Originally published 10 September 2021.

In June 2020, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) urged countries to increase the use of financial investigations into illegal wildlife trade cases.

A year on, in July 2021, it published a further analysis on mineral, waste and timber trafficking. In advance of the FATF’s upcoming October plenary, Tom Keatinge and Alexandria Reid take a deep dive into the thornier aspects of the FATF’s current approach to environmental crime.

Governments pursuing human rights sanctions increasingly rely on evidence collected and submitted by NGOs on the ground. Charlie Loudon, international legal advisor at REDRESS – an organisation which fights torture – joins Emil Dall in offering insights on the vital role NGOs have in identifying states or entities that should be sanctioned, and why this matters not just for policy, but also for the victims.

This week’s ‘In the News’ includes CFCS’s Emil Dall and Associate Fellow Samantha Sheen.

Aid organisations must navigate through tough circumstances to reach those most in need. The challenges are not solely physical; they also include compliance with a complex global sanctions and counter-terrorism finance regime, one that is often disconnected from realities on the ground. Former humanitarian policy advisor Rachel Sider joins Stephen Reimer to share insights from the field.

This week’s ‘In the News’ includes CFCS’s Olivia Kearney and Associate Fellow Nick Turner.

Despite half a century of evolution, the US financial crime policy landscape remains as convoluted and challenging to navigate as ever. Yet, it has also shown real sparks of innovation, particularly in terms of information sharing and the much-lauded AML Act of 2020. Host Tom Keatinge is joined by RegTech consultant Jim Richards to dive into the complex world of financial crime compliance in the US and explore what might lie ahead.

This week’s ‘In the News’ includes RUSI’s Darya Dolzikova and Associate Fellow Jessica Davis.

A robust anti-money laundering regime prevents crime and terror, yet it can also exclude large portions of society from financial services. Roughly 1.7 billion people across the globe lack access to finance, and this includes 1 million in the UK alone. Host Isabella Chase is joined by Mariam Zahari, Policy Specialist at the Alliance for Financial Inclusion, to explore why the fostering of an inclusive financial integrity framework matters for both sustainable development and global security.

This week’s ‘In the News’ includes CFCS’s Wojciech Pawlus and RUSI Associate Fellow Malcolm Wright.

It’s no secret that North Korea and other actors seek to exploit financial systems to pursue their proliferation goals. Sub-Saharan Africa has been one of the most affected regions; its financial institutions stand on the front lines of compliance, particularly when it comes to the recently-intensified UN sanctions measures. Host Wojciech Pawlus is joined by Mpendu Zwane, the counterproliferation finance manager at Absa, to hear how this South Africa-based banking group stays on top of the threat. 

This week’s ‘In the News’ includes CFCS Director Tom Keatinge and RUSI Associate Fellow Gemma Rogers of Fintrail, the financial crime-fighting consultancy.

The public-private partnership (PPP) concept is now an essential component in the fight against financial crime, but that wasn’t always the case. Host Tom Keatinge is joined by Paul Jevtovic, the former CEO of the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), who had an instrumental role in placing PPPs at the centre of financial crime-fighting. This week’s ‘In the News’ includes CFCS’s Isabella Chase and Michael O’Kane from leading UK law firm Peters & Peters.   

This week’s ‘In the News’ includes CFCS’s Anton Moiseienko and RUSI Associate Fellow Matthew Redhead.  

Environmental Crime is the 4th largest transnational organized crime in the world. This episode focuses on the illegal wildlife trade (IWT), where the pace of the global response does not match the scale of the threat. Yet, many local authorities embraced the challenge long before it was on the global anti-financial crime agenda. Host Alexandria Reid is joined by Atuweni Agbermodji, who headed Malawi’s Financial Intelligence Authority and was instrumental in driving change to tackle IWT crime in the country. 

This week’s ‘In the News’ includes CFCS’s Maria Sofia Reiser and RUSI Associate Fellow David Artingstall. 

A cashless society is nearly here and with it comes the need for effective and secure digital identity. While many governments and institutions are playing catch up, Canada has embraced the challenge. Host Isabella Chase is joined by Andre Boysen, Chief Identity Officer at SecureKey to get the scoop on Canada’s pioneering efforts in digital identity and the game-changing impact it could have on financial services across the world. 

This week’s ‘In the News’ includes CFCS’s Kayla Izenman and Charles Delingpole of Comply Advantage.