Hello, and welcome to episode 65 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m your host, Chris Kirkbride. It’s been one hell of a busy week this week, especially on sanctions, fraud, and money laundering. The cyber-attack news has taken a bit of a dip this week, but I doubt that’s because they’re not happening. Let’s crack on.

As usual, I have linked the main stories flagged in the podcast in the description. These are:

Financial Action Task Force, Virtual Assets: Targeted Update on Implementation of the FATF Standards on Virtual Assets and Virtual Asset Service Providers.

Financial Conduct Authority, Cultural evolution: how culture must change to meet expectations.

Financial Ombudsman Service, Financial Ombudsman Service warns of increase in ‘hybrid’ scams.

HM Treasury, Enhanced due diligence: designation of high-risk countries - Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill.

HM Treasury, Review of the UK’s AML/CFT regulatory and supervisory regime.

Insolvency Service, Sound engineer and bookkeeper banned as company directors for covid loan abuse.

Joint Money Laundering Steering Group, Current Guidance.

National Cyber Security Centre, NCSC marks 20th anniversary of first response to state-sponsored cyber attack.

Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, General Licences.

Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Republic of Belarus sanctions: guidance.

Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation and Office of Foreign Assets Control, Humanitarian Assistance and Food Security Fact Sheet: Understanding UK and U.S. Sanctions and their Interconnection with Russia.

Pay.uk, Pay.UK partners with Visa, Synectics Solutions and Featurespace on pioneering fraud detection and prevention initiative.

Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC Charges Former Pfizer Statistician with Insider Trading Ahead of COVID-19 Announcement.

Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC Charges Stockbroker and Friend with Insider Trading.

Transparency International, International Anti-Corruption Conference To Be Held In June 2024 In Lithuania.

UK government, New law imposes fresh sanctions on Russia accessing UK legal expertise (press release).

United Nations Security Council, Security Council Renews Democratic Republic of Congo Sanctions Regime, Unanimously Adopting Resolution 2688 (2023).

US Department of Justice, CFO, Controller, Corporate Officers Charged in $53 Million Fraud Scheme Involving Pandemic Relief.

U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, COVID-19 Pandemic EIDL and PPP Loan Fraud Landscape.