Welcome to episode 224 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast. I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, the US Treasury has sanctioned a Hizballah-linked gold and shipping network operating across the Middle East and Russia, alongside a $1.72 million OFAC fine against IMG Academy for tuition-related violations of Mexican counternarcotics sanctions. In the UK, the FCA’s first-ever enforcement action against a global crypto exchange, HTX, for illegal UK promotions, while Transparency International warns that the UK’s new Representation of the People Bill still allows "mega-donors" to exert outsized political influence. We also look at the UK SFO’s conclusion that legacy e-discovery technical issues have not compromised past convictions, and the UK leads a 2,500-person multinational cyber-defence exercise in Singapore. Finally, we look at the alarming weaponisation of AI in cyber-espionage, highlighting a sophisticated campaign by state-sponsored hackers which marks an historic shift toward machine-speed autonomous attacks.

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

Welcome to episode 223 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast. I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, the major story is the stark warning from Transparency International’s 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, which highlights a global decline in public sector integrity and significant backsliding in established democracies like the UK and US. In sanctions enforcement, the US has designated a network of 14 "shadow fleet" vessels and multiple entities involved in trading Iranian oil, while the EU prepares its 20th sanctions package. We also examine the UK’s launch of a world-first framework to identify gaps in deepfake detection, alongside a warning from Google that state-sponsored hackers are increasingly targeting individual defence-sector employees via personalised phishing. Finally, we cover the federal indictment of a US Department of Defense employee for allegedly laundering millions for an overseas fraud network, the FCA’s latest fines for insider dealing, and the launch of OFAC’s new online portal to streamline voluntary self-disclosures.

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

Welcome to episode 222 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast. I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, we lead with a light flurry of UK sanctions activity, including the designation of six individuals under the Sudan regime and an update to general licensing following the merger of Bank FC Otkritie, while a new analysis explores how cryptocurrency is being leveraged to sustain Russia’s war economy. In fraud developments, we cover a nationwide US marriage-fraud and bribery indictment and in the UK a warning regarding AI voice cloning used to hijack direct debits. We also examine a Home Office evaluation of the National Fraud Squad, and a MONEYVAL assessment of Serbia. Finally, the CCRC has referred five City-trader convictions back to the Court of Appeal, and a significant shift in US policy toward lighter-touch financial regulation and expanded leniency for cooperative corporations.

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

Welcome to episode 221 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast. I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, we lead with a coordinated international push against Iranian repression, while in the US the Treasury has opened a path for established firms to resume Venezuelan oil exports. In the UK, the Upper Tribunal has upheld FCA findings of a lack of integrity against Rangecourt SA and its former executives, and the FCA has also warned that modernising the UK's payment landscape must include enhanced protections and reimbursement schemes for victims of authorised push payment APP scams. Finally, we cover the federal conviction of an Ohio fraud and bribery conspiracy and a multi-year effort by the US and Indonesia to strengthen asset recovery.

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

Welcome to episode 220 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast. I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, we lead with a major escalation in international sanctions, as the EU targets 15 individuals and six entities in Iran for human rights abuses and military support for Russia, while the UK’s OFSI announces a sweeping overhaul of its enforcement framework. In the fraud and money laundering sectors, the National Audit Office has criticised the Ministry of Defence for recovering just 48p for every £1 spent on counter-fraud efforts, and HMRC has published a list of hundreds of businesses fined for anti-money laundering breaches. Finally, we cover significant legal milestones in the U.S., including the first-ever $1m anti trust whistle-blower reward involving a car auction bid−rigging scheme and the federal seizure of over $400 million linked to the Helix darknet crypto mixer.

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

Welcome to episode 219 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast. I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, we lead with the UK government’s proposal to establish a new National Police Service, dubbed a "British FBI." In sanctions news, the US Treasury has designated nine vessels linked to Iran’s "shadow fleet," OFSI has fined Bank of Scotland for Russia-related breaches, and a UN expert has urged the US to lift sanctions against International Criminal Court officials. We also consider significant enforcement action, including an 18-year sentence for a fraud courier, a 46-month sentence of a Chinese national for money laundering, and bribery charges unsealed against a former NATO procurement official. Furthermore, we look at a £5.6 million confiscation order against a professional launderer tied to a massive Bitcoin fraud and a landmark report warning that fraud may soon constitute half of all crime in England and Wales. Finally, we cover the EU’s progress on a new Anti-Corruption Directive and the FCA’s warning to consumers regarding the risks of high-risk securities under the new public offers regime.

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

Welcome to episode 218 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast. I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, we look at decisive action from the US Treasury targeting a hidden Hamas support network using nonprofit fronts and a major Costa Rica-based cocaine trafficking and money laundering operation. In the UK, the City of London Police launched the "Report Fraud" service, and the SFO has charged two former executives following the collapse of the prepaid funeral provider. We also look at significant global compliance shifts, including a former TD Bank employee’s guilty plea in a $26 million laundering scheme and MONEYVAL reports highlighting strengthened AML frameworks in Azerbaijan and Estonia. Finally, we look at the IMF’s new governance diagnostic for Nepal and the transition to the UK Sanctions List as the sole authoritative source for domestic designations. 

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

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.

Welcome to episode 216 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast. I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, we lead with significant sanctions updates as the UK and EU lower the oil price cap on Russian crude to $44.10 per barrel, and the US Treasury targets Iranian shadow-banking networks and security officials linked to illicit financing. We also analyse major domestic and international enforcement, including the UK SFO’s £300 million bribery and fraud probe into Home REIT, Spain’s record €30 million AML penalty against CaixaBank, and the sentencing of a Massachusetts man to 15 years for international money laundering. Furthermore, we look at Transparency International’s warning regarding the erosion of US anti-corruption leadership and the EU's decision to remove South Africa from its list of high-risk jurisdictions. Finally, we cover MONEYVAL’s latest progress reports on a number of nations and a new transnational coalition of financial intelligence units meeting in Washington to disrupt global organised crime.

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

Welcome to episode 215 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast. I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, we lead with significant global sanctions updates, including a multilateral warning regarding North Korean cyber-enabled sanctions evasion and the US designation of several Muslim Brotherhood branches as terrorist organisations. We also look at major legal developments, such as the five-year money laundering sentence handed to Georgia’s former Prime Minister, Irakli Garibashvili, and a landmark UK High Court ruling affirming the continued enforceability of the Guralp Systems DPA. Furthermore, we consider federal charges against a former New York City official for bribery and PPP fraud, as well as the US government’s civil forfeiture action against cryptocurrency tied to a "pig-butchering" scam. Finally, we cover MONEYVAL’s assessment of Poland’s crypto-asset safeguards, a significant guilty plea in a multimillion-dollar insider trading scheme, and the FCA’s successful confiscation order against the fraudster behind the collapsed platform Collateral (UK) Ltd.

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