This week the Department of Homeland Security issued a bulletin, updating its assessment of the terrorism threat to the US. In the bulletin DHS reaffirms that the country remains in a heightened threat environment. John and Elliot discuss the concerns raised by DHS following the recent mass shooting events, that some of the attackers have been motivated by violent extremist ideologies that are racially or ethnically motivated, and the international implications noted by DHS.

Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu recently spoke at the DC Blockchain Summit 2022 about the state of the virtual currency space. In his remarks he highlighted several areas of concern, in particular – the vulnerability of crypto hacks, the risk of loss contagion, and the need for clarity about the ownership of crypto assets. John and Elliot discuss each of these topics, and why members of the financial crime prevention community need to continue to grow their understanding of virtual currencies and assets and the risks they present.

This week, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee sent a letter to President Biden about financial access for Caribbean nations and particularly the harmful phenomenon of bank de-risking. The letter recognizes that access to financial services is a key building block for creating and sustaining an effective economy. The letter references a recent report by the Atlantic Council. John and Elliot discuss the focus of the letter, how de-risking and financial access is a serious concern, not just for charities and non-profits, but for entire nations, and some of the solutions that can be instituted to reduce the impact of the problem.

John Byrne sits down with former FinCEN Deputy Director, Jamal El-Hindi and now Counsel with Clifford Chance. The two discuss AML challenges with new technology, the use of data, sanctions issues and his 20 year career at the US Treasury Department.

The Tax Justice Network has released its Financial Secrecy Index 2022. The Index “identifies the world’s biggest suppliers of financial secrecy” with the US being number 1. John and Elliot discuss the findings in this year’s Index, the overall progress noted by the TJN, and the need for continued progress in reducing the availability of tax and secrecy havens around the world.

The UK has become a haven for rich Russians. The lax approach to regulation has allowed money laundering to flourish. Recent government action in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine is making a difference, but won’t erase the longstanding relationships that foster financial crime. John and Elliot discuss the challenges presented by the facilitating behavior of gatekeeper professionals and the global nature of the issues in the UK.

Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) Outreach Initiative – Cornerstone recently shared information about the rising level of organized retail crime (ORC) being perpetrated by transnational criminal organizations. This activity involves planned theft of retail goods for later sale through gray market channels. John and Elliot discuss the value of HSI outreach to the financial crime prevention community and some of the red flags for identifying ORC.

The International Consortium of Investigation Journalists (ICIJ) recently shared documents with The Irish Times about the Kinahan organized crime cartel. The Irish Times published an extended article about the actions of the cartel in moving to the UAE and taking advantage of its secrecy laws to avoid prosecution. John and Elliot discuss the recent US sanctions issued against Daniel Kinahan, FATF’s gray listing of the UAE, and the importance of financial transparency.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) recently issued guidance about kleptocracies and foreign corruption. The guidance includes insights into typologies and includes red flags. John and Elliot discuss the guidance, the global focus and nature of the problems identified in the guidance, and the value of the red flags as a training tool.

For this episode of our AML Conversations podcast, we sit down with Sara Crowe, the strategic initiatives director at Polaris, a non-profit working to end human trafficking. We discuss how human trafficking has evolved in recent years and concerns following refugees fleeing Ukraine, as well as actionable insights for financial institutions as to how they can help prevent human trafficking. We hope you enjoy this episode.