Financial Crime Insights is a podcast from RUSI’s Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies (CFCS). Episodes are based on past CFCS events with top thinkers on topics that remain relevant in the world of financial crime. Episodes include varied speakers - policymakers, journalists, academics and practitioners - who share their knowledge and ideas on current policy challenges, global trends and possible opportunities for reform. The views or statements expressed by guests are their own ...
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Ukraine’s Reconstruction: Ensuring Transparency
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Transparency will be key to managing Ukraine's reconstruction, both ensuring the efficient use of resources, and in maintaining the trust of the international community. CFCS Director Tom Keatinge joins Oleksii Dorohan, CEO of the Better Regulation Delivery Office–a Ukrainian think tank–to discuss why Ukraine must establish a strong anti-money laun…
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What stood out in 2022 for the team at the Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies ? Tune in to the annual festive podcast episode with Tom Keatinge, Kinga Redlowska, Stephen Reimer, Kathryn Westmore and host Alanna Putze to hear their thoughts on the illicit finance stories and surprises from the year, as well as the team’s predictions for…
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Counterterrorist financing (CTF) efforts are a key part of tackling the emerging challenges at the nexus of finance and security. CFCS’s Project CRAAFT team take you behind the scenes of their three-year journey to build stronger, more coordinated CTF capacity across the EU and its neighbourhood. Kinga Redlowska is joined by Tom Keatinge and Stephe…
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The Kimchi Premium: South Korea’s Cryptocurrency Scene
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The cryptocurrency industry in South Korea is a uniquely widespread phenomenon with incredibly high demand. The country’s strict capital controls and structural impediments create an arbitrage-type situation known as the ‘Kimchi Premium’. CFCS’s Allison Owen speaks with Dr John Park, director of the Korea Project at the Harvard Kennedy School's Bel…
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Cryptocurrency Risk, Recovery and Regulations
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Cryptocurrencies offer ‘bad actors’ a new opportunity to manage and launder their gains. Policymakers, supervisors and law-enforcement agencies around the globe are gradually responding, and the private sector is developing solutions to help. But are the current efforts sufficient to tackle this growing challenge? Scott Chipolina of the Financial T…
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Sanctions Evasion: The Role of North Korean Diplomats
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North Korea uses an array of techniques to evade sanctions. The international focus is often on the country’s exploitation of technology, yet its embassies and missions also provide a valuable support network for sanctions-busting attempts. RUSI Associate Fellow Daniel Salisbury joins host Aaron Arnold to discuss his forthcoming paper on North Kore…
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The Illicit Finance Threat: A Transatlantic Response
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Putting a stop to illicit finance matters for global security. The US and UK are well-positioned to lead this fight, but time is of the essence as dirty money continues to unravel democracy worldwide. CFCS’s Tom Keatinge and Maria Nizzero join host Alanna Putze to discuss RUSI’s latest policy brief, which was inspired by the Taskforce on a Transatl…
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Fighting economic crime should not be a divisive political matter, but a unifying foe. As the UK prepares to embark on its second economic crime plan, this episode features a cross-party discussion showcasing economic crime as a consensus objective on which politicians of whatever stripe should align to drive change. CFCS’s Maria Nizzero is joined …
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Democracy and the Corrosive Impact of Illicit Finance
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Russia’s war in Ukraine illustrates the dangers that unchecked kleptocracy poses to democracy. Kleptocrats and corrupt actors strategically use their vast resources to advance their interests both at home and abroad. CFCS’s Isabella Chase, Adam Smith of Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher LLP, and journalist Oliver Bullough discuss this growing transnational…
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How can the UK Financial Conduct Authority be more data-driven and innovative and apply risk-based supervision as it works with its regulated populations? RUSI Associate Fellow Dr Noémi També joins CFCS’s Kathryn Westmore to discuss her recent paper on Revolutionising Financial Supervision. Together, they identify the challenges that more technolog…
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Illicit Money: Financing Terrorism in the 21st Century
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How do terrorists procure and protect their funds, and are the policies currently in place to counter this fit for purpose? RUSI Associate Fellow and terrorism expert Jessica Davis joins CFCS's Stephen Reimer for a discussion on her latest book, Illicit Money. They explore why new thinking is needed to tackle terrorist financing, including an under…
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Corruption, Kleptocracy and Illicit Finance in the Balkans
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Independent journalism and civil society are vibrant in the Balkans. Yet kleptocracy and corruption stifle the region’s progress and the prospects for individual EU accession. Leila Bičakčić, executive director of the Centre for Investigative Reporting (CIN) in Sarajevo, joins RUSI Europe’s Kinga Redlowska to discuss the multifaceted challenges of …
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The Lazarus Heist: Inside North Korea’s Global Cyber War
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Investigative journalist Geoff White discusses his new book The Lazarus Heist. It’s the story of how North Korea has harnessed cutting-edge technology to pursue a highly effective campaign of cyber-raids to fund its economy. This has included the exploitation of central banks, cryptocurrency exchanges, Hollywood film studios and the UK’s National H…
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Restricting Kleptocracy: The First Mile of Financial Crime
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Kleptocracy is one of the foremost financial crimes of our time. The role of grassroots actors in holding governments and corrupt actors to account is vital, particularly when it comes to catching illicit funds before they disappear into the global financial system. Host Alanna Putze is joined by CFCS colleagues Tom Keatinge and Maria Sofia Reiser …
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Butler to the World: Britain's Dirty Money Problem
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Journalist and author Oliver Bullough delves into his latest book, Butler to the World, which reveals how Britain came to assume its role as the centre of the offshore economy. He joins CFCS’s Tom Keatinge and Helena Wood to discuss how so many elements of modern Britain have been put at the service of the world's oligarchs and kleptocrats with dis…
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What stood out for the Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies team in 2021? Tune in to the annual festive podcast episode with Isabella Chase, Aaron Arnold, Stephen Reimer and Helena Wood to find out about the financial crime scandals and surprises of 2021 and hear the team’s predictions for the year ahead.…
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Episode 29: Curbing the Enablers of Illicit Finance
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Criminals, malign actors and kleptocrats easily find homes in the UK and US for their ill-gotten gains thanks to professional enablers, who are an Achilles’ heel in the fight against illicit finance. CFCS’s Tom Keatinge ponders how to make a step-change in addressing this challenge. Joining him are Katie Benson of Manchester University, the German …
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Episode 28: Financial Connections in Extremism
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Is the existing counterterrorist financing regime useful for tackling the far-right threat? At the launch of RUSI’s Far-Right Extremism and Terrorism programme, CFCS’s Tom Keatinge is joined by RUSI’s Stephen Reimer, Bethan Johnson of the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right, Jacob Davey of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue and Brenna Smith …
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Episode 27: Asset Recovery: A Private Sector Role
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The principle that ‘crime shouldn’t pay’ is enshrined in various anti-financial crime standards, yet only 2% of global criminal proceeds are frozen, and only 1% confiscated. With public finances increasingly strained, CFCS’s Helena Wood explores whether it is time to reconsider the role of private sector actors in the fight against criminal wealth …
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Episode 26: A Transatlantic Response to Illicit Finance: Starting at Home
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The US and UK have intensified their focus on tackling money laundering, kleptocracy and corruption. Now, words need to translate into action. RUSI set up a Taskforce on a Transatlantic Response to Illicit Finance (TARIF) to provide urgent input into the policy debate. CFCS’s Tom Keatinge is joined by Taskforce members Moyara Ruehsen of the Middleb…
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Episode 25: FATF’s Unintended Consequences: The Future
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Around the world, misapplied AML/CFT measures facilitate the politically driven restriction of civic and political freedoms, threatening fundamental human rights. In the final episode of our series, Stephen Reimer looks at the future trajectory of abuse of FATF’s standards, with guests Anietie Ewang of Human Rights Watch, leading law firm Peters & …
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Episode 24: FATF’s Unintended Consequences: The Present
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How are FATF’s unintended consequences reverberating in the present day? In part two of our series, Isabella Chase speaks to Maha Bahou from Jordan Payments and Clearing Company, Revolut Poland’s Adam Anklewicz, and Cenfri’s Barry Cooper about FATF’s work on financial exclusion, and how the Task Force’s unintended consequences working group could h…
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Episode 23: FATF’s Unintended Consequences: The Past
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In this first episode of a three-part series, Tom Keatinge is joined by Lia van Broekhoven from Human Security Collective, IAMTN’s Veronica Studsgaard, Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri of Spaces for Change, and Wendy Delmar from the Caribbean Association of Banks to assess FATF’s past, delving into the standard-setter’s efforts in relation to Non-Profit Orga…
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Episode 22: Organised Environmental Crime: Dissecting the FATF Approach
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In June 2020, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) urged countries to increase the use of financial investigations into illegal wildlife trade cases. A year on, in July 2021, it published a further analysis on mineral, waste and timber trafficking. In advance of the FATF’s upcoming October plenary, Tom Keatinge and Alexandria Reid take a deep div…
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Two years into the UK’s Economic Crime Plan (ECP), a third of identified actions are complete and half underway. But has it made a tangible dent in economic crime? Associate Fellow Helena Wood joins Isabella Chase to discuss RUSI’s current and future programme of work related to the ECP. They also comment on what the ECP has achieved so far, where …
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Episode 20: Disrupting the Ransomware Ecosystem
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Both the scale and severity of ransomware attacks are on the rise. Action is urgently required, but what is the best response to these online challenges? The CFCS’s Tom Keatinge is joined by Jen Ellis of Rapid7, Elliptic’s Simone Maini, the University of Oxford’s Ciaran Martin, Graeme Newman from CFC Underwriting, and journalist and author Misha Gl…
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Episode 19: Beneficial Ownership Disclosure: Realities and Policy Implications
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The UK is not alone in facing challenges in ensuring the efficacy of its legal framework around beneficial ownership disclosure. Tom Keatinge asks CFCS colleague Anton Moiseienko, Global Financial Integrity’s Lakshmi Kumar, Transparency International EU’s Laure Brillaud, and Jersey’s George Pearmain: how should beneficial ownership information be b…
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Episode 18: Crime Risks of Free-Trade Zones
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Freeport development is an integral part of the UK’s post-Brexit trade strategy. Although free-trade zones (FTZs) are frequently hailed as a harbinger of economic development and increased ease of doing business, their financial crime and illicit trade risks are often poorly understood. The CFCS’s Emil Dall speaks to colleagues Anton Moiseienko, Is…
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Episode 17: FATF’s Impact on Financial Inclusion
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The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has committed to promoting financial inclusion via the proportionate implementation of its standards. Yet, approximately 1.7 billion people globally have no access to a bank or mobile money account. Clearly, there is more work to be done. CFCS’s Isabella Chase joins Alanna Putze to discuss the impact of FATF o…
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Episode 16: The Human Harms of Illicit Finance
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The impact of illicit finance is often dominated by discussions on the technical deficiencies of a country’s AML/CTF regime, but money laundering, corruption, kleptocracy, fraud and other financial crimes are far from victimless. The CFCS’s Stephen Reimer discusses his new research looking at the human harms of illicit finance, illustrating its var…
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The Illicit Finance Dimensions of the Integrated Review
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The UK’s Integrated Review, published in March 2021, provided considerable indications of the UK’s ambition to tackle money laundering and other financial crimes. Matthew Redhead speaks to CFCS colleagues Tom Keatinge, Helena Wood and Emil Dall about the attention given by the Review to – respectively – illicit finance, UK economic crime, and sanct…
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The Impact of Fraud on UK National Security
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Fraud against UK citizens, businesses, and the public purse has reached unprecedented levels. But does the political narrative in response to this scourge match the enormity of the challenge? The CFCS’s Helena Wood and Tom Keatinge are joined by RUSI Trustee and former UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd, and Mike Haley from fraud prevention service Cifas…
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Financing Right-Wing Extremism and Terrorism
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Following the recent wave of attacks by far-right extremists around the world, the task of throttling the financing of right-wing terrorism and extremism has seldom been more pressing. The CFCS’s Stephen Reimer speaks with Bethan Johnson, a scholar on modern extremist and terrorist ideologies at Cambridge University, about trends in the financial a…
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New Methods of Payment and Financial Crime
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The emergence of new financial services and methods of payment has brought greater variety and choice, but as with many innovations, the advantages have not been lost on criminal groups. Standard Chartered’s Catherine Woods is joined by colleague Chris Kiewsmith, the CFCS’s Kayla Izenman, Vincent Li from Ant Bank, and RUSI Associate Fellow Malcolm …
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The Future of Economic Crime Policing in the UK
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Policing is essential to the UK’s response to economic crime, yet it is an area that the government all too often overlooks. In this episode, recorded in February 2020, CFCS Associate Fellow Helena Wood is joined by Commander Karen Baxter of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, as well as by Waheed Saleem from the West Midlands Police, and Graeme B…
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Counter Terrorism Financing: Does the Current Global Approach Work?
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Twenty years on from the 9/11 attacks, has the global response to terrorist financing adapted, alongside the evolving risk landscape? The CFCS’s Tom Keatinge is joined by Rachel Love from Standard Chartered Bank and Professor Jimmy Gurulé from Notre Dame Law School in the US to discuss the CFCS’s recent paper, ‘A sharper image: Advancing a Risk-Bas…
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Suspicious Transaction Report Season Three Trailer: Policy Into Practice
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RUSI’s Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies (CFCS) is launching Season Three of their Suspicious Transaction Report podcast. The theme is ‘Policy into Practice’ and episodes will feature experts and practitioners from around the world, who turn global policy into reality on the ground. In the trailer episode, Isabella Chase talks to Tom …
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Kleptopia: How Dirty Money is Conquering the World
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Dirty money is flooding the global economy, emboldening dictators and poisoning democracies. Journalist Tom Burgis unveils the stories that form his book Kleptopia. Alexandra Wrage of Trace moderates and together they take us into the murky realm of global illicit flows.By The Royal United Services Institute
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In February 2020, the UK government launched a consultation on its plans to establish up to 10 freeports in the UK. Alexandria Reid is joined by Richard Ballantyne from the British Ports Association, Consultant Clay Fuller, and Irene Mia from the Economist Intelligence Unit, to ask, how can the UK reap the benefits of its proposed freeports while m…
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Unexplained Wealth Orders: Where to Next?
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2020 was a roller coaster for Unexplained Wealth Orders in the UK! CFCS’s Anton Moiseienko takes stock of the setbacks and triumphs with barristers Anita Clifford and James Mather and Alun Milford, former General Counsel at the Serious Fraud Office. Together they explore what the future may hold for UWOs.…
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The Financial Action Task Force has undoubtedly raised financial crime compliance standards around the world, but money laundering remains a present and growing issue. CFCS’s Isabella Chase is joined by FATF Executive Secretary David Lewis, AML Consultant Richard Chalmers, Giles Thomson, the Deputy Director of HM Treasury’s Sanctions and Illicit Fi…
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New Technologies, Old Methods in Terrorism Financing
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Terrorists of all types exploit technology to raise, use and move funds. CFCS’s Stephen Reimer speaks with security consultant and former Canadian intelligence analyst Jessica Davis about terrorists’ new–and often surprising–financing tactics and why financial intelligence is of vital importance.By The Royal United Services Institute
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The UK regularly finds itself at the centre of money laundering and corruption scandals. But how dire is the situation, really, and is there any hope for change? Author Oliver Bullough does a reality check Rachel Davies Teka of Transparency International UK, Phil Mason, formerly with DFID’s anti-corruption unit, Professor Elizabeth David-Barret Uni…
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No matter who wins, the US sanctions strategy is sure to be impacted by the upcoming election. How will the results affect Washington’s current favoured foreign policy tool? Emil Dall speaks with Elizabeth Rosenberg of the Center for New American Security, Nicholas Turner of Steptoe & Johnson Hong Kong Sascha Lohmann of the SWP (German Institute fo…
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Has foreign ‘dark money’ undermined democracy as we know it? And can a solution lie in a smarter understanding of financial flows? Tom Keatinge is joined by analyst Edward Lucas, Gemma Rogers of Fintrail and Josh Rudolph of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. This episode forms part of a series that examines the impact of the 2020 US ele…
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Much is at stake for the global fight against kleptocracy in 2020 and beyond. Hear why the US election results could be a turning point with former government lawyer Elise Bean, author Ben Judah, Alexandra Wrage of TRACE and CFCS’s Anton Moiseienko.By The Royal United Services Institute
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Alanna Putze talks to CFCS colleagues Isabella Chase and Tom Keatinge about the thinking behind this podcast and what listeners can expect – from the speakers, topics and ideas in the world of financial crime that will be covered in the episodes.By The Royal United Services Institute
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