The Laundry

With over 130 bomb attacks, a record numbers of shootings, and a criminal network estimated to include over 30,000 individuals – Sweden is in the grip of an organised gang crime problem like it’s never seen before.  The magnitude of this issue became global news when Sweden’s Prime Minister called on the military to take to the streets and help combat the violence. In this podcast, we're...

Let’s face it. When it comes to money laundering – the UK is a serious player!  If money laundering was an olympic sport – research suggests that the UK would be on the podium with a silver medial – only trumped by Team USA!  But now, a group of politicians are looking to fight that reputation with a new bill – currently passing through the Houses of Parliament.  In this w...

Our guest for this episode is unique to The Laundry so far! In 2007, he was convicted under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act for the kind of financial crimes our podcast audience are typically looking to combat!  However, following cooperation with a sting operation, working undercover for three years, and a fourteen month spell in prison – he now raises awareness of the risks he once f...

The University of Oxford is currently * the * top higher learning institution in the world and two more British universities also make it into the top 10, according to World University Rankings. But new research has exposed how these prestigious places of learning, and many more across the UK, are under threat from money linked to global terrorism and crime! From student becoming money mules, to a...

Human trafficking is one of those terms which hides a lot of human suffering. Estimates put the number of people trafficked globally at around 27 million – forced into domestic work, construction, agriculture, sexual exploitation, and many more dark avenues.  This is a huge global problem that financial services can help to identify and eradicate – but only if it steps up to the cha...

Law firms are responsible for some of the largest transactions globally – from M&As, to real estate deals, to setting up new companies. But no money movement is without risk and legal firms come close to some of the most high-risk sectors in the world! In this week's episode – our host, Marit Rødevand , is joined by Bruno Edenogie , Head of EU Compliance & Data Protection Officer...

From fine art to global wars – financial crime is everywhere! So, how does the industry keep up, who are the people fighting crime on the front line, and what are the consequences of not getting this right? Our new season of twelve episodes will be dropping every Thursday from September 28th. Make sure to subscribe to The Laundry wherever you get podcasts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priva...

You've probably seen the disturbing images in the news—people appearing like zombies, ravaged by the ruthless grip of the deadly drug, Fentanyl. In this gripping episode, we take a deep dive into the hidden realm where digital wealth meets addiction, destruction, and death. With the help of our special guest Scott Chipolina , Financial Times journalist, we unravel the intricate and devastating lin...

Dive into the complexities of Trade-Based Money Laundering (TBML) in this insightful episode. Join us with our guest, Bruce Viney , the Director of Financial Crime Compliance Training at CCL Academy , as we explore TBML's intricacies, how criminals manipulate trade, and the challenges financial institutions and regulated companies face. Get ready for an information-packed discussion covering topic...

In this week's episode, we speak with Patrick Skjennum, CTO of Strise , to delve deep into the fascinating world of Generative AI and its potential impact on the fight against financial crime. We uncover how Generative AI can revolutionize the financial industry, from combating financial crime to providing exceptional customer service. Patrick provides real-life examples of how companies are curre...

In this episode, we're diving into the murky world of shipping and its challenges for banks. With little oversight and a global reach, the maritime industry presents complex problems for banks navigating regulatory compliance. Our expert guests, Tom Cardamone and Michael Byrne , CEOs of Global Financial Integrity and the Institute of International Banking Law & Practice, respectively, take us...

Welcome to a special episode where we're thrilled to announce a very famous guest, ChatGPT! In this thought-provoking discussion, we delve into the complex and intriguing roles played by Artificial Intelligence (AI) as both an adversary to money launderers and an ally in the fight against financial crime. All responses come directly from the AI itself, providing unique insights into its nuanced ro...

Get ready to uncover the secrets of one of the world's most notorious hacking groups - The Lazarus Group. In this episode, we chat with investigative journalist Geoff White and explore the inner workings of this elite North Korean group. Join us as we delve into their past and present operations, including their staggering theft of billions of dollars through cyberattacks, targeting everything fro...

Join us as we sit down with Jørgen Holmlund , who brings over 25 years of experience in intelligence, to discuss sanctions and intelligence work.  This episode is brought to you in partnership with  Penningtvättsdagarna  – Sweden's largest event for AML/CFT professionals, taking place on May 3-4 in Stockholm.  In this episode, we explore the ever-changing world of sanctions and...

In this episode, we'll take a closer look at the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), one of the biggest US bank runs in over a decade. We'll examine how the bank's risk management may have been the leading cause of its downfall and get an exclusive perspective from Marcus Mølleskov , Chief Risk & Compliance Officer at Januar and Simon Taylor , Head of Strategy at Sardine.ai.  Tune in a...

Last week we hosted, The Laundry Live - a live-streamed community event featuring subject-matter experts such as; Louise Brown, Graham Barrow, Gregory Dellas, and Christian Hunt. Our speaker, Louise Brown, Director of Financial Crime Prevention at FCG, shared her insights on the AML trends in 2023 and beyond. Listen to this episode to hear her thoughts and get ahead of the curve. We recommend you...

Join us as we uncover the truth behind Britain's 'kleptocracy capital'. Award-winning and investigative journalist Oliver Bullough joins this week's The Laundry episode to discuss how London has become a safe haven for the world's wealthiest people to hide their stolen money and spend it with no questions asked.  Bullough explains how the problem originated and how the lack of regulation in t...

In this week's episode, we're deep-diving into FCG's " AML State of Play report ", a comprehensive study of the AML practices of ten of Denmark's largest financial institutions. The report is based on anonymous interviews with senior executives from the ten banks. Together with Kenneth Ullmann Eenholt , director at FCG Denmark, we explore the key findings from the report and the progress made sinc...

In 2022, the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority in the UK) raised the possibility that criminals may take advantage of the speedy onboarding process of challenger banks (neobanks), mainly to create money mule networks. Their report also noted that challenger banks advertise the ability to open accounts quickly, which may lead to insufficient information being gathered on higher-risk customers during...

Guess where the business name 'Adolf Tooth-Fairy Hitler' is registered? Registering a business at Companies House, the official business registry in the UK is an easy, quick, and affordable process. However, strange business owner names like 'Adolf Tooth-Fairy Hitler' appear in the organisation's database, suggesting that limited checks are being conducted and reveal a system vulnerable to crimina...

As Head of Risk and Compliance at Vipps MobilePay , one of Europe's largest fintech companies, Silke Øverby knows that compliance is more than just a cost centre. Join us to learn how compliance functions can help improve customer satisfaction, boost customer loyalty, and reduce the chances of litigation - all while driving business growth. From this exciting episode, you'll learn: Strategies impl...

The EU's new Ultimate Beneficial Ownership (UBO) ruling has been making headlines all over Europe. At first glance, it appears to be a major win for those who think public UBO registers infringe on the right to privacy. But is it instead a gigantic Christmas gift to the criminals? In this episode, we explore the pros and cons of the new UBO ruling with  Thom Townsend, Executive Director at Op...

(Episode in 🇳🇴) Finanstilsynet publiserte nylig et oppdatert rundskriv til hvitvaskingsloven som gir uttrykk for Finanstilsynets tolkning og forvaltningspraksis knyttet til hvitvaskingsloven. Det nye rundskrivet gjelder for alle rapporteringspliktige etter hvitvaskingsregelverket. Sammen med Julie Odden som er leder for kompetanseheving innen økonomisk kriminalitet i PWC går vi igjennom veilederen...

The financial frontline of Russia's war in Ukraine runs through the offices of overworked sanctions officers at banks and financial institutes everywhere. It's the bank's job to freeze the accounts and assets of sanctioned individuals, and the pressure is colossal. If you get it wrong or act too slowly, the impact on a bank's brand and bottom line will be felt for years to come. So how is one of t...

This week's special guest is Swedbank's former Chief Compliance Officer Viveka Strangert , also known through media as the "whistleblower" in the massive money laundering scandal. Swedbank was fined 4 billion SEK (€389.8m) in 2020 by Sweden's financial watchdog for severe deficiencies in its AML processes and for withholding information from authorities investigating its role in the scandal, which...