The final episode explores a major global challenge that initially lacked a cohesive policy response and now poses an urgent threat. CFCS’s Alanna Putze is joined by the Atlantic Council’s Julia Friedlander and journalist Edward Lucas to explore the active financial measures that malign actors use to corrode trust in democracy. With Russia as the prime example, they ask if the world possess the policy leadership and strategic vision required to safeguard global democracy at this crucial moment.  ..read more

The UN first placed North Korea under international sanctions 15 years ago. Yet despite continued provocations and clear evidence of violations, there have been no substantive changes to the sanctions regime for the past five years. Is it time to rethink our sanctions approach to North Korea? CFCS’s Sasha Erskine and Aaron Arnold are joined by former UK Ambassador to South Korea Alastair Morgan to examine the evolution of North Korea sanctions, the current state of play, and what we might expect in the future. If you've any follow-up questions for Sasha and Aaron, you can find their contact in ..read more

What happens when firms get financial crime compliance wrong? Ten years ago, the compliance world was rocked when the US authorities handed HSBC a $1.9 billion fine for “unacceptable failures” in its anti-money laundering procedures. These fines set a lot of activity into motion. But to what effect? Roger McCormick of Bayes Business School joins CFCS’s Isabella Chase to dive into the punishment playbook, exploring its impact, how its changed and where it might be heading.  ..read more

Countering the financing of weapons of mass destruction is an important component of global non-proliferation efforts. While the focus has largely been on North Korea, as well as Iran, countering proliferation financing (CPF) is likely to apply to other actors in the future. Are the measures put in place sufficiently future-proofed? CFCS’s Wojciech Pawlus is joined by Jonathan Brewer of King’s College London and RUSI’s Darya Dolzikova to look at the origins of CPF policy and examine what might lie ahead ..read more

It’s hard to keep up with the pace of change in environmental, social and governance (ESG) policy. With a number of game-changing developments in the past year alone, there’s no doubt that ESG is at the forefront of the agenda, for both corporates and the financial sector. RUSI’s Alexandria Reid dives into this rapidly evolving world with James Ford of Mayer Brown. Together, they discuss lessons from the past 10 years of ESG policy, and what we might expect next.  ..read more

Fraud is an age-old crime; one that has drastically evolved in recent years. Far from the small-scale individual acts or larger corporate offences of the past, organised volume fraud has now reached epidemic levels, posing a growing threat to the UK’s national security and financial stability. CFCS’s Kathryn Westmore is joined by Jonathan Holmes of PwC’s Digital and Forensic Services Investigations Team, to explore how well we’ve adapted and how we can best stay ahead of the fraud threat.  ..read more

An unscheduled episode, recorded as the tragic events in Ukraine unfold. It considers the central plank of the West’s response to Russia’s aggression – sanctions. Tom Keatinge is joined by RUSI Associate Fellows and legal experts Anna Bradshaw of Peters & Peters and Nick Turner of Steptoe & Johnson. They discuss the wider challenges related to sanctions and their use, what these mean in the context of the current crisis, and whether it is time to rethink our approach to sanctions ..read more

Confiscating the proceeds of crime seems like an obvious way to deter illicit activity, yet asset recovery is all too often an afterthought in the global response to financial crime. Gretta Fenner of the Basel Institute on Governance joins CFCS’s Maria Nizzero and Helena Wood to discuss why a smarter approach to asset recovery could be transformational in narrowing the global development gap and in apprehending corrupt actors ..read more

More than a decade since Bitcoin’s emergence, cryptocurrency continues to shake up the financial sector, keeping regulators on alert and intriguing the public. It simultaneously causes excitement about its possibilities, as well as concern about its illicit finance risks. But where are we exactly on crypto? Host Anton Moiseienko is joined by Ari Redbord of TRM Labs and CFCS’s Allison Owen to take stock of cryptocurrency’s evolution and what we might expect next ..read more

How can the current counterterrorism financing (CTF) regime remain relevant when the threat is constantly evolving? In the 20 years since 9/11, terrorists have adopted diverse financing methods, new terrorist actors have emerged, and autocrats have co-opted CTF standards for their own nefarious purposes. Host Stephen Reimer is joined by RUSI Associate Fellow Jessica Davis and Amit Sharma of FinClusive to explore how to make CTF more effective, while mitigating its unintended consequences.  ..read more