Financial Crime Matters
In this podcast series, Kieran Beer (Chief Analyst at ACAMS) interviews the movers and shakers of the anti-financial crime world. Listen for fast-paced conversations about the latest financial scandal to hit newsstands, and insights on trending Financial Crime topics. Have something you’d like to hear covered? Email Kieran on podcasts@acams.org and tell us what matters to you. You can also follow Kieran on twitter www.twitter.com/kieranbeer. Subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode!
Episodes
Digital Money's Anti-Financial Crime Future, with Coinbase's Joseph Salama
In this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks with Joseph Salama, chief compliance officer at Coinbase, about mitigating financial crime risk associated with digital assets.
Joe discusses current regulatory frameworks for crypto currencies, touching on the Stablecoin Act, Europe's Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) and some current proposals for oversight, arguing that the industry need
Disrupting Terror Finance, with the Middlebury Institute's Jason Blazakis
In this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks with Jason Blazakis about his book, "Terror Disrupted: Countering the Financing of Terrorism."
A professor at the Middlebury Institute and a former counterterrorism finance office director at the US State Department, Jason concludes that the current global situation and the "combination of losing [anti-terrorism] resources with the 'depr
Figuring Out Why Money Laundering Wins, with Oliver Bullough
In this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks with Oliver Bullough about his latest book, “Everybody Loves Our Dollars: How Money Laundering Won.”
In their discussion, Oliver details how a well-intentioned anti-money laundering effort launched in the United States in 1970 snowballed to become today’s global compliance industry, which spends $200 billion annually even as money launder
Holding Court to Bring Kleptocrats to Account, with Richard Goldstone
In this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks with former South African jurist Richard Goldstone about his current efforts as a board member at Integrity Initiatives International, to help create the International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC).
Richard, who served on South Africa’s Constitutional Court and then led several international justice initiatives, discusses the trillion-doll
Countering Canada’s Deadly Drug Trade, with Nick Souccar
In this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks live from the ACAMS Assembly Canada with Inspector Nick Souccar, who is Officer in Charge of Federal Policing Criminal Operations, Serious and Organized Crime, and the Canadian Integrated Response to Organized Crime for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Nick and Kieran discuss law enforcement’s efforts to secure Canada’s borders against
How the Big Banks Look at Stablecoin, Digital Assets and Modernization, with Ned Conway
In this episode of "Financial Crime Matters," Kieran talks live from The ACAMS Assembly Las Vegas with Ned Conway, Executive Secretary at the Wolfsberg Group, an association of 12 of the world's largest banks that focuses on managing financial crime and money laundering risks.
Ned discusses Wolfsberg's recommendations for banking stablecoin producers, pointing to the group's recent guidance "Prov
How Sanctions Became a Way to Wage War and When They Actually Work, with Eddie Fishman.
In this episode of "Financial Crime Matters," Kieran talks with Eddie Fishman, author of “Chokepoints: How the Global Economy Became a Weapon of War," about the rapid growth in the use of financial sanctions in the 21st Century, with each US president from George W. Bush on imposing sanctions at twice the rate of his predecessor.
Drawing on history and his own experience from stints at the US Sta
Embarking on a New Anti-Financial Crime Era, with AUSTRAC's Brendan Thomas
In this episode of "Financial Crime Matters," Kieran talks with AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thomas about his agency's efforts to implement a vast extension of Australia's anti-money laundering regime to about 80,000 new entities under legislation commonly referred to as T2.
In service to those efforts, Brendan details AUSTRAC's outreach to law firms, accountants, real estate agencies and other designated
Fighting identity theft and the financial exploitation of children, with Renata Furst Galvão
In this episode of "Financial Crime Matters," Kieran talks with Renata Furst Galvão about identity theft, focusing on the theft of children’s identities for financial exploitation. Renata recounts the theft of her own identity as a six-year-old child and the tremendous burden it placed on her until her financial records were cleared of debt in her late twenties. Renata draws on her experience as a
Uncovering Links to Chinese Underground Laundering and More:LatAm Conference Special with John Tobon
In this episode of "Financial Crime Matters" Kieran talks with John Tobon, former assistant director for the Department of Homeland Security Investigations' Countering Transnational Crime and Terrorism Division, to set the stage for ACAMS' upcoming Assembly Latin America in Cancun, July 21- 22, 2025. In this fast-moving conversation, John and Kieran discuss Chinese underground money laundering, mi
Fighting Corruption at Home and Abroad, with TI France's Sara Brimbeuf
In this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks with Sara Brimbeuf, head of the illicit financial flows program at Transparency International France.
Sara and Kieran discuss TI France's efforts to fight bribery and corruption in conjunction with TI chapters around the globe and the non-governmental agency's current efforts to bring to justice French intermediaries accused of aiding glo
Blockchain Forensics and Surviving Detention in Nigeria, with Tigran Gambaryan and Andy Greenberg.
In this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks with Andy Greenberg, senior writer at WIRED and author of the blockchain forensic thriller “Tracers In The Dark.” Halfway into their conversation, they are joined by Tigran Gambaryan, head of financial crime compliance at Binance and a former IRS-CI investigator.
Andy, Tigran and Kieran discuss Tigran’s detention by Nigerian authorities f
Countering Violent Extremist Groups, with Hans-Jakob Schindler
In this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks with Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, Senior Director of the Counter-Extremism Project about the current violent threats posed by Islamic radicals, and right-wing and left-wing extremist groups.
Drawing on his expertise as Senior Director of the Counter Extremism Project and years of diplomatic service, Hans names the extremist organizations tha
Understanding North Korea’s $1.5 Billion Bybit Theft, with Geoff White
In this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks with Geoff White, the author of three crucial books on financial crime, including “The Lazarus Heist: From Hollywood to High Finance: Inside North Korea's Global Cyber War.”
Drawing from “The Lazarus Heist” and a plethora of recent information, Geoff details North Korea’s $1.5 billion theft of ether in February from Bybit, a large global
Neither Rain, Nor Snow: Fighting Financial Crime Threats to the US Postal Service, with Michael Bruno
In this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Michael Bruno, who is anti-money laundering program manager at the service’s national headquarters.
Mike details some of the Inspection Service’s efforts to tackle the theft of bank checks that are “washed” to fraudulently change the payees and amounts and that are all too often stolen during viol
Prosecuting Crypto Criminals, with the Justice Department’s Claudia Quiroz
In this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks with Claudia Quiroz, Director of the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team, or NCET, at the U.S. Justice Department.
Claudia and Kieran discuss the rise in cryptocurrency-enabled crime that necessitated NCET’s creation three years ago and the team’s subsequent efforts to prosecute cyber predators and seize the proceeds of their crimes.
Fighting the Online Exploitation of Children, with Adam Levine of the Child Rescue Coalition
In this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks with Adam Levine, Director of Government Engagement for the Child Rescue Coalition (CRC).
Adam and Kieran discuss CRC’s efforts to enable law enforcement to trace online child sexual abuse material to its creators and collectors. During their discussion, Adam details some of the typologies associated with child exploitation that in tandem
Standing Against "Pig-Butchering," with Zeke Faux, Danielle Keeton-Olsen and Erin West
In this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks with three individuals committed to exposing cryptocurrency scams and drawing attention to imprisoned investigative journalist Mech Dara, who is responsible for uncovering the horrific conditions and practices within Cambodian-based crypto fraud compounds.
Zeke Faux, author of “Number Go Up,” Danielle Keeton-Olsen, a freelance journalis
Prosecuting Bank Insiders Gone Bad, with the DOJ’s Michael Grady
In this episode of Financial Crime Matters, Kieran sits down with Michael Grady, chief of the bank integrity unit at the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division during the ACAMS Assembly Vegas Conference in September.
Mike talks about the BIU’s remit to pursue criminal infractions at banks, payment service providers, cryptocurrency exchanges and other financial businesses subject to the Ban
Parsing the TD Bank Prosecution and Regulatory Settlements, with Craig Timm
In this episode of “Financial Crime Matters”, Kieran talks with ACAMS colleague, Craig Timm, Senior Director of AML at ACAMS.
Craig and Kieran do a deep dive into the recent settlements by TD Bank with the US Department of Justice, the Federal Reserve Board, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network that resulted in more than $3 billion in moneta
Industry Leaders: Jason Somrak
Detecting True Crimes with Great Accuracy, with Oracle’s Jason Somrak
In this inaugural episode of “Financial Crime Matters: Industry Leaders,” Kieran sits down with Jason Somrak, Chief of Product & Strategy for Financial Crime & Compliance at Oracle Software.
Jason talks about the Holy Grail of anti-financial crime practice: the ability to “detect true crime with great accuracy,” which include
Understanding Canada’s Enhanced Regulatory Regime, with Jacqueline Shinfield
Understanding Canada’s Enhanced Regulatory Regime, with Jacqueline Shinfield.
In this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks with Toronto-based attorney Jacqueline Shinfield, co-lead of Blakes’ Financial Services Regulatory Group.
Jackie details the unfolding revolution in Canadian anti-money laundering and counter terror finance, including creation of a safe harbor for information
Fighting Push-Payment Fraud and Other Online Scams, with Santander’s Chris Ainsley
In this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks with Chris Ainsley, head of fraud risk management at Santander Bank.
Drawing on more than 20-year history at Santander, Chris details how financial institutions like his are fighting the current spike in online fraud that utilizes elaborate schemes to get customers to authorize payments from their accounts into the accounts of scammers.
Preventing Crime and Adopting a Regulatory Framework, with Kraken’s CJ Rinaldi
Kieran talks with CJ Rinaldi, chief compliance officer at Kraken Digital Asset Exchange, about the virtual asset service provider’s efforts to prevent money laundering, terror finance, sanctions busting, and fraud.
Drawing on his experience as senior counsel at the SEC and at financial institutions, CJ also discusses the kind of regulatory regime the cryptocurrency industry needs as well as the
Surviving Regulatory and Law Enforcement Scrutiny as a Compliance Officer, with Christina Rea
In this episode of Financial Crime Matters, Kieran talks with Christina Rea about her brief tenure at Binance.US as interim chief compliance officer.
Christina discusses what it was like to head U.S. compliance for Binance.com, the world’s largest digital assets trading platform, as it underwent scrutiny from regulators and law enforcement that ultimately culminated in a $4.3 billion penalty aga
Tracking crypto and money mules, with IRS-CI’s Guy Ficco
Kieran talks with Guy Ficco, the Chief of IRS Criminal Investigation. They discuss the IRS-CI’s recent success in tracking illicit cryptocurrency transactions. and the threat from money mules. Guy also identifies some of the latest typologies his agency is seeing, while crediting suspicious activity reports from financial institutions as catalysts for investigations, arrests and successful prosecu
Intercepting Terror Finance, with the FBI’s Eliza Odom
Kieran talks with Eliza Odom, former Section Chief of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, about the top terror threats the bureau is currently focused on.
While having since become deputy assistant director of the FBI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate, Eliza discusses the seven units within the Counterterrorism Division she once oversaw, particularly focusing on the Financial Targeting
Tracking and Seizing Drug Money, with Hennie Verbeek-Kusters
Kieran talks with Hennie Verbeek-Kusters, head of the Netherlands financial intelligence unit, about her leadership over the FIU since its founding in 2008.
During their discussion, Hennie details how the Dutch FIU has evolved to face the challenge of evermore sophisticated transnational criminal organizations and the professional money launderers they now utilize. The effort to track and seize d
Seizing Assets So That Crime Doesn’t Pay, with Molly Moeser
Kieran talks with Molly Moeser, Acting Chief, Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section of the U.S. Justice Department, about MLARS’ efforts to seize illicit assets and, when possible, bring financial restitution to victims of crime.
During their talk, Molly discusses the seizure of illicit funds associated with kleptocracy and other crimes, including crypto assets, which require “a whole of go
Enlisting A.I. in the Fight Against Financial Crime, with Jennifer Shasky Calvery
Kieran talks with Jennifer Shasky Calvery, Group Head of Financial Crime Risk at HSBC, a former Director of the Financial Crime Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, and former federal prosecutor.
Drawing on her public and private sector experience, Jen details the challenges faced by financial institutions and government and how in partnership they can detect illicit funds and catch bad actors.
Jen
Making Sense of U.S. Anti-Financial Crime Measures, with Daniel Stipano
Kieran talks with Daniel Stipano, partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell and a 30-year veteran of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, about the unfolding requirements of the Corporate Transparency and AML Acts and their impact on law enforcement, and financial as well as non-financial institutions.
Dan also weighs in on the current court challenges to the CTA, particularly the recent Federal
Identifying Financial Crime Threats, with Justine Walker and Craig Timm
Kieran talks with ACAMS colleagues Justine Walker, head of global sanctions and AML risk, and Craig Timm, senior AML director, about the just released “ACAMS Global AFC Threats 2024.”
Drawing on 788 in-depth interactions with anti-financial crime professionals that inform the report, Justine and Craig identify the top ten threats currently facing the global AFC community, including budget cuts a
Stemming Crypto-related Crime, with Coinbase’s Grant Rabenn
Kieran talks with Grant Rabenn, Director, Financial Crimes Legal at Coinbase.
Grant, a former federal prosecutor who handled some of the Department of Justice’s earliest crypto cases, discusses the promise of blockchain offerings, while acknowledging the industry’s need to work with regulators to stem their use in financial crime and money laundering.
During their conversation, Grant also touche
Around the Globe to Understand Crypto, with Zeke Faux
Kieran talks with Zeke Faux, author of critically acclaimed “Number Go Up,” a comprehensive look at cryptocurrency, DeFi, and NFTs.
Zeke, an investigative reporter for Bloomberg BusinessWeek and Bloomberg News, discusses the trek he undertook to understand the boom and sometimes bust of various blockchain offerings. It was a journey that included a New York harbor NFT “ApeFest,” time in the Phili
From Money Launderer to AML Consultant, the Kenneth Rijock Story
Kieran talks with Kenneth Rijock, a former Miami-based lawyer who spent a decade as a bag man for drug-traffickers, investing their cash in accounts in the Caribbean and other offshore secrecy havens.
Ken describes some of the classic methods he used for laundering money and how law enforcement ultimately caught up with him. Following a prison term, Ken reinvented himself as an anti-money laund
Enabling Law Enforcement in the Fight Against Online Child Exploitation, with Carly Yoost
Kieran talks with Carly Yoost, CEO and founder of the Child Rescue Coalition, which has created technology that enables law enforcement to identify instances of online child exploitation and locate its perpetrators.
During their discussion, Carly details the scope of online child exploitation and how the Coalition provides tools and training to law enforcement in 98 countries that has led to th
Fighting Fraud, with the FBI’s James Barnacle and Christopher Soyez
Kieran talks with James Barnacle, Chief of the Financial Crimes Section, Criminal Investigative Division of the FBI, and Christopher Soyez, Assistant Section Chief.
Jim and Chris discuss how the FBI works to recover the proceeds of scams on behalf of victims. They credit banks’ suspicious activity reports with being the primary catalyst for the bureau’s successful investigations into COVID-19 re
Public & Private Sectors Together in the Fight Against Financial Crime, with Kenneth A. Blanco
Kieran talks with Kenneth A. Blanco, Chief Compliance Officer for the Financial Crimes Unit at Citigroup, who is also a former Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) director and before that held several senior roles within the U.S. Department of Justice.
Ken and Kieran discuss the challenges of being FinCEN’s chief during the COVID-19 epidemic and his perspective on the Anti-Money Launder
Making the World Safe for DeFi, with Seoyoung Kim
Kieran talks with Seoyoung Kim, Associate Professor of Finance, Department Chair, at Santa Clara University, about the promise and possible perils of decentralized finance.
They discuss the recent implosion of several cryptocurrency exchanges and stablecoin minters and the great legal and judicial debate now raging over the regulation of digital assets.
In detailing some of the regulatory defin
Parsing the Challenges of Fighting Financial Crime, with Rick Small, Dan Soto and John Byrne
Kieran talks with Rick Small, Director Financial Crimes Program, at Truist, Dan Soto, Chief Compliance Officer, Ally Financial, and John Byrne, Executive Vice President, AML RightSource, about what’s been achieved in the past 40 years in the fight against financial crime and what challenges lay ahead.
In anticipation of receiving the “ACAMS Lifetime Achievement Award” at The Assembly in Las Vegas
Preparing for Europe’s AMLA and Fighting Financial Crime, with Dutch Central Banker Willem Schudel
Kieran talks with Willem Schudel, Head of Department, Financial Crime Supervision (AML/TF) at the Central Bank of the Netherlands, live from The Assembly Europe, ACAMS’ annual conference, held this year in Dublin.
Willem discusses the Dutch Central Bank’s preparations for the coming of the European Union’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority, or AMLA, and the bank’s latest initiatives with regulated
Creating the Next Wave for Fighting Financial Crime, with FINTRAC’s Sarah Paquet
Kieran talks with Sarah Paquet, Director and CEO of the Financial Transaction Reports Analysis Centre, FINTRAC, live from ACAMS’ 27th annual moneylaundering.com conference in Hollywood, Florida.
Sarah discusses FINTRAC’s new role handling sanctions intelligence, managing the revolution in financial technology, and the financial intelligence unit’s ongoing commitment to expand and further internat
Stemming Financial Crime in Art and Antiquities, with Steve Schindler and Katie Wilson-Milne
Kieran talks with Steve Schindler and Katie Wilson-Milne, partners at New York litigation and art law boutique Schindler Cohen & Hochman LLP about the state of financial crime in the global antiquities and art world.
Charting some of the civil and criminal actions that have resulted in a recent wave of repatriations of artworks and antiquities from the world’s major museums, noted galleries and p
Re-thinking the ‘War on Dirty Money,’ with Tristram Hicks
Kieran talks with Tristram Hicks, co-author with Nicholas Gilmour of “The War on Dirty Money,” an examination of the promise and short-comings of the current costly global effort to combat financial crime.
Drawing on his years as a New Scotland Yard detective superintendent and his role as an international criminal justice advisor on the operational effectiveness of anti-money laundering regimes
Keeping Up with the Financial Action Task Force and Beyond, with David Lewis
Kieran talks with David Lewis, executive secretary of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) from 2015 to 2022, about the FATF’s recent plenary that gray listed South Africa and Nigeria, formally suspended Russia from membership, and criticized governments throughout the world for lax oversight of cryptocurrency businesses.
Currently head of global AML at Kroll, David also weighs in on the United
How Britain Became Butler to the World’s Financial Criminals, with Oliver Bullough
Kieran talks with Oliver Bullough, award winning reporter for The Guardian, about his latest book, “Butler to the World: How Britain Became the Servant of Tycoons, Tax Dodgers, Kleptocrats and Criminals.”
During their conversation, Oliver details how Britain and its territories became a favored facilitator for many of the world’s kleptocrats, having transformed a financial system that once serve
Preparing for FinCEN’s Latest Rulemakings and Beyond, with Daniel Stipano and Jamal El-Hindi
Kieran talks with Dan Stipano, partner at Davis Polk, and Jamal El-Hindi, Counsel at Clifford Chance, about the Financial Crime Enforcement Network’s far reaching new rules for creating a U.S. beneficial ownership information (BOI) database for regulators and law enforcement, including who will be required to file personal identifying information and who will not have access to the registry.
Man
Fighting the Online Exploitation of Children, with Jonathan Dupont and Tiffany Polyak
Kieran talks with Jonathan Dupont, a financial intelligence investigator for Western Union, and Tiffany Polyak, AFC Associate at ACAMS, about the growth in online sexual exploitation of children and the related rise in child sexual abuse materials on the Internet.
In exposing the scope of the online exploitation, Jonathan and Tiffany point to the more than 100 million reports of child sexual abus
Combating Cybercrime, with Bryan Smith
Kieran talks with Bryan Smith, chief of the FBI’s Cybercriminal Section and a 20-year bureau veteran, about the growing threat of cybercrime to both individuals and large corporations.
Bryan discusses the destruction caused by cyber hacking, identity theft and old fashion fraud and he shares some of the successes the FBI has had in recovering stolen funds – whether in fiat currencies or crypto. W
Exposing Financial Crime Down Under, with Nathan Lynch
Kieran talks with Nathan Lynch, author of 'The Lucky Laundry' - an expose of how Australia became the conduit for billons of dollars in laundered funds from the proceeds of drug trafficking, corruption, the sexual exploitation of children and other heinous crimes committed by transnational criminal organizations.
Nathan, Manager of Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence, Asia-Pacific, details h
Making Sense of the Current Chaos in Crypto, with Joby Carpenter
Kieran talks with ACAMS colleague Joby Carpenter about the current tumult in the digital asset world, including plummeting cryptocurrency prices, digital value’s exploitation by money launderers, the threat from cyberhackers, and the rise in crypto-related fraud schemes.
A global subject matter expert on cryptocurrency, Joby draws on 18 years of experience in strategic and risk analysis roles a
Working to Protect Refugees Fleeing Russia’s Ukraine Invasion, with Daniel Thelesklaf
Kieran talks with Daniel Thelesklaf, Project Director for Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking (FAST) at the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research about the effort to protect refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine from human trafficking.
While many governments, organizations and individuals are offering support for refugees that includes information, food, shelter and jo
Making Russian Sanctions Stick and Fighting Financial Crime, with Ilze Znotina
Kieran talks with Ilze Znotina about the challenges Latvia has faced over the past four years she has been head of the Financial Intelligence Unit, including enforcing sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
“Baltic states have suffered… a very similar situation that Ukraine is suffering right now, [but] thankfully not in recent years,” Ilze says, adding that the region is fo
Understanding the “Freedom Convoy” and the Funding of Extremist Groups, with Jessica Davis
Kieran talks with Jessica Davis, a veteran of more than 20 years in defense and intelligence roles in government and the private sector in Canada. They discuss the occupation of Canada’s capitol for three weeks last winter by the so-called “Freedom Convoy,” efforts to support the group via crowdfunding, cryptocurrency, and cash as well as the Canadian government’s successful seizure or freezing of
Addressing Hunger in Afghanistan, with John Sifton and Patti Gossman
Kieran talks with John Sifton, advocacy director, and Patti Gossman, associate Asia director, at Human Rights Watch about the dire humanitarian situation in Afghanistan following the return of the Taliban to power.
“One in three families is facing food insecurity” from malnourishment to starvation, says Patti, adding that the crisis is affecting not only the already impoverished, but middle-class
Combating International Wildlife Trafficking & Other Environmental Crime, with Olivia Swaak-Goldman
Kieran talks with Olivia Swaak-Goldman, executive director of the Wildlife Justice Commission, about the Hague-based organization’s efforts to stop the illegal wildlife trade and other forms of environmental exploitation, currently the fourth largest source of funds for transnational criminal organizations. Olivia discusses how WJC targets traffickers in endangered species and those having the gre
Anticipating the Scope of Possible Russian Sanctions, with Justine Walker
Kieran talks with colleague Dr. Justine Walker, Global Head - Sanctions, Compliance and Risk at ACAMS, about the likely shape of sanctions against Russia should it invade Ukraine.
In the wake of ACAM’s Second Annual Sanctions Summit, Justine discusses keynote speaker and White House special advisor Peter Harrell’s promise of severe sanctions against Russia should it attack Ukraine and analyzes th
Imagining a Better Web 3 World That Protects Human Trafficking Victims, with Anjana Rajan
Kieran talks with Anjana Rajan, chief technology officer for Polaris, about the work the not-for-profit does to fight human trafficking, including having helped more than 30,000 trafficking survivors via its national hotline.
In looking ahead, Anjana talks about the need to recreate the Internet to end its use by the powerful to exploit the vulnerable, a reality made only worse by the accelerate
Understanding the Rise of DeFi and ‘DeCrime,’ with Tom Robinson
Kieran talks with Dr. Tom Robinson, chief scientist and founder of Elliptic, a blockchain forensics company, about the phenomenal growth of decentralized finance, or DeFi. Offering the promise of a wide array of financial services on an inexpensive and inclusive basis, DeFi also presents a significant fraud and money laundering threat, Tom says. Drawing on Elliptic’s recently released report, “DeF
Exposing the American Kleptocracy, with Casey Michel
Kieran talks with Casey Michel about his just published book, “American Kleptocracy,” which details how the United States has become a favored destination for laundering money for corrupt politicians and other criminals. Competition among states such as Delaware, Wyoming and Nevada for fees for forming corporations and trusts as well as carveouts from oversight won by special interest groups are t
Facing a Humanitarian Crisis and Renewed Terror Threat in Afghanistan, with Alex Zerden
Kieran talks with Alex Zerden about his time as Treasury attaché at the United States Embassy in Kabul, the worsening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and the renewed terrorism threat related to the Taliban’s return to power.
Alex, the principal and founder of Capital Peak Strategies, a financial technology and digital asset advisory firm, talks about how the United States presence in Afghanis
Fighting Financial Crime in Canada, with Jacqueline Shinfield
Kieran talks with Jacqueline Shinfield, partner at Blakes, Cassels & Graydon about the latest legislative and regulatory requirements from Finance Canada and FINTRAC that are part of the nation’s renewed vigor to fight financial crime.
Ahead of the ACAMS Annual Canada Conference on 3, 4 November, Jackie and Kieran discuss Canada’s new cost recovery plan’s impact on FINTRAC regulated entities, is
Understanding Terror Finance in the 21st Century, with Jessica Davis
Kieran talks with Jessica Davis, president of Insight Threat Intelligence and the author of the just released “Illicit Money: Financing Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century.” Jessica discusses her comprehensive book, which is based on her study of some 50 terrorist organizations and terror attacks, in the wake of the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan and the rise of ideologically motivated
Following the Money Even When Its Cryptocurrency, with Gurvais Grigg
Kieran talks with Gurvais Grigg, Chainalysis’ Global Public Sector Chief Technology Officer, about tracking cryptocurrency used in fraud, ransomware and other crimes. Whether exchange traded digital currencies or so-called privacy coins, companies like Chainalysis, in tandem with law enforcement, are increasingly identifying cybercriminals and seizing their illicit funds, says Gurvais, who served
Detecting and Preventing Cybercrime, with Elizabeth Roper
Kieran talks with Elizabeth “Liz” Roper, chief of the Cybercrime and Identity Theft Bureau within the New York County District Attorney’s office. As head of one of the most sophisticated anti-cybercrime labs in the world, Liz details what she sees as the most pressing emerging cybercrime threats and offers encouragement to prosecutors throughout the country who are challenged by spiraling incident
Protecting the Elderly and Vulnerable from Financial Exploitation, with Liz Loewy
Kieran talks with former prosecutor Liz Loewy, who founded the elder abuse bureau in the New York District Attorney’s office in 1994 and is co-founder and current COO of EverSafe, a company that utilizes financial technology to protect elderly and vulnerable individuals from financial abuse.
“Loved ones have a responsibility to look out for one another,” Liz tells Kieran in describing how famili
Shining Light on Right-Wing Extremism with Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler
Kieran talks with Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director of the Counter Extremism Project, about the rising threat from right-wing domestic terror groups.
Rooted in varying myths of nationalist identity, right-wing extremist groups are increasingly cooperating with one another across nation state borders, embracing long-discredited tropes that glorify white-supremacy and antisemitism, Hans te
Ending “Snow Washing” and Fighting Financial Crime in Canada with James Cohen
Kieran talks with James Cohen, Executive Director at Transparency International Canada, about what’s wrong with Canada, including the rise in money laundering via “snow washing” and the corrupting influence of illicit foreign fund flows from transnational criminal groups.
During their talk, James discusses the battle to establish a corporate ownership registry in Canada, which received initial
Making Common Cause Against Human Trafficking With Sara Crowe
Kieran talks with Sara Crowe, Strategic Initiatives Director for Financial Systems at Polaris, a not-for-profit dedicated to ending sex and human labor trafficking.
During their talk, Sara touches on Polaris’ efforts to connect trafficked individuals to law enforcement and social services through its U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline and the use of data drawn from call-ins to the hotline to
Focusing on Illicit Trade with Louise Shelley
Kieran talks with Louise Shelley, PhD, Director of the Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC) at George Mason University, about how terrorist organizations are funding themselves by engaging in illicit trade finance, often in partnership with transnational criminal organization.
During their discussion, Dr. Shelly, the author of numerous publications whose most recent book
Shifts in the Sanctions Landscape with Justine Walker
A special episode for everyone monitoring the critical and shifting sanctions landscape. Kieran interviews Dr Justine Walker (who has her own podcast series ‘The Sanctions Space’) about the recent unprecedented scale of change of sanctions, key emerging trends, and the Biden administration’s potential approach to China, Iran, North Korea and others.
Next week we’re also hosting our first ACAMS G
The Challenges in Preventing Financial Crime with Matis Maeker
“It will happen to you: sooner or later, all financial institutions will be in the midst of a new scheme or scandal,” Matis Maeker, head of Estonia’s Financial Supervisory Authority warns.
Drawing on his experience addressing the scandals involving money laundering out of the Russian Federation and as a leader in Estonia’s effort to build a tougher AML/CFT regime, Matis, talks with Kieran about
Project Shadow: Ending the Online Exploitation of Children
“we were able to identify a number of financial indicators that… really allowed us to identify potential perpetrators of this crime,” Barry MacKillop, Fintrac.
“an area being under reported and investigated in Canada and globally,” Stuart Davis, Scotiabank.
Kieran talks with Barry MacKillop, deputy director at The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre (Fintrac) and Stuart Davis, Sco
The Biggest Thing Since the Patriot Act
Kieran talks with Daniel Stipano, a 30-year veteran of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, about the “Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020,” the most revolutionary piece of anti-financial crime legislation to emerge from Congress since the “USA Patriot Act.”
Now a partner with the law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, Dan details how the Act creates a national corporate ownership registry,
Kleptopia: Tom Burgis on how dirty money is conquering the world
Kieran Beer interviews the award-winning Financial Times Investigations Correspondent, Tom Burgis about his new book, ‘Kleptopia: How Dirty Money is Conquering the World’.
In this episode, Tom reveals how private bankers, law firms and intelligence groups help dictators, oligarchs and organised crime penetrate democracies, and flood the global economy with dirty money.
During his career, Tom
“The FinCEN Files”: understanding the story behind the story
‘If you don’t understand who’s behind a shell company, you’re not going to understand what’s going on with a multi-million-dollar transaction moving across borders.’
Mike Hudson and Spencer Woodman, investigative journalists at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), talk with Kieran about the 16 months of reporting that went into making sense of the FinCEN files - more
Identifying the Financial Footprints of Human Trafficking
'Everybody has something they can do to begin to address [human trafficking] in their day-to-day business.'
Dr. James Cockayne is Head of Secretariat of Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking (FAST), a year-old United Nations initiative enlisting financial institutions in the fight against human trafficking. In this episode, James talks with Kieran about how financial institutions can help track
Crime in Plain Sight - 1MDB
'I could see in plain sight that there were dots to be joined'
Clare Rewcastle Brown first broke the 1MDB scandal in 2015, and has followed and reported on all of the developments ever since, in the Sarawak Report. In this episode Clare talks with Kieran about the latest fallout from 1MDB, the scale and scope of the corruption, and how banks can do more to detect these crimes in the early stages.
Gangsters, Whales and Businessmen - Moneylaundering in Canada
Sam Cooper is an investigative journalist who has dedicated his career to exposing moneylaundering in British Columbia.
From moneylaundering operations in Canadian casinos, to Chinese millionaires smuggling in cash to buy swathes of Vancouver real estate (but not to live in), Sam talks Kieran through the financial crime typologies, scams and trends he's observed during his investigations in rece
Public + Private - the Silver Bullet against Financial Crime?
‘All too often criminal investigations hit a dead end when law enforcement encounters a company with hidden ownership’.
In this episode, Edward Kitt (Illicit Finance Policy Lead at the British Embassy in Washington DC) and Kieran talk about the UK’s public beneficial ownership register, tangible benefits of the public-private partnership group JMLIT, and how effective global information sharing
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