In this episode of AML Conversations, John Byrne, Debra LaPrevotte, and Dr. Louise Shelley discuss environmental crime and the need for a more cohesive approach. Wildlife trafficking continues to enable the facilitation of illicit funds and is the “soft underbelly of organized crime.” Our panel discusses this global problem and what can be done to address what is a “low risk, high reward” crime.

This week the Basel Institute on Governance published its 10th AML Index. The Index looks at activities by 112 countries to effectively operate AML/CFT systems. John and Elliot share some insights into how the index is applied and the results.

This week is the 20th anniversary of 9/11. The events of that day impacted many lives and changed how people view the world and the threats in it. It also impacted how the financial crime compliance community looks at threats and performs its work. John and Elliot share some insights on how 9/11 changed things over the past 20 years.

This week FATF issued a Mutual Evaluation Report for Japan. John and Elliot discuss the findings in the report, the report process, and the focus of the process on assessing the effectiveness of a nation’s measures and their level of compliance with the FATF Recommendations.

This week saw a White House summit on cybersecurity making clear the connection between cybersecurity and national security. John and Elliot discuss the importance of connecting the domestic focus with our efforts globally to form strong partnerships and build effective cooperation to thwart cyber threats, and protect the international financial system.

This week saw the rapid fall of the Afghan government to the Taliban. John and Elliot discuss the collateral damage from this sudden change, examining the impact on financial access for individuals, NGOs and national government, the safety of historical artifacts, and how these changes can affect civil liberties.

This conversation with two of the authors of a recent article for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta that examines claims of the connection between bank de-risking and AML regulation. John Byrne talks to Mark Nance, the Director of the Master of International Studies program at NC State’s School of Public and International Affairs and Eleni Tsingou, a professor in International Political Economy at the Copenhagen Business School.

This week saw virtual currencies be the focus in many venues. John and Elliot discuss statements from the head of the SEC and the fine levied against BitMEX by FinCEN for regulatory violations. They also review the negotiations in the US Senate, during the debate on the Infrastructure Bill, surrounding tax reporting by participants in the virtual currency ecosystem.

John Byrne, Executive Vice President and Vesna McCreery, Managing Director of the AML RightSource staff, sit down and chat about the progression of financial crime compliance over the past 20+ years. They discuss the journey from reputation risk, to transaction monitoring, to comprehensive client due diligence. John and Vesna examine the changes in regulatory focus and expectations and how the financial service industry’s response has evolved over time.

In this installment of AML Conversations, John Byrne sits down with Bill Maggio. In a wide-ranging conversation, Bill, a member of the AML RightSource Advisory Board, and John discuss entrepreneurship, how new and rapidly growing companies help stimulate business communities, and the current expansion activity at AML RightSource.