, and what the regulatory response has been so far.
Read the full RUSI report here: https://rusi.org/publication/rusi-newsbrief/gaming-system-money-laundering-through-online-games"
2020-03-1614 min
Financial Crime MattersMoney Laundering in Real Estate with Maureen MaloneyIn Vancouver there are many high-end apartments where the lights never go on...
In 2018/2019, Professor Maureen Maloney led an expert panel investigating Money Laundering in British Columbia's real estate sector. The expert panel reported that up to $5.3 billion was laundered through the BC real estate market in 2018, raising housing prices by an estimated 5%.
In this podcast, the final episode of Financial Crime Matters Season 1, Kieran Beer and Maureen Maloney unpick why British Columbia is so vulnerable to money laundering, and how authorities might move to stop it.
Access the expert panel's full report at: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov...
2020-01-1616 min
Financial Crime MattersA Survivor's Story: Timea NagyAt 20, Timea Nagy was forced into sex slavery. But her story didn't end there.
Her memoir 'Out of the Shadows' describes a vulnerable girl, tricked and manipulated by traffickers, who - once she escapes - becomes a key player in putting away the bad guys.
In this episode, Kieran asks how financial institutions can help. And Timea explains that their evidence might soon prevent victims from suffering the secondary trauma of a court case, like the one she faced.
Read more about Timea, and her passionate commitment to raising awareness of human trafficking at https://www.timeascause.com/about
'Out...
2019-11-0610 min
Financial Crime MattersThe Laundrymen: Jeffrey Robinson on cleaning up global money launderingJeffrey Robinson introduced stories of money laundering to the masses with his 1995 global best seller 'The Laundrymen'. Poised to release a completely revised edition 'The New Laundrymen' next year, Jeffrey gives Kieran a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what's included.
Always opinionated and deeply passionate about the characters and stories he uncovers, Robinson, the author of 30 books, has been labelled "the world's leading financial crime author."
Read Jeffrey's full bio on his website: http://www.jeffreyrobinson.com/bio
2019-10-1815 min
Financial Crime MattersCanada's Radical Rethink on AML with Jacqueline ShinfieldFATF spoke...and Canada listened.
Jacqueline Shinfield of Blake, Cassels & Graydon walks Kieran Beer through the sweeping changes that Canada is making to its AML and Anti-Financial Crime legislative landscape.
From regulating virtual currencies, changes to STR regimes, and dramatic shifts in Electronic Funds Transfer reporting frameworks - this is a must-hear briefing for all compliance professionals.
And...it's just the start. Jacqueline tells us where Canada might tighten regulations even further as it seeks to match shifts in technology, and how our society shapes itself today.
Read Jacqueline's full bio at: https://www.blakes.com/English/WhoWeAre/FindPerson/Pages...
2019-09-2318 min
Financial Crime MattersISIS, Hezbollah and Terror Finance with Celina Realuyo'We're now treating the Financiers just as seriously as the Terrorists themselves...that's a Gamechanger'.
In this expansive chat about the financing of global terrorism, Celina Realuyo tells Kieran Beer about the defeat of ISIS, the rise and reach of Hezbollah and how criminals are using every trick in the financial crime book to keep money flowing to those intent on creating Terror.
As a former US diplomat, international banker with Goldman Sachs, US counterterrorism official, and professor of international security affairs at the National Defense, Georgetown, George Washington, and Joint Special Operations Universities, Professor Celina Realuyo has over two...
2019-09-1817 min
Financial Crime MattersAML & the European Commission with Alexandra Jour-Schroeder"Data Protection is not an obstacle to fight money-laundering" : Alexandra Jour-Schroeder of the European Commission
In this episode, Kieran Beer hosts a fast-paced discussion with Alexandra Jour-Schroeder about the European Union's efforts to fight money laundering and the financing of terror.
Their chat covers a diverse range of topics, from 5AMLD to GDPR, the effort to harmonise definitions across the EU's member states, and how the European Commission is working to bring together all of the actors who are fighting financial crime.
2019-08-1611 min
Financial Crime MattersProtecting the Elderly from Financial Abuse with Elizabeth LoewyElder financial abuse is as devastating as physical abuse, and it's a problem on the rise. In this episode, Elizabeth Loewy and Kieran Beer explore both simple and high-tech ways to pick up on the signs that vulnerable adults might be being defrauded.
With an estimated 70-80% of all US assets now held by seniors (the Baby Boomers are aging!), financial institutions have to be prepared to spot and respond quickly to elder abuse scams. If you're a compliance officer, do you know what to look for, and what to do if you think there's a problem?
Elizabeth Loewy has...
2019-07-1618 min
Financial Crime MattersCounter-Proliferation with Tom KeatingeHow does North Korea finance their weapons program? And have sanctions been effective in stopping the proliferation of nuclear weapons?
In this episode, Tom Keatinge from defence think tank RUSI talks to Kieran Beer about weapons of mass destruction, and gives his top tips for compliance professionals interested in upskilling in the increasingly complex area of counter-proliferation.
Read more on this topic in ‘Securing the Supply Chain', the recent paper co-authored by Tom: https://rusi.org/publication/rusi-newsbrief/securing-supply-chain-implementing-north-korea-sanctions-beyond-banking
Follow Tom on twitter: https://twitter.com/keatingetom
2019-06-1520 min
Financial Crime MattersStand Together Against Trafficking with Angel SwiftFinancial institutions have the power to disrupt the $150 billion business of modern slavery.
In this episode, Angel Swift talks to Kieran Beer about the shocking global scale of human trafficking and the new digital platform that's been launched to help fight it: Stand Together Against Trafficking (STAT).
If you work for a financial institution, in law enforcement, or at a non-profit or advocacy group, go to www.enigma.com/stat to sign-up.
STAT(a free platform from Enigma, Polaris and ACAMS)is the first of its kind, harnessing big data and public-private collaboration to level up the fight against traffickers.
...
2019-05-1714 min
Financial Crime MattersSanctions with John SmithJohn Smith spent 11 years at OFAC, including three years as it's Director, and served under 4 Presidents. He is a global authority on Sanctions, and in this interview with Kieran Beer he sets out the past, present and future of the Sanctions world as we know it.
Discover why OFAC was created, what role Congress plays (and should play!) in setting Sanctions, and how the Clinton, Bush, Obama and Trump administrations have differed in their approaches.
If you work in Financial Crime, or simply want to know how Sanctions have changed the world (like the fall of apartheid in South Africa...
2019-04-1520 min
Financial Crime MattersSecrecy World: Jake Bernstein on the Panama PapersKieran Beer interviews two-time Pulitzer-Prize winning investigative journalist Jake Bernstein about his new book "Secrecy World".
Jake was a senior journalist on the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) team that broke the Panama Papers in 2017. His new book "Secrecy World", based on the story of Mossack Fonseca and the 2017 scandal, is about to be made into a major motion picture.
"Secrecy World offers a disturbing and sobering view of how the world really works and raises critical questions about financial and legal institutions we may once have trusted." (Amazon)
In this podcast, Kieran and Jake talk about how Mossack...
2019-03-1818 min
Financial Crime MattersBillion Dollar Whale: Bradley Hope on 1MDBIn the first episode of his new podcast series, Kieran Beer sits down with author and Wall Street Journal reporter Bradley Hope to examine the story behind the story of the 1MDB scandal.
Bradley and fellow WSJ reporter Thomas Wright co-authored "Billion Dollar Whale", the story of Malaysian national Jho Low, and how he managed to steal billions from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
And while the role of the Compliance Officer may have grown in prominence over the last decade, the subtext of "Billion Dollar Whale" is that their warnings are still being routinely ignored wh...
2019-03-1821 min