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  • Hello, and welcome to episode 134 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m Chris Kirkbride. On sanctions, new designations and legislative changes in the UK, while in the US, there is enforcement action and new designations. On money laundering, the FATF is consulting on revisions to its Recommendations, and MONEYVAL has released its annual report. The bribery and corruption news sees enforcement in the US, and lots of action from pan-national organisations. On fraud news, the Payment Systems Regulator in the UK has written to fraud enablers reminding them of their responsibilities, and FinCEN has issued a deepfake warning. There is also a round-up of other financial crime news this week, as well as a small amount of cybercrime news.

    A transcript of this podcast is available at www.crimes.financial, with links to the stories.

  • Hello, and welcome to episode 133 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m Chris Kirkbride. On sanctions, enforcement action in the US and UK, and new designations in the UK. On money laundering, a joint statement on illicit finance by Australia and the UK, while on bribery and corruption news, Transparency International highlights the issue of corruption affecting climate change. The fraud news brings a firm date for the coming into force of the failure to prevent fraud offence in the UK, and some worry stats on teenage attitudes to fraud from the Netherlands. There is also a round-up of other financial crime news this week, as well as a small amount of cybercrime news.

    A transcript of this podcast is available at www.crimes.financial, with links to the stories.

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  • Hello, and welcome to episode 132 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m Chris Kirkbride. Another relatively quiet week overall, and I can assure you that is not a complaint. On sanctions, licensing changes in the UK, in addition to further designations, the US targets third-countries aiding Russia in its military action in Ukraine, while the UN raises the issue of sanctions-related justice. On bribery and corruption, the National Anti-Corruption Commission will think again about the robodebt references made to it, while on fraud, the SFO has made changes to fraud reporting. This week’s financial crime news ends with a round-up of cybercrime news, where the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation has announced major action against malware attackers.

    A transcript of this podcast is available at www.crimes.financial, with links to the stories.

  • Hello, and welcome to episode 131 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m Chris Kirkbride. A relatively quiet week overall, which is a good thing for me. Some sanctions movement in the US and UK, while OTSI issues trade sanctions guidance to firms. On money laundering, the FATF has announced the outcomes of its Paris Plenary, and on bribery, the OECD has updated on Austria and Romania. There is a report from Finance UK on the state of fraud for the first half of 2024, and in other financial crime news, 20 finfluencers have been interviewed under caution by the FCA. There is also a brief round-up of cybercrime news this week.

    A transcript of this podcast is available at www.crimes.financial, with links to the stories.

  • Hello, and welcome to episode 130 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m Chris Kirkbride. Sanctions news has taken centre-stage this week, with the US issuing new designations across the range of usual suspects, while the UK has focussed on human rights abuse sanctions and the Russian oil tanker shadow fleet. On money laundering, the FATF may black list Russia, and has updated its criteria for ‘grey listing’. On bribery and anti-corruption Raytheon has agreed a DPA for fraud and breaches of the FCPA. On market abuse, ESMA has issued a consolidated report on sanctions and measures imposed by National Competent Authorities. There is also a brief round-up of cybercrime news this week.

    A transcript of this podcast is available at www.crimes.financial, with links to the stories.

  • Hello, and welcome to episode 129 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m Chris Kirkbride. New designations from the US and UK, and the UK marks OTSI being open for business. On money laundering, the FATF publishes MERs on Japan and Kuwait, and TD Bank in the US pleads guilty to money laundering. There is Covid-19 fraud news from the US, and in the UK the CTSI has issued a critical statement concerning the recent reduction of the APP fraud reimbursement limit. In other financial crime news, the SFO has settled one of the civil actions brought against it by ENRC, and on cybercrime, there seems to be an article trend concerning the cyber-safety of CEOs, and critical infrastructure is once more subject to a cyber-attack.

    A transcript of this podcast is available at www.crimes.financial, with links to the stories.

  • Hello, and welcome to episode 128 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m Chris Kirkbride. After a few relatively quiet weeks, we are back up to the lengthy episodes of the podcast. New designations from the US and UK. On money laundering, the IMF reports on its recent Uganda mission. The fraud news comes with reports on the scale of fraudulent insurance claims in the UK, a guilty plea in a fraud case against a former solicitor, and research from the Social Market Foundation on the scale of the global fraud problem. The SEC in the US has been active against market abuse, and the FCA in the UK has charged two individuals with insider dealing offences. There’s more research from the Centre for Cybercrime and Economic Crime on the state of financial crime enforcement collaboration, and there is also a round-up of this week’s cybercrime news.

    A transcript of this podcast is available at www.crimes.financial, with links to the stories.

  • Hello, and welcome to episode 127 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m Chris Kirkbride. Another shorter episode this week, so I think we can all be pleased about that. On sanctions news, new designations from the US and UK, and even a bit of enforcement action from the UK. On money laundering, the FATF has published its MER on India, OPBAS in the UK has published its fifth report on Professional Body Supervisors, while the Egmont Group has suspended Columbia from membership over breach of confidence. On bribery and corruption news, GRECO has published its report on the Republic of Ireland, and the Mayor of NYC has been charged with bribery offences. The fraud news brings confirmation from the UK of the APP fraud reimbursement limit, and there is a range of Covid-19 fraud news. There are some other bits and pieces and a limited bit of cybercrime news.

    A transcript of this podcast is available at www.crimes.financial, with links to the stories.

  • Hello, and welcome to episode 126 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m Chris Kirkbride. After a sequence of lengthy episodes of the podcast, it’s nice to have a shorter episode from time-to-time to keep everyone happy. On sanctions, the UK has updated its Iran sanctions regime, and the US has issued a host of new designations for human rights abuses and cyber-crimes. On money laundering news, indications from China that the ruling party is looking to update its anti-money laundering regime to address the risk posed by crypto. On fraud, some Covid-19 fraud from the UK, and the FCA has made a public statement on its anti-fraud approach. Of course, there is also a round-up of cyber-crime news this week.

    A transcript of this podcast is available at www.crimes.financial, with links to the stories.

  • Hello, and welcome to episode 125 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m Chris Kirkbride. On sanctions this week, a mass of action from the UK and US. In the UK, action against the shadow fleet carrying Russian oil as part of sanctions evasion, while in the US, sanctions against allies of Venezualan president Maduro have been announced by OFAC. On bribery and corruption, GRECO reports on Kazakhstan, while in the UK Transparency International has revealed the high levels of corruption in Covid-19 PPE contracts. On money laundering in the UK, the first FCA prosecution against the owner of unlawfully operated crypto ATMs, and in Australia, the government has announced reforms to its anti-money laundering regime. There’s more Covid-19 fraud from the US and UK, the FBI has published its Cryptocurrency Fraud Report, and Spotlight on Corruption questions whether the National Crime Agency is on its knees. There is also, as usual, a round-up of this week’s cyber-attack news.

    A transcript of this podcast is available at www.crimes.financial, with links to the stories.

  • Hello, and welcome to episode 124 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m Chris Kirkbride. On sanctions this week, the suspension of some export licences to Israel, and the detention of an aircraft believed to belong to the Venezuelan president. On corruption, in Ukraine the first deputy of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau has been dismissed, and the former head of Lebanon’s Central Bank is under investigation for embezzlement. Much of the money laundering news churns around the FATF, while new AML rules have been agreed in the UAE. On fraud, big news out of the UK with the Financial Ombudsman Service reporting on scam volumes, while the Payment Systems Regulator is consulting (again) on the reimbursement level for APP fraud. In other financial crime news, the Financial Conduct Authority has published a series of annual updates alongside its Annual Report and Accounts, while there is also a round-up of this week’s cyber-attack news.

    A transcript of this podcast is available at www.crimes.financial, with links to the stories.

  • Hello, and welcome to episode 123 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m Chris Kirkbride. On sanctions this week, the US has made a host of additional designations against Russian individuals and entities. On corruption, there is more out of China and its fight against corruption at all levels of society, and a Report from GRECO on Italy. The money laundering news comes from the US, and also from Nigeria, where the government has made assurances on its strategy for exiting the FATF ‘Grey List’. The fraud news from the UK concerns Covid-19 fraudsters and there is a report from New Zealand concerning reductions in headcount at the Serious Fraud Office. In other financial crime news, a research paper on the future of the UK Serious Fraud Office, and we end with cyber-attack news respecting transportation portals.

    A transcript of this podcast is available at www.crimes.financial, with links to the stories.

  • Hello, and welcome to episode 122 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m Chris Kirkbride. On sanctions this week, in the US convictions for sanctions evasion, and further designations, while in Switzerland, there is further alignment between the country and the EU sanctions regime against Russia. On bribery and corruption, a report from the UN on the judicial system in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, new anti-fraud and corruption laws in Hungary, as well as further efforts in Ukraine to clean up its corruption image. The money laundering news comes in the form of a new paper from the FACT Coalition on the subject of Environmental crimes and illicit finance, while fraud news focuses on Covid-19 fraud both in the UK and US. In other financial crime news, the National Crime Agency (‘NCA’) has published its National Strategic Assessment 2024, and there is a brief round-up of some of this week’s cyber crime news.

    A transcript of this podcast is available at www.crimes.financial, with links to the stories.

  • Hello, and welcome to episode 121 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m Chris Kirkbride. On sanctions this week, designations from the US, and the monthly update from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clear Air on Russian fossil fuel exports. Money laundering news comes from the US where corporate beneficial ownership continues to take the focus of many working across compliance. In other financial crime news, the SFO has published its Annual Report and Accounts for 2023 – 2024, while Companies House in the UK has published its Business Plan for 2024 – 2025. There’s also a round-up of this week’s cyber crime news, with news from the UK and US regarding takedowns of cyber-crime gangs.

    A transcript of this podcast is available at www.crimes.financial, with links to the stories.

  • Hello, and welcome to episode 120 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m Chris Kirkbride. On sanctions this week, there is the typical range of designations and updates across the principal sanctions-imposing bodies. On bribery and corruption, more on the ‘tuna bonds’ case only this time from the US with a conviction in a criminal action. The money laundering news comes in the shape of output from the Counter ISIS Finance Group. On fraud, from the US action against bank fraudsters, and from the EU, action against investment scammers. The National Crime Agency in the UK has announced the outcome of its action against the wife of former Azerbaijan banker, Jahangir Hajiyev, and news of a possible massive cyber breach in the US.

    As usual, I have linked the main stories flagged in the podcast in the description. These are:

    Attorney-General’s Department, 2024 Australian Dialogue on Bribery and Corruption.

    BitcoinBlog.de, FATF: Cryptocurrencies continue to be used for terrorism financing.

    Council of the European Union, Belarus: EU lists further 28 individuals for participation in internal repression.

    Department for Education, Policy paper: DfE counter-fraud strategy overview: 2024 to 2027.

    Department of Justice, Six people charged in bank fraud scheme involving an insider sharing account information that caused more than $345,000 in theft.

    Department of Justice, Six Members of Transnational Fraud Network Indicted for Scheme to Steal Millions from American Consumers’ Bank Accounts.

    Department of Justice, Former Finance Minister of Mozambique Convicted of $2B Fraud and Money Laundering Scheme.

    Department of State, Reinforcing Sanctions on Former Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes.

    Department of the Treasury, Counter ISIS Finance Group Leaders Issue Joint Statement.

    Eurojust, Financial scammers detained following actions coordinated by Eurojust.

    Europol, Corrupt Spanish lawyer arrested for €4.5 million fishery project bribe in Equatorial Guinea.

    Financial Action Task Force, Targeted Update on Implementation of the FATF Standards on Virtual Assets and Virtual Asset Service Providers.

    Information Commissioner’s Office, Provisional decision to impose £6m fine on software provider following 2022 ransomware attack that disrupted NHS and social care services.

    Insolvency Service, Bedfordshire construction contractor banned as company director after Covid loan abuse.

    National Crime Agency, Luxury properties forfeited after six year NCA investigation.

    Norton Rose Fulbright, Financial Crime Spotlight: Money Laundering Controls in the Art Market.

    Norton Rose Fulbright, Financial Crime Spotlight: Money Laundering Controls in the Gambling Sector.

    Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, General Licence: Payments to Local Authorities INT/2023/3781228.

    Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, General Licence – East-West United Bank – Insolvency related payments and activities INT/2024/5028385.

    Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, General Licence: Permitted Payments to UK Insurance Companies INT/2022/2009156.

    Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Financial Sanctions Notice: Belarus.

    Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury Designates Tobacco Company for Supporting Paraguay’s Sanctioned Former President.

    Pinsent Masons, ‘Failure to prevent bribery’ offence will soon take effect in Australia.

    Royal United Services Institute, What’s the Point of the Financial Action Task Force Standards?

    Spotlight on Corruption, NCA forfeits over £17 million in luxury properties from first-ever McMafia order.

    Student Loan Company, SLC Economic Crime Unit Statement of Intent.

    Transparency International, Transparency International UK welcomes forfeiture of millions of pounds of assets from Azerbaijan banker, Jahangir Hajiyev.

    UK Financial Intelligence Unit, SARs Reporter Booklet August 2024.

  • Hello, and welcome to episode 119 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m Chris Kirkbride. There has been an unusual uptick, certainly for the summer months, in financial crime news this week. On sanctions this week, the NCA secures its first sanctions-related forfeiture, and the EU and US have added to their designations. On bribery and corruption, the SFO in the UK has announced charges against five former executives of Glencore, and the High Court has some tough words regarding the behaviour of professionals and institutions in the ‘tuna bond’ action brought by Mozambique. On fraud news, there’s more Covid-19 recovery fund abuse from the US, and the imprisonment of a tech scammer. There is also a decent amount of market abuse news from the SEC in the US, and the Securities and Futures Commission in Hong Kong, and in other news, the NCA in the UK has announced a new data sharing scheme and the SFO has published its annual report and accounts. There is also a round-up of the cyber-attack news this week.

    As usual, I have linked the main stories flagged in the podcast in the description. These are:

    Cayman Islands, Beneficial Ownership Transparency Act 2023.

    Commodities and Futures Trading Commission’s Office of Customer Education and Outreach, CFTC Warns Customers to Watch for Follow-on Frauds.

    Council of the European Union, Sanctions against terrorism: Council renews the EU Terrorist List and designates a new entity.

    Department of Justice, Caledonia man sentenced for COVID loan fraud.

    Department of Justice, KC Woman Pleads Guilty to $900,000 Covid Fraud Scheme.

    Department of Justice, United States v. Andrew Left.

    Department of Justice, Leader Of Tech Support Fraud Scheme Sentenced To Seven Years In Prison.

    Department of Justice, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco Delivers Remarks on New Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program.

    FinCEN, FinCEN Issues Notice to Financial Institution Customers on Beneficial Ownership Information Requirements.

    FinCEN, Notice to Customers: Beneficial Ownership Information Reference Guide.

    Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, The UK Sanctions List: Search Function.

    Information Commissioner’s Office, Reprimand: The Electoral Commission.

    National Crime Agency, NCA recovers £780,000 in the first UK forfeiture of sanctioned funds.

    National Crime Agency, Ground breaking public private partnership launched to identify criminality using banking data.

    National Crime Agency, Cross-System Professional Enablers Strategy 2024-2026.

    National Crime Agency, NCA shuts down major fraud platform responsible for 1.8 million scam calls.

    Ocorian, Cayman Islands modernises beneficial ownership regime to align with global standards.

    Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, General Licence – Continuation of Business of Evraz Plc’s North American Subsidiaries: INT/2022/1710676.

    Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Financial Sanctions Notice: Yemen.

    Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Guidance: OFSI General licence INT/2024/4919848.

    Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury Targets Iranian Missile and UAV Procurement Facilitators.

    Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury Targets Houthi Weapons Procurement Networks.

    Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC Charges Andrew Left and Citron Capital for $20 Million Fraud Scheme.

    Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC Charges Founder of Social Media Company “IRL” with $170 Million Fraud.

    Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong, Former banker ordered to disgorge $3 million illegal gains from insider dealing.

    Serious Fraud Office, Annual Report & Accounts 2023-24 (press release).

    Serious Fraud Office, Annual Report and Accounts 2023-2024.

    Serious Fraud Office, SFO charges five former Glencore employees.

    Spotlight on Corruption, New report finds UK’s enforcement of sanctions is “all bark and no bite” (press release).

    Spotlight on Corruption, All Bark and No Bite: Taking Stock of the UK’s Enforcement of Sanctions.

    UK government, National Crime Agency main estimate memorandum 2024 to 2025.

    UK judgments, The Republic of Mozambique v Credit Suisse International and Others [2024] EWHC 1957 (Comm).

  • Hello, and welcome to episode 118 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m Chris Kirkbride. On sanctions this week, designations from the US, and extension of existing sanctions from the EU. On bribery and corruption, the anti-corruption body in Zambia is cleared out, and another pressure group gives its two penn’orth on the new Labour government’s approach to corruption. The money laundering news comes from the IMF, the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and MONEYVAL has published a report on Jersey. There is also a round-up of the cyber-attack news this week.

    As usual, I have linked the main stories flagged in the podcast in the description. These are:

    Council of the European Union, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine: Council renews economic sanctions for a further 6 months.

    Europol, Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA) 2024.

    Europol, Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA) 2024 (Report).

    International Monetary Fund, Panama: Financial Sector Assessment Program - Technical Note on Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT).

    MONEYVAL, MONEYVAL acknowledges Jersey’s progress in improving measures to combat money laundering and financing of terrorism.

    MONEYVAL, Anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing measures Jersey: Fifth Round Mutual Evaluation Report.

    National Crime Agency, NCA infiltrates world's most prolific DDoS-for-hire service.

    National Cyber Security Centre, "If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it." (Blog post).

    National Cyber Security Centre, New legislation will help counter the cyber threat to our essential services (Blog post).

    New Zealand Serious Fraud Office, Phone scam.

    Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, GENERAL LICENCE - Russian Banks – UK subsidiaries – Guernsey subsidiary – EU subsidiaries - Basic needs, routine holding and maintenance, the payment of legal fees and insolvency related payments: INT/2022/1280876.

    Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, General licence - INT/2022/1280876.

    Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury Targets PRC-based Procurement Network Supporting DPRK Ballistic Missile and Space Programs.

    Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury Implements REPO for Ukrainians Act Reporting Requirement.

    Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury Sanctions Rebel Alliance Driving Instability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

    Solicitors Regulation Authority, Annual report by the Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) for the year ended 5 April 2024 (Annex).

    Spotlight on Corruption, Thin gruel for anti-corruption campaigners – the new government’s King’s Speech.

    UKFIU, SARs in Action: Issue 26.

    US Department of Justice, Leader of $200 Million Ponzi Scheme Pleads Guilty to Mail and Wire Fraud Conspiracy and Faces 20 Years’ Imprisonment.

  • Hello, and welcome to episode 117 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m Chris Kirkbride. On sanctions this week, designations from the US, and extension of existing sanctions from the EU. On bribery and corruption, the UK Anti-Corruption Coalition has published its post-election agenda, urging the new Labour government to take action across a range of areas. On money laundering, the Financial Conduct Authority has PEPs and their treatment by financial institutions in its sights. There is also a round-up of the cyber-attack news this week.

    As usual, I have linked the main stories flagged in the podcast in the description. These are:

    Council of the European Union, Extremist Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as violent activists, blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza: five individuals and three entities sanctioned under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime.

    Council of the European Union, Iran: Council prolongs EU restrictive measures in view of Iran’s military support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and for armed groups and entities in the Middle East and the Red Sea region.

    Financial Conduct Authority, FCA calls on firms to improve treatment of politically exposed persons (PEPs).

    Financial Conduct Authority, Review: The treatment of politically exposed persons.

    Financial Conduct Authority, GC24/4: Proposed amendments to Guidance on the treatment of politically exposed persons.

    Financial Conduct Authority, Court sets dates for ‘finfluencer’ trials.

    Financial Conduct Authority, Three charged over CFD trading pension fraud.

    National Cyber Security Centre, Cyber Essentials 'Pathways': From experiment to proof of concept.

    Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Guidance: UK Financial Sanctions FAQs.

    Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury Maintains Pressure on Houthi Illicit Shipping and Finance Schemes.

    Royal United Services Institute, Sanctions and the Next Financial Crisis.

    UK Anti-Corruption Coalition, Time to ramp up the fight against corruption.

    UK House of Commons Library, Sanctions against countries supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    US Department of Justice, Two Foreign Nationals Plead Guilty to Participating in LockBit Ransomware Group.

    US Department of State, United States Imposes Sanctions Targeting Iran’s Chemical Weapons Research and Development.

    US Department of the Treasury, Treasury and the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council Publish New Resources on Effective Practices for Secure Cloud Adoption.

  • Hello, and welcome to episode 116 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m Chris Kirkbride. Money laundering takes centre stage again this week with stories from Europe and the UK. On fraud news, a range of actions from the European Public Prosecutor’s Office across Romania, Malta, and Italy. The sanctions news has new designations from the US and Switzerland, and the UK has updated sanctions guidance for a number of countries. There is also a round-up of the cyber-attack news this week.

    As usual, I have linked the main stories flagged in the podcast in the description. These are:

    AUSTRAC, Spotlight on our work with international partners.

    AUSTRAC, Discover purpose behind the Fintel alliance.

    Bank of England, A multi-tool for cross-border payments: the power of Legal Entity Identifiers − speech by Victoria Cleland.

    Commonwealth, New Commonwealth model law to help countries regulate virtual assets.

    Council of Europe, Georgia: anti-corruption body calls for stronger oversight and accountability in top executive functions and the police.

    Council of Europe, Fifth Round Evaluation: Georgia.

    Delegation of the European Union to Namibia, EU supports Namibia to tackle money laundering, terrorist financing and related crimes.

    Eurojust, Eurojust supports searches into bribery and money laundering.

    European Public Prosecutor’s Office, Romania: Three individuals and five companies indicted for €1 million fraud involving IT project.

    European Public Prosecutor’s Office, Malta: Eleven charged in investigation into customs fraud and corruption of public officials.

    European Public Prosecutor’s Office, Italy: EPPO seizes assets in €1.3 million fraud and money laundering investigation.

    Europol, French and Spanish authorities crack down on Chinese money laundering gang.

    Financial Action Task Force, Public Consultation on Recommendation 16 on Payment Transparency.

    Financial Action Task Force, Targeted Update on Implementation of the FATF Standards on Virtual Assets and Virtual Asset Service Providers.

    Financial Conduct Authority, Quarterly Consultation CP24/11 No 44.

    National Crime Agency, National Crime Agency leads international operation to degrade illegal versions of Cobalt Strike.

    National Cyber Security Centre, The NCSC and partners issue alert about evolving techniques used by China state-sponsored cyber attackers.

    Office of Foreign Assets Control, Cyber-related Designation Removal; Russia-related Designation Removal; Issuance of Venezuela General License 40C.

    Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, OSCE Facilitates Training Course on Investigation of Corruption in Chisinau.

    The Federal Council, Ukraine: Switzerland adopts further sanctions against Russia.

    UK government, Zimbabwe sanctions guidance.

    UK government, Venezuela sanctions guidance.

    UK government, Guinea-Bissau sanctions guidance.

    UK government, Bosnia and Herzegovina sanctions guidance.

    UK government, Nicaragua sanctions guidance.

    UK government, Global Anti-corruption sanctions guidance.

    UK government, Global Human Rights sanctions guidance.

    United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Bribery becoming less accepted in Nigeria, says new report on corruption patterns and trends in the country.

    United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and Trends.

    US Department of State, Sanctions on Individuals and Entities Contributing to Violence and Instability in the West Bank.

  • Hello, and welcome to episode 115 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m Chris Kirkbride. Money laundering takes centre stage this week with Singapore announcing updates to National Risk Assessments (‘NRAs’), and the FATF announcing public consultation on its NRAs. The fall-out from the FATF Singapore Plenary last week with a response from South Africa respecting its timetable for removal from the ‘Grey List’. On sanctions, here is the usual mix of updates to designations and licences, and on bribery and anti-corruption an update on Andorra from GRECO. We then end with a round-up of the cyber-attack news this week.

    As usual, I have linked the main stories flagged in the podcast in the description. These are:

    Council of Europe, Andorra: GRECO report on preventing corruption in top executive functions and the police.

    Department of Justice, Vice President of Kansas Company Pleads Guilty to Crimes Related to Scheme to Illegally Export U.S. Avionics Equipment to Russia and Russian End Users.

    EU Directorate-General for Trade, EU protects sanctions against Russian and Belarussian investors under Energy Charter Treaty.

    European Banking Authority, The EBA issues ‘travel rule’ guidance to tackle money laundering and terrorist financing in transfers of funds and crypto assets.

    European Commission, EU further extends the scope of sanctions on Belarus to fight circumvention.

    European Council, Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine: EU lists two individuals and four entities for circumventing EU sanctions and materially supporting the Russian government.

    European Council, Belarus’ involvement in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine: new EU restrictive measures target trade, services, transport and anti-circumvention.

    European Securities and Markets Authority, New MiCA rules increase transparency for retail investors.

    Federal Bureau of Investigation, Private Industry Notification: Expansion of US Renewable Energy Industry Increases Risk of Targeting by Malicious Cyber Actors.

    Federal Register, Reimposing Certain Sanctions with Respect to Iran.

    Financial Action Task Force, Public consultation on FATF Money Laundering National Risk Assessment Guidance Update.

    Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, ICAEW joins forces with the International Federation of Accountants and the Basel Institute to offer anti-corruption guidance for accountants.

    Monetary Authority of Singapore, Singapore Refreshes the Terrorism Financing National Risk Assessment and National Strategy for Countering the Financing of Terrorism.

    National Health Service, Update on cyber incident: Clinical impact in south east London – Thursday 4 July.

    Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, General licences - INT/2024/4423849, INT/2023/3074680, INT/2022/2470156 and INT/2022/2470056.

    Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, General Licence – Sale, divestment and transfer of financial instruments held by the National Settlement Depository and payment of safe keeping fees to the National Settlement Depository INT/2024/4919848.

    Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, General Licence: Payments for Visa Application Services INT/2024/4907888.

    Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Guidance: Russian Oil Services ban.

    Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, General Licence – Oil Price Cap: Exempt Projects and Countries INT/2022/2470156.

    Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, General Licence: Payments to Revenue Authorities INT/2024/4881897.

    Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury Sanctions Mexico- and China-Based Money Launderers Linked to the Sinaloa Cartel.

    South African Government, Treasury on Financial Action Task Force greylisting.

    The Wolfsberg Group, The Wolfsberg Group Statement on Effective Monitoring for Suspicious Activity.

    The Wolfsberg Group, The Wolfsberg Group Statement on Effective Monitoring for Suspicious Activity (Document).

    US Department of State, Imposing Sanctions on Entities and Vessels Trading in Iranian Petroleum or Petrochemical Products.

    US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, Financial Action Task Force Identifies Jurisdictions with Anti-Money Laundering, Combating the Financing of Terrorism, and Counter-Proliferation Finance Deficiencies.