STR: Suspicious Transaction Report
Royal United Services Institute
From the team analysing the intersection of finance and security, tune into compelling conversations on the real-world impact of global illicit finance.
This podcast explores the financial dimensions of today's leading transnational security challenges. Host Tom Keatinge and the team from the Centre for Finance and Security at RUSI bring you unique insights on the challenges posed by illicit finance and practical analysis of the policy responses. They interview top thinkers and influential voices who unpack the complex world of money laundering, corruption, sanctions evasion and illicit flows, and explain how this shapes the evolving global security landscape, and what democracies and international institutions must do to stay ahead when it comes to the financial dimensions of the global threat outlook.
Suspicious Transaction Report is also home to CFS's 'Financial Crime Insights' podcast, which ran from 2020 to 2023.
This podcast explores the financial dimensions of today's leading transnational security challenges. Host Tom Keatinge and the team from the Centre for Finance and Security at RUSI bring you unique insights on the challenges posed by illicit finance and practical analysis of the policy responses. They interview top thinkers and influential voices who unpack the complex world of money laundering, corruption, sanctions evasion and illicit flows, and explain how this shapes the evolving global security landscape, and what democracies and international institutions must do to stay ahead when it comes to the financial dimensions of the global threat outlook.
Suspicious Transaction Report is also home to CFS's 'Financial Crime Insights' podcast, which ran from 2020 to 2023.
Episodes
Mentioned books
May 23, 2025 • 32min
Strengthening the Financial Frontline on Russia Trade Sanctions
Olivia Allison, an expert on Ukraine and financial investigations with the Centre for Finance and Security, joins Jinesh Amin from Quantexa, a specialist in financial crime and compliance. They dive into how financial institutions are adapting to sanctions against Russia, emphasizing the complexities and challenges of compliance. The conversation highlights the evolving expectations from governments, the need for better data tools, and the necessity for clearer communication between the US and Europe in combating sanction evasion.
May 9, 2025 • 42min
Chokepoints – How the Global Economy Became a Weapon of War
Eddie Fishman, a former US State Department sanctions official and author of 'Chokepoints,' explores how economic strategies became tools of warfare. He shares insights on the evolution of sanctions, particularly against Iran and Russia, and the effectiveness of secondary sanctions in shaping foreign policy. Fishman warns about the risks of overusing sanctions and discusses how technology can be leveraged as an economic weapon against rivals like China. He emphasizes the need for careful use of economic power to maintain its effectiveness.
Apr 25, 2025 • 43min
The Financial Dimension of Online Child Sexual Exploitation
A new report from the Financial Action Task Force examines how financial intelligence can be used to protect children from online sexual exploitation. CFS Director Tom Keatinge speaks with Abi Harrison from the United Kingdom's HM Treasury and Stefan Jerga from the Australian Federal Police about a new report from the Financial Action Task Force, examining the financial dimension of online child sexual exploitation. The report, which they co-led, highlights the alarming growth of this horrific crime and the financial indicators which can be used to detect, disrupt and investigate perpetrators and safeguard victims.
Apr 11, 2025 • 33min
Banks and Geopolitical Risk – a Dutch Perspective
With geopolitical risk rising, this episode examines a recent Dutch National Bank report on how banks should navigate growing global tensions and fragmentation. CFS Director Tom Keatinge speaks with Thomas Vos, Strategy & Policy Advisor of De Nederlandsche Bank and Haroon Sheikh, Senior Research Fellow at the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR) on the risks posed to the banking sector by growing geopolitical risk and fragmentation, their impact on society, and how the financial community should respond.
Mar 28, 2025 • 35min
The Future of Frozen Russian Assets
How could frozen Russian assets be used and what are the legal and geopolitical implications? Head of CFS Europe, Kinga Redlowska, is joined by Anton Moiseienko, CFS Associate Fellow and Senior Lecturer in Law at the Australian National University, along with Tom Keatinge, Director of CFS. They explore the ongoing debate about the future of frozen Russian assets, examining their potential uses and the legal, political and economic consequences for EU sanctions policy and international law.
Mar 14, 2025 • 35min
Hennie Verbeek-Kusters on Combatting Financial Crime
This episode explores the role of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU)-the Netherlands in combating financial crime, featuring insights from its head, Hennie Verbeek-Kusters on challenges, strategies and global cooperation. CFS Director Tom Keatinge speaks with Hennie Verbeek-Kusters, Head of FIU-the Netherlands and former Chair of the Egmont Group, to discuss work at the FIU since 2008. They explore how FIU-the Netherlands operates, some of the unique features of the Dutch approach to fighting financial crime, the evolving financial crime landscape and the impact of international collaboration.
Feb 28, 2025 • 42min
Belarus: The Forgotten Sanctions Regime
Sanctions on Belarus cover multiple issues: fraudulent elections, human rights abuses, and complicity in Russia's military aggression against Ukraine. But what is their real impact? Head of CFS Europe Kinga Redlowska is joined by Lev Lvovskiy, Senior Researcher at the Belarusian Economic Research and Outreach Center (BEROC) , and Tom Keatinge, Director of CFS, to examine the goals and effectiveness of sanctions on Belarus. The discussion covers economic impact, the Belarus–Russia alignment on sanctions evasion, and key challenges in sanctions enforcement.
Feb 14, 2025 • 30min
Canada Under Pressure: Tariffs, Illicit Finance and Trump
Tom Keatinge and Jessica Davis explore the impact of Trump's tariff threats on Canada, alongside the country's ongoing challenges with illicit finance and money laundering. CFS Director Tom Keatinge is joined by Jessica Davis, CFS Associate Fellow and President and Principal Consultant with Insight Threat Intelligence, to discuss the rationale and impact of the threat of tariffs from the new US administration, and the policy window this might open for wider illicit finance reforms in Canada.
Jan 31, 2025 • 37min
Eyes on the Inside: Incentivising Whistleblowers to Expose Economic Crime
This episode explores the potential of whistleblower reward programmes to transform economic crime investigations. CFS Director Tom Keatinge is joined by Eliza Lockhart, Research Fellow at CFS, and Nick Ephgrave, Director of the Serious Fraud Office, to discuss Eliza's SOC ACE research paper, 'The Role of Financial Rewards for Whistleblowers in the Fight Against Economic Crime'. Together, they examine how financial incentives could empower whistleblowers, tackle economic crime and drive cultural and systemic change in the UK. Read the full paper
Jan 17, 2025 • 41min
State Threats – Same Old Same Old, or Something Different?
Talk of state threats, hostile states and hybrid warfare has notably increased. But how do these threats differ from those faced in the past? CFS Director Tom Keatinge is joined by Matthew Redhead, Senior Associate Fellow at CFS, to discuss his new Serious Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Evidence (SOC ACE) research programme paper, 'Old Wine, New Bottles: The Challenge of State Threats', and to explore this increasingly prevalent phenomenon. Read the report here: https://rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/external-publications/old-wine-new-bottles-challenge-state-threats
