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
Mar 31, 2023 • 38min
Non-State Proxies: The Wagner Group
What role do non-state proxy groups play in the current global security framework? This episode focuses on the Wagner Group, which has the potential to aid Russian state interests on multiple fronts, and not just on the battlefield. Host Stephen Reimer dives into the murky world of the Wagner Group, state threats and finance with guests Justyna Gudzowska, director of illicit finance policy at investigative NGO The Sentry, and Jason Blazakis, director of the Centre on Terrorism, Extremism and Counterterrorism at the Middlebury Institute in Monterey, California.
Mar 17, 2023 • 37min
The Financial Dimensions of State Threats
Are the UK and its allies sufficiently equipped to tackle today's threats from hostile state actors? And how might placing those threats under a financial lens help to shape responses? Host Tom Keatinge is joined by RUSI Associate Fellow and Senior Specialist at the House of Commons Ashlee Godwin, and Jonathan Evans, former Director General of MI5. They set the scene for this season's theme of 'finance weaponised', exploring the evolving state threat landscape and how it might impact the future of democracy.
Jan 27, 2023 • 34min
Financial Crime Insights Episode 44: Ukraine's Reconstruction: Ensuring Transparency
Originally published 27 January 2023. Transparency will be key to managing Ukraine's reconstruction, both in ensuring the efficient use of resources and in maintaining the trust of the international community. CFCS Director Tom Keatinge joins Oleksii Dorohan, CEO of the Better Regulation Delivery Office – a leading Ukrainian think tank – to discuss why Ukraine must establish a strong anti-money laundering architecture, and to outline the goals of our joint project, Supervising and Monitoring Ukraine's Reconstruction Funds (SMURF), which empowers Ukrainian civil society and journalists in this effort.
Dec 2, 2022 • 30min
Financial Crime Insights Episode 42: Reassessing the Financing of Terrorism
Originally published on 2 December 2022. Counterterrorist financing (CTF) efforts are a key part of tackling the emerging challenges at the nexus of finance and security. CFCS's Project CRAAFT team take you behind the scenes of their three-year journey to build stronger, more coordinated CTF capacity across the EU and its neighbourhood. Kinga Redlowska is joined by Tom Keatinge and Stephen Reimer to discuss what they've learnt about the past, present and future of CTF.
Oct 21, 2022 • 20min
Financial Crime Insights Episode 39: Sanctions Evasion: The Role of North Korean Diplomats
Originally published 21 October 2022. North Korea uses an array of techniques to evade sanctions. The international focus is often on the country's exploitation of technology, yet its embassies and missions also provide a valuable support network for sanctions-busting attempts. RUSI Associate Fellow Daniel Salisbury joins host Aaron Arnold to discuss his forthcoming paper on North Korean diplomats, which explores the various ways in which they facilitate sanctions evasion and procurement efforts.
Oct 7, 2022 • 27min
Financial Crime Insights Episode 38: The Illicit Finance Threat: A Transatlantic Response
Originally published 7 October 2022. Putting a stop to illicit finance matters for global security. The US and UK are well-positioned to lead this fight, but time is of the essence as dirty money continues to unravel democracy worldwide. CFCS's Tom Keatinge and Maria Nizzero join host Alanna Putze to discuss RUSI's latest policy brief, which was inspired by the Taskforce on a Transatlantic Response to Illicit Finance. Together they explore realistic ways that the two countries can strengthen global defences against this rising threat.
Aug 26, 2022 • 24min
Financial Crime Insights Episode 35: Revolutionising Financial Supervision
Originally published 26 August 2022. How can the UK Financial Conduct Authority be more data-driven and innovative and apply risk-based supervision as it works with its regulated populations? Noémi També joins CFCS's Kathryn Westmore to discuss her recent paper on Revolutionising Financial Supervision. Together, they identify the challenges that more technologically advanced institutions – such as FinTechs and challenger banks – face regarding supervision.
Jul 29, 2022 • 31min
Financial Crime Insights Episode 33: Corruption, Kleptocracy and Illicit Finance in the Balkans
Originally published 29 July 2022. Independent journalism and civil society are vibrant in the Balkans. Yet kleptocracy and corruption stifle the region's progress and the prospects for individual EU accession. Leila Bičakčić, executive director of the Centre for Investigative Reporting (CIN) in Sarajevo, joins RUSI Europe's Kinga Redlowska to discuss the multifaceted challenges of illicit finance in the Balkans, including the region's complex history, the influence of Russia and China, and the implications for Europe and beyond.
Jul 1, 2022 • 20min
Financial Crime Insights Episode 31: Restricting Kleptocracy: The First Mile of Financial Crime
Originally published 1 July 2022. Kleptocracy is one of the foremost financial crimes of our time. The role of grassroots actors in holding governments and corrupt actors to account is vital, particularly when it comes to catching illicit funds before they disappear into the global financial system. Host Alanna Putze is joined by CFCS colleagues Tom Keatinge and Maria Sofia Reiser to discuss a project that aims to strengthen the capabilities of investigative journalists and civil society in 'the first mile' of financial crime.
Jun 17, 2022 • 53min
Financial Crime Insights Episode 30: Butler to the World: Britain's Dirty Money Problem
Originally published 17 June 2022. Journalist and author Oliver Bullough delves into his latest book, Butler to the World, which reveals how Britain came to assume its role as the centre of the offshore economy. Oliver joins CFCS's Tom Keatinge and Helena Wood to discuss how so many elements of modern Britain have been put at the service of the world's oligarchs and kleptocrats with disastrous global consequences, what this means within the context of Russia's war in Ukraine, and whether change is realistic.
