AML Conversations

This week, John and Elliot discuss Transparency International’s Opacity in Real Estate Ownership Index, FinCEN’s alert on bulk cash smuggling by Mexican cartels, IRS-CI’s release of 2024 BSA metrics, and its CI-FIRST initiative, Congressional hearings by a House Financial Services subcommittee, and other items impacting the financial crime prevention community.

Alison K. Jimenez, President of Dynamic Securities Analytics, Inc., and Steven Kemmerling, Founder & CEO of CRB Monitor, dive into the crucial role of AML analytics in compliance. They discuss their experiences in economics and how data is pivotal in tackling financial fraud, especially in the cannabis industry and human trafficking. The duo also addresses the complexities of identifying digital asset businesses, the rise of financial sextortion scams, and the evolving compliance landscape in emerging markets. Their insights shed light on how institutions can better combat these challenges.

The conversation dives into the OCC's recent decision to halt reputational risk examinations for national banks, sparking significant implications. A startling FTC report reveals a staggering $10 billion in fraud losses, primarily due to bank transfers and crypto. Fascinatingly, a study links money laundering to rising housing prices in Germany. Additionally, the abandonment of a national database tracking domestic terrorism raises concerns amid increasing cybersecurity challenges. These topics highlight the urgent need for collaboration in tackling financial crime.

This week, John and Elliot discuss the 2024 Annual Report from ICIJ, OCCRP’s reporting on the UK’s enhanced enforcement activities, FATF’s Second Public Consultation on Recommendation 16, the Basel Institute on Governance’s Project Falcon, the New Zealand national risk assessment, and other items impacting the financial crime prevention community.

Hanjo Seibert, a Managing Director of BCG, outlines the importance of technology in compliance and compliance itself to address fraud in 2025.

Elliot Berman, AML RightSource Marketing Advisor, sits down with Senior Analyst Diane Dylinski to discuss her experience writing a blog article which was later published on the firm’s website. Elliot and Diane guide the listeners through the guest authorship process from topic approval to content editing and final publication. Diane also shares her thoughts on earning AML University credits as well as the rewarding sense of accomplishment as an AMLRS published author.

In this edition of AML RightSource Voices, we're exploring the impact of cannabis legalization on financial institutions (FI). What has changed? What hasn’t? And what can FIs do? Chuck Taylor, AML RightSource’s Executive Vice President and Head of Financial Crimes Advisory and Elliot Berman, AML RightSource’s AML/BSA Thought Leader will discuss the current state of law and regulation of FI activities with participants in the cannabis and hemp industries, possible changes in the landscape, and how some FIs are interacting with this customer segment today.

We Are Our Heroes Intro by AML RightSource

AI Podcast Project 2019 No Music by AML RightSource

In this episode of AML Conversations, John Byrne interviews David Stewart, Director, Financial Services Industry, Fraud & Security Intelligence Practice for SAS Institute Inc. David has spent many years in the AML/Financial Crime space and his insight is sought by many in our community. During their discussion, John and David discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on his global team, how he sees compliance after the “new normal” and the recent SAS paper, “What is next- generation AML?.” The paper delves into issues such as innovation, model governance and how to manage AML and fraud.