Financial Crime Weekly Podcast

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...

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, signif...

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 Am...

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 cover...

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 t...

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 A...

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 ove...

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 m...

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 Russi...

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 Ind...

Hello, and welcome to episode 187 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, geopolitical pressure intensifies as the EU proposes its 19th sanctions package against Russia, featuring a full transaction ban on Russian banks and targeting LNG imports by 2027 to cripple the war economy. Meanwhile, in the United States, FinCEN has proposed delaying the critical Inves...

Hello, and welcome to episode 186 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, on sanctions, we look at action by the EU against Israel. The UK has reaffirmed financial sanctions against Chinese drone manufacturer Autel Robotics, and issued an advisory warning UK firms about using North Korean IT workers. On the regulatory and digital asset front, the Financial Con...

Hello, and welcome to episode 185 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, on sanctions, the US Treasury's imposition of sanctions on Sudanese Islamist figures over Iran ties and a global network funding Iran's military and terrorist activities. We look at a $100 million pump-and-dump fraud scheme where Chinese tech executives allegedly defrauded US inv...

Hello, and welcome to episode 184 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, on sanctions news, OFSI has set a deadline for reporting frozen assets, delisted Ilya Brodskiy, and imposed new designations under the Russia Sanctions Regime, while the US Treasury executed its largest-ever sanctions action against the Houthi networks. We also look at the jailing of a L...

Hello, and welcome to episode 183 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, we look at the US Treasury's actions against Palestinian NGOs and Southeast Asian cyber scam networks, alongside Vanquis Bank's censure for delayed counter-terrorism sanctions enforcement in the UK. International efforts to combat money laundering are examined through a joint han...

Hello, and welcome to episode 182 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, OFAC settled a penalty with Fracht FWO Inc. for violations involving Venezuela and Iran, sanctioned a Chinese chemical firm and executives for trafficking synthetic opioids, and designated Palestinian human rights organizations over alleged targeting of Israel by the ICC. OFAC also recla...

Hello, and welcome to episode 181 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, we look at US Treasury's action against an Iraqi-led network for smuggling Iranian oil disguised as Iraqi crude, and the UK and EU's decision to slash the Russian oil price cap to $47.60. In money laundering, updates on HM Treasury's approval of JMLSG guidance, FATF's new...

Hello, and welcome to episode 180 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, we bring you up to speed on the latest developments in financial crime, starting with major sanctions updates from the US and UK. We cover the indictment of Haitian gang leader 'Barbecue' for US sanctions violations, and significant US Treasury actions against Mexican cartels inv...

Hello, and welcome to episode 179 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, we delve into developments across the globe, starting with US sanctions targeting Iranian networks for financial evasion and domestic repression, entities involved in violence and illegal mining in Eastern Congo, and the ongoing saga of a seized Russian superyacht. We also cover legislat...

Hello, and welcome to episode 178 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, we look at actions by OFAC targeting a narco-terrorist network and expanding sanctions against a cartel, including a "narco-rapper," alongside an OFSI license extension for payments to sanctioned banks. We also address money laundering failures by Paxos, Poland's limited prog...

Hello, and welcome to episode 177 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, we look at recent sanctions targeting Iran's UAV network and clarification of UK trade and Russian sanctions guidance. On money laundering, we look at AUSTRAC's AML/CTF overhaul in Australia, setting compliance deadlines for both existing and newly regulated entities, and on brib...

Hello, and welcome to episode 176 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, we look at developments in sanctions enforcement, including the US imposing sanctions on a Brazilian Supreme Court Justice, a vast Iranian shipping network, and Palestinian officials, alongside the UK Supreme Court upholding sanctions on British billionaire Eugene Shvidler. We also cover...

Hello, and welcome to episode 175 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, we look at sanctions, anti-money laundering, and regulatory enforcement. Highlights include major US sanctions against Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles for narco-terrorist activities, Ukraine’s alignment with EU sanction packages targeting Russian industry, and the EU’s renewal of its terr...

Hello, and welcome to episode 174 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, we look at US Treasury sanctions against a Houthi petroleum smuggling network and a clandestine North Korean IT worker network funding missile programmes. The UK’s OFSI warned of rising sanctions evasion in the crypto sector, noting under-reporting and exposure to designated Russian, Nort...

Hello, and welcome to episode 173 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast – midweek edition – I’m Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, we outline significant global efforts to combat financial crime, particularly focusing on sanctions against Russia and new measures targeting money laundering and people-smuggling networks. The European Union has implemented its 18th sanctions package against Russia, su...