Hello, and welcome to episode 172 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, we unpack a sweeping set of global enforcement actions and policy updates—from Interactive Brokers' $11.8 million sanctions settlement in the U.S. to OFAC's crackdown on Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua criminal network. We explore the EU’s sanctions against Russian hybrid threats and the UK's overhaul of its money laundering laws, including a revised criminal property threshold and its updated National Risk Assessment. Bribery and political influence come under scrutiny with new legislation targeting presidential library donations and concerns over cryptocurrency in UK political funding. Plus, we highlight HMRC’s £3.9 billion fraud recovery success, a strategic revamp at the UK Insolvency Service, and major reforms to the Senior Managers regime. The episode closes with updates on cybercrime—including the Co-op’s data breach and the launch of the NCSC’s vulnerability research initiative—rounding out a busy week in the world of financial integrity and corporate accountability.

A transcript of this podcast, with links to the stories, will be available by Monday at www.crimes.financial.