The Laundry

Grenade attacks, kidnappings, young boys coerced into gang crime. This is all currently happening in Norway and it's causing a frenzy in the news. But where there’s organised crime and violence – there is also dark money. Otherwise, why bother?  Our expert host, Robin Lycka , is joined by Diamant Salihu, Investigative Journalist at SVT , to ask : How is organised crime and dark money inf...

Welcome to the first part of The Dark Laundry Files! No one grows up dreaming of being named the Head of AML Sanctions at a tier 1 bank.  In fact, many of us in compliance and AML have stumbled our way into the profession – so where does the passion come from?  Our expert host, Marit Rødevand , is joined by Ray Blake and Graham Barrow , presenters of The Dark Money Files podcast, to...

We have a financial crime crisis going on. Everyday people are coerced into money muling via flashy social media ads Recruited to transfer "dirty" money through their bank accounts and turning it into seemingly "clean" cash by obscuring its origin. Cases of money muling sky-rocketing globally! But why? And what can the data tell us about this problem? Our expert host, Robin Lycka , is joined by Mi...

It’s time to turn our world upside down and turn our attention to what's happening in Australia! The Australian government passed new AML and CFT rules that will drastically increase the number of businesses regulated by AUSTRAC—the country’s financial intelligence agency. Lawyers, accountants, and real estate agents, as well as those in precious metals and virtual assets, are now all obliged to r...

When we think about AI solutions, we picture them as disconnected from the systems and tools you're using every day. But for many in banking and compliance, this feels like a misstep. There's a growing belief that true innovation shouldn't require you to go searching for it. Instead, it should come directly to where you already are! Our expert host, Marit Rødevand , is joined by Jeeva Moni, P...

We all saw the handshakes – but Trump's meeting with Putin in Alaska has yet to see a peace deal signed and an end to the invasion of Ukraine.  Now, it’s being reported that the US is considering a new wave of sanctions on Russia’s financial enablers – looking at secondary countries acting as middle men. Trump also wants to see more action from the EU – demanding trade tariffs...

A alarming new report out of Sweden has revealed that a THIRD of their financial institutions have not started exploring artificial intelligence solutions in AML at all! While zero respondents said they have full or advanced AI implementation in place. But in this age where financial criminals are plugged in to the latest technology, can you really afford not to be? Our expert host, Marit Rødevand...

Are you ready to step into a parallel world? It’s a bizarre world where no money moves – but currency changes hands between criminals, state-backed hackers, and drug cartels. It’s one of the biggest threats in financial crime today – and yet remains massively under–researched and misunderstood. Our expert host, Marit Rødevand , is joined by Ari Redbord , Global Head of Policy at TRM Labs , to...

Young, educated, multi-lingual, tech-savvy, operating across multiple countries. NepoPEPs are the sons, daughters, and other younger relatives of typical oligarchs—a new generation that has become instrumental in moving money across borders through crypto and other illicit means. But make no mistake—stopping this network of young politically exposed persons is no child’s play! Our expert host, Rob...

VIBE CODING! The new tools that let users write the back-end code for websites, apps, and online games with AI—without any coding experience. The potential for these tools is huge, and VCs are currently throwing billions of dollars in investment behind them! But, it wouldn’t be The Laundry if we didn't bring that compliance focus! While there are potential uses for AML specialists, there are also...

As a summer treat, we're bringing you some of the *top performing* episodes of The Laundry to date! The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Authority (AMLA) is the new entity aiming to transform AML and CFT supervision in the EU. AMLA is gearing up to take on the 70% of criminal networks in the EU that use money laundering to fund their activities and conceal their asse...

As a summer treat, we're bringing you some of the *top performing* episodes of The Laundry to date! This is a story about the wild rise and crushing fall of the tech giant, Wirecard, that was exposed as a billion dollar accounting fraud.  It raises big questions about corporate fraud, money laundering and the need for strong financial regulations. In this episode (originally aired July 2022)...

As a summer treat, we're bringing you some of the *top performing* episodes of The Laundry to date! The EU's Ultimate Beneficial Ownership ruling made headlines all over Europe. It appeared to be a major win for those who think public UBO registers infringe on the right to privacy – but it also has massive consequences for financial criminals too. In this episode, originally aired December 20...

Welcome to The Soapbo x, a summer special from The Laundry. The humble soapbox has been used for free speech and the open sharing of views for over a century! We're channeling that spirit and inviting industry experts to share their hot takes on today's most pressing questions. This week: * Do sanctions make a real impact, or do they just help us feel like we’re acting? * What motivates you to kee...

Welcome to The Soapbo x, a summer special from The Laundry. The humble soapbox has been used for free speech and the open sharing of views for over a century! We're channeling that spirit and inviting industry experts to share their hot takes on today's most pressing questions. This week: * If you were the regulator for a day, what’s the one thing you’d change? * What should AI take over — and wha...

Stablecoins are having a moment – with a bill moving through the U.S. system that could bring the tokens into mainstream regulation. These fiat-backed currencies are presented as the more trustworthy version of crypto, acceptable to the traditional financial system. But hold on – this is still crypto, and that wild west element hasn't been entirely tamed just yet! So what should compliance pr...

Internal auditors could be the ultimate ‘insider outsider’ in financial services. They are on average 1% of a bank’s staff, and yet they are there to keep the other 99% in check – while balancing new regulations and ongoing threats in rooting out shady operators and financial crime. No pressure then! Our expert host, Marit Rødevand , is joined by Eleanor Streatfield , Head of Internal Audit a...

President Trump called tariffs “the most beautiful word in the dictionary.” On a self-declared ‘Liberation Day,’ the US unleashed a wave of new blanket tariffs on nations across the globe. Stock markets plunged worldwide, the administration hit the brakes, and announced a 90-day pause on their new global trade plan. But the 90-day countdown is almost over and there's no sign of a new favourite wor...

Think about the road you took to work, the flight you booked for your next holiday, or even the property you’re looking to buy. What if they were all made possible by shadowy deals between powerful corporations and oligarchs? But surely this couldn't be happening in Scandinavia, where trust and transparency are so important…could it? Our expert hosts, Fredrik Riiser and Robin Lycka, team up to rev...

The Laundry was recently the closing act at Finland’s biggest event for the AML industry – after a day of talks from expert speakers across banking, fintech, payments, consultancy, law enforcement, and academia.  After soaking up all the valuable information like sponges – our panel are bringing some of the biggest, best, and brightest takes to you! Our expert host, Marit Rødevand, is jo...

Hot coral cards, instant money transfers, sleek onboarding, and mega funding rounds. Take yourself back to the 2010s and the fintech hype train was in full effect! Now the industry has grown up and handles more of our money than ever before – the pendulum is shifting on these ‘disruptors’ who now face much of the same pressures as the big boys of banking. So, does fintech continue to exist if...

It’s been a wild ride for Syria’s interim President, Ahmed al Sharaa. Recently, he was photographed alongside Donald Trump in Riyadh, marking a historic moment: the announcement of the end of U.S. sanctions on Syria. It’s quite the turnaround for a man who once had a $10 million bounty on his head. There’s a growing sense of optimism about Syria’s reintegration into the global financial system, af...

We’re touching The Laundry down in a single country – to understand how it looks at financial crime and the lessons we can take from it. This episode: a nation where a scam involving tulip sellers can make international news! Our expert host, Marit Rødevand, is joined by Erik Reissenweber, Anti-Money Laundering Specialist at AMLC , to reveal: everything you need to know about financial crime in th...

'Compliance’ and ‘Innovation’ have never traditionally been the best of friends. They can be seen as opposite ends of a spectrum. But in this modern competitive market for financial services – that has to change!  Recorded at Avanza Bank in Stockholm – our expert host, Marit Rødevand, is joined by Karoline Tyan , Specially Appointed Executive in AML/CFT, and Martin Sturesson Christiansen...

This week, our expert hosts – Marit Rødevand, Fredrik Riiser, and Robin Lycka – have the tables turned on them as they respond to questions, comments, and hot takes from Heads of Compliance, MLROs, sanctions experts, and other listeners of the podcast. The panel discuss: when it's right to separate the roles of Head of Compliance and MLRO; the cash-heavy businesses now replacing laundromats; and t...