Welcome to episode 197 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast. I am Chris Kirkbride. This episode covers the U.S. imposing sanctions on Colombia's President Petro over alleged cartel links and updates to the UK's OFSI humanitarian license for Israel, Palestine, and Lebanon. The UK reported £629.3 million lost to fraud in early 2025, while Starling Bank introduced an AI tool to combat online purchase scams and Europol highlighted €850 million in annual losses from caller ID spoofing. The FATF Plenary advanced efforts on asset recovery and AI risk scanning, removing four African nations from its monitoring list. ESMA announced cyber resilience and ESG as top priorities for 2026. The episode also features Tom Hayes suing UBS after his conviction was overturned, and the UN Convention against Cybercrime launching in Hanoi with 72 countries signing the first global treaty on digital threats.

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

Welcome to episode 196 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I'm Chris Kirkbride. This episode highlights major sanctions, including US actions against Rosneft and Lukoil for war financing, and new UK sanctions on Balkan crime networks involved in people smuggling. We discuss regulatory changes in the form of the UK's Interim Necessities General Licence for listed Iranian entities, significant enforcement actions with FINTRAC's record fine on Cryptomus, and the UK Gambling Commission’s penalty for Platinum Gaming. Also covered are the £1.9 billion Jaguar Land Rover cyberattack, the FCA’s call to integrate finance into UK security strategy, EU AML oversight changes, and a large-scale subsidy fraud case in Greece.

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

Hello, and welcome to episode 195 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I am Chris Kirkbride. This episode covers notable sanctions actions, including US and UK asset freezes targeting Haitian gang leaders and others under migration and trafficking regulations, as well as an OFSI licence allowing business with subsidiaries of Rosneft. We cover the takedown of a $30 million fraud ring targeting American timeshare owners, Switzerland’s proposed beneficial ownership register, and the UK’s move to centralise AML/CTF supervision under the FCA. Also featured are OECD’s review of Latvia’s anti-bribery efforts, a major cross-border corruption case, FCA warnings on weak financial crime controls, Pacific nations teaming up against crypto abuse, plus key cyber security updates such as Europol dismantling SIMCARTEL, the global impact of an AWS outage, and NCSC’s call for board-level cyber resilience.

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

Hello, and welcome to episode 194 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, the UK’s most forceful sanctions package to date, which targets major Russian oil producers, shadow fleet tankers, and 90 entities linked to Kremlin energy revenues. Separately, OFSI has reported of a record £37 billion in frozen assets, and the extension of a General Trade Licence covering sectoral software and technology under Russia sanctions. On fraud, the FCA urges banks to strengthen defences against romance scams, and the Information Commissioner’s Office has fined Capita following a 2023 cyberattack. Additionally, we explore international coordination efforts, including Transparency France spotlighting the Anti-Money Laundering Contact Board, and Eurojust addressing challenges in asset recovery, the rise of crypto-assets, and the use of professional laundering services.

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

Hello, and welcome to episode 193 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, starting with sanctions, the UK Government is set to consolidate its designation framework, retiring the OFSI Consolidated List in January 2026, making the UK Sanctions List the sole official source for all designations. We also look at increasing threats, as risk advisory experts warn that banks are underprepared for the surge in AI-driven fraud and must rethink resilience with enterprise-wide assessments, while the UK’s NCSC reports a dramatic rise in national cyber threats, prompting the government to urge business leaders to prioritise cyber resilience at the board level. Additionally, we look at global law enforcement efforts, covering the historic US and UK crackdown on the Cambodia-based Prince Group cybercrime network, and the case of "Bitcoin Jesus" Roger Ver, who admitted tax fraud and concealing offshore assets in a deal requiring him to pay $48 million in restitution.

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

Hello, and welcome to episode 192 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, on sanctions news, the United States has launched a sweeping campaign targeting Iranian energy and militia proxies. On money laundering, the European Banking Authority has reported that EU regulators have significantly improved supervision of banks ahead of the transition to the new EU Anti-Money Laundering Authority, as well as urging national supervisors to strengthen AML/CFT oversight of crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) due to financial crime risks. Meanwhile, the US Treasury’s FinCEN issued updated guidance to streamline Suspicious Activity Reports. There is anti-corruption news from Sri Lanka, which has launched a digital Case-File Tracking System to modernise investigations, and in Somalia, the UNODC has trained officials in Corruption Risk Management. Finally, on Cybercrime, a global survey identifies increased cybersecurity spending.

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

Hello, and welcome to episode 191 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, the EU has extended sanctions on those responsible for Russian hybrid threats, including cyber-attacks and disinformation. In the UK, Daniel Pugh has been sentenced for operating a £1.3 million Ponzi scheme and the Metropolitan Police has secured convictions against the launderers of over £5.5 billion in Bitcoin. On financial integrity, anti-corruption training in Guinea-Bissau’s health sector, and new UK guidance enabling anti-money laundering regulated firms to share customer data under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. Finally, the expiration of the US Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act amid a government shutdown, and Europol’s urgent call for lawful data access to counteract evolving criminal threats.

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

Hello, and welcome to episode 190 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, significant coordinated sanctions action by the United States government against Iranian targets. In Australia, AUSTRAC has launched a nationwide awareness campaign to prepare Australian industry for sweeping Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing reforms. In Malaysia, a move to Deferred Prosecution Agreements to modernise enforcement and enhance asset recovery, while a study suggests D/NPAs, while offering economic safeguards, may increase the likelihood of companies reoffending. Finally, we cover the Council of Europe’s project to strengthen AML and anti-corruption frameworks across 17 European states, and further discuss the recent cybercrime incident where hackers targeted the UK nursery chain Kido Schools.

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

Hello, and welcome to episode 189 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, on sanctions, the US Treasury has sanctioned five individuals and one entity tied to a DPRK arms network, the UK’s OFSI has expanded sanctions on 71 entities and persons under the Iran (Nuclear) Sanctions Regulations, and imposed a £152,750 penalty on Colorcon Limited for breaching Russia sanctions. On money laundering, the European Commission has initiated infringement proceedings against 11 Member States for delays in fully implementing the 6th Anti-Money Laundering Directive. In bribery and corruption, former MEP Nathan Gill pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery for accepting cash in exchange for making pro-Russian statements, while GRECO urged member states to strengthen access-to-information systems to improve transparency. On fraud, Charlie Javice has been sentenced, and a joint campaign has been launched in the UK by the National Crime Agency and The Law Society to combat payment diversion fraud in property sales. Finally, the cybercrime news highlights Interpol’s "Operation Contender 3.0," which arrested 260 suspects across 14 African nations for romance scams and sextortion, and there has been a confirmed data breach at retailer Harrods affecting 430,000 customers.

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

Hello, and welcome to episode 188 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, beginning with sanctions, where the UK government has published a comprehensive starter guide for businesses and imposed asset freezes on two entities, Embers of an Empire and Rampage Productions, for alleged links to terrorism through music. The US has also taken action, sanctioning Indian nationals and an online pharmacy for trafficking counterfeit fentanyl pills. In money laundering news, a joint effort by Eurojust and Europol dismantled a sophisticated network laundering at least €30 million through gold bar transactions across France and Italy, seizing nearly 100 kilos of gold and luxury assets. We cover significant fraud operations, including INTERPOL’s Operation HAECHI VI, which recovered $439 million globally from various cyber-enabled financial crimes, and the situation surrounding global insurer Allianz, which is grappling with a surge in fraud detection in the UK while simultaneously facing a $16.8 million fine in Australia for misleading claims. Rounding out the episode, we look at the EU demanding that major tech platforms like Google and Apple disclose their anti-scam measures under the Digital Services Act and discuss the recent UK arrest connected to the cyber-attack on Collins Aerospace that disrupted European flights.

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