The Laundry

America remains the ultimate trend setter – and that goes for regulation and law enforcement. Which is why you should not be ignoring FinCEN’s new guidance on SARs that is stripping back and relaxing some of the box ticking exercises in favour of a risk-based approach. Our expert host, Robin Lycka , is joined by Guy Huber , Principal at FS Vector , to ask: Is the USA giving up on SARs? The pair di...

Cross our palms with silver and look deeply into the crystal ball. We’re gazing into the future of financial crime in 2026. Consider this your 'Spoiler Alert' for the year ahead! Our expert host, Fredrik Riiser , is joined by Maria Nizzero , Head of Sanctions Policy at UK Finance , and Fredrik Drake , Director & FinCrime Lead Sweden at EY , to ask: Can we predict the 2026 financial crime roadm...

Oslo is the centre of global attention this week as the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize was presented, in absentia, to Maria Corina Machado – for her work promoting democratic rights in Venezuela. Venezuela is currently ranked as one of the most corrupt countries globally by Transparency International , struggling with widespread issues like money laundering, narco/terror financing, and international sanct...

“Uphold the rule of law, to keep our country safe, and to protect civil rights” – these are the stated aims of the US Department of Justice. The US is the world’s largest economy, where every decision has ripples in the global market. That makes fighting corruption, laundering, and sanctions evasion crucial work. Being part of one of the most important branches of government must lead to some...

This month, more than 2,700 high street stores across the UK were visited by police – leading to 900 arrests and more than £10 million in criminal proceeds seized.  But while the news cameras focussed in on the hauls of counterfeit cigarettes, it is how this web of small businesses fit into money laundering where we should be really paying attention. In this episode, your expert hosts – ...

This week, The Laundry set itself a challenge: head to Hvitvaskingskonferansen 2025 – Norway's biggest AML and CTF conference – and come back with a learning about the state of the industry today. Conferences are more than just a chance to gossip over free coffee – these events really matter for information sharing, finding new strategies to tackle financial crime, and bringing the industry c...

You're given two years to make a difference in the global battle against money laundering, financial crime, and corruption.  The clock is ticking from the very moment you start the job: so where do you begin? For some, the pressure could be too much – but this is all part of being President of the Financial Action Task Force.  Our expert host, Marit Rødevand , is joined by Elisa de Anda...

Seven minutes. Nine pieces of priceless jewellery. A place in heist history. The theft of the Louvre in Paris has made headlines across the world. You may think this is a story about priceless items linked to Napoleon – but the truth may be something closer to home for compliance professionals. Our expert hosts, Marit Rødevand, Fredrik Riiser, and Robin Lycka , are revealing: What the Louvre jewel...

For some, we know that the knock on the door from the regulator might be what’s keeping them up at night. But for this episode, let’s flip the perspective.  Think about the regulators: they’re the ones building the rules, fighting complex financial crime risks, keeping up with global sanctions, and dishing out unpopular penalties. That has got to lead to some stressful evenings! Our expert ho...

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...