Illegal logging and deforestation: money does grow on trees
Of all the environmental crimes, illegal logging (including illegal land clearing) is understood to be the most profitable. The illegal timber trade is said to account for up to 90% of tropical deforestation in some countries and attracting the
Turning the screws on beneficial ownership
Turning 18 is a landmark birthday – it is supposed to be the age when we emerge into the adult world, all grown up and ready to play our part. In practice, of course, most of us still have
Streaming and vaccinations: cooperation necessary to combat covid-19 fincrime
Financial crime’s movement online is not a new phenomenon. Since the internet’s arrival, subsequent boom, and the remarkable increase of technological capabilities from then on, criminals have altered their tactics to maintain fraudulent activity on the web. And no
Financial firms must tackle dark side of open banking and use it to stop crime
When it comes to fighting financial misconduct, open banking has a light and a dark side. It has the potential to help fight criminals, and to be exploited by them. If banks and financial technology firms (fintechs) are alert to
Deepfakes: Ghosts in machines and their effect on the financial world
More and more lives and behaviours are migrating online and into the digital sphere, from socialising and working to how finance is accessed and used. Developments in technology such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) combined with non-face to face forms
The increasing risk of money laundering through illegal dog trafficking
Criminals will infiltrate any business that will garner financial gain, or cover up their other illicit activities. We’ve already seen this through fishing, the cattle trade, and through shipments of gold. But while these industries may seem far-flung to
Information Overload: the increased need for Adverse Media Screening
The rise of technology and interconnectedness across the globe has coincided with an exponential increase in data generated over the last few decades. At the enterprise level, unstructured data is currently growing 50% year on year and accounts for
Forced Labor & Covid-19 – What the Future Holds for AML Compliance
Greek myths tell the story of the Lernaean Hydra, a vicious monster with many heads. The serpentine monster was nearly impossible to kill, as its heads would regenerate when chopped off. In many ways, human slavery is like the
Know Your Crypto: How KYC and AML are helping cryptocurrencies go mainstream
Cryptocurrencies have risen up the ranks from being a nascent concept to a legitimate commodity that banks are looking to invest in. So much so, that regulatory bodies have had to adapt to an ever-shifting change in compliance, investigating
The FinCrime Files – Q&A with James Holian, Director, Financial Crime and Controls, NatWest Group
In this edition of our FinCrime Files interview series, we caught up with James Holian who is Director of Financial Crime and Controls at the NatWest Group. Hi James, could you tell us a little about yourself and your current
Post-Brexit UK: a patchwork quilt of sanctions regimes
The UK has launched a new sanctions regime following Brexit, underlining the fragmented nature of the international sanctions framework At the height of the Brexit tensions last year, anti-corruption campaigners expressed concern that the UK might be seen as soft
InsideArachnys – Q&A with German Syroezhkin, Senior Software Engineer
Welcome to InsideArachnys, a series of interviews where we speak to the people behind the Arachnys platform. In this edition, we caught up with German Syroezhkin, one of our Senior Software Engineers in London. Hi German, can you tell us