Welcome to episode 217 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast. I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, we lead with the US Treasury sanctioning 21 entities and individuals involved in Houthi oil smuggling and weapons procurement, while the EU marks a historic structural shift as the European Banking Authority transfers all AML/CFT mandates to the new AMLA. We examine the SFO’s conviction of three directors in a £70 million "ethical forestry" fraud and the FCA’s £309,843 fine against a consultant for repeated insider dealing. Furthermore, we discuss South Africa’s legislative push to close FATF gaps via its updated 2025 Amendment Bill, and a stern warning from a UK Treasury Select Committee that regulators are moving too slowly to address the systemic risks posed by the rapid integration of AI. Finally, we consider the industrialisation of cybercrime, the NCSC’s warning regarding escalating pro-Russian DDoS attacks on UK infrastructure, and new research into how youth cybercrime often begins with everyday online risk-taking.

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