Tag Archives: research

Report from the frontline

Posted on June 19, 2019 by

It may surprise you to hear that when I was a teenager I wanted to be, no, not a model or an air hostess (as they were called in the dim and distant 1980s) or even an AML specialist, but … Continue reading →

Posted in AML, Money laundering, Publications | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Something good written by Committee

Posted on April 24, 2019 by

As you are surely aware, the UK is currently convulsed (almost to the point of turning itself inside out) by a frenzy of self-analysis.  And AML has not escaped the mood of introspection: on 8 March 2019, the House of … Continue reading →

Posted in AML, Money laundering, Supervision | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Cut on the bias

Posted on March 13, 2019 by

We’re all biased – there’s no getting away from it.  My own particular unfair bias is against taxi drivers; as a cyclist I have been sworn at, side-swiped and (once) squeezed with my bike against the back of a lorry … Continue reading →

Posted in AML, Due diligence, Money laundering | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Cleaning house

Posted on February 27, 2019 by

Last week I attended an event at the elegant Whitehall premises of RUSI at which they launched “No Rest for the Wicked”, their report into what the UK’s next steps should be, now that we have (to quote the modest … Continue reading →

Posted in AML, Due diligence, Money laundering | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Adding some blacking to the UK pot

Posted on February 6, 2019 by

Any crime that generates money can lead to money laundering, but one of the biggies – and one of the most worrying for governments, with its reputational implications – is corruption.  We tend of think of high-level, regime-toppling corruption (naming … Continue reading →

Posted in AML, Bribery and corruption, Money laundering | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Taking task forces to task

Posted on January 16, 2019 by

May I be honest with you?  I have worked alone for more than twenty years and I like it, I really do.  As an only child I became used to not having to compromise, and I also have a visceral … Continue reading →

Posted in AML, Money laundering | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The tarnish on golden visas

Posted on November 28, 2018 by

I have mentioned before the concept of “golden visas” and passports-for-sale.  In today’s politically uncertain world they are becoming ever more popular, and last month Transparency International published a report called “European Getaway: Inside the Murky World of Golden Visas”.  … Continue reading →

Posted in AML, Due diligence, Legislation, Money laundering | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Something in the way she moves

Posted on November 23, 2018 by

A while ago I wrote about facial recognition software being used for client identification at ATMs and to apprehend scallywags out in public.  But of course technology does not stand still, and one of the shortcomings of facial recognition software … Continue reading →

Posted in AML, Due diligence | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Once more with conviction

Posted on October 31, 2018 by

Every few months I indulge myself in a little daydream of doing a PhD in criminology.  Like all good daydreams, it’s rich in lovely feelings – imagine sitting in the library all day, thinking deep thoughts about money laundering, breaking … Continue reading →

Posted in AML, Money laundering | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Made to measure

Posted on August 17, 2018 by

About once a year I will say in a dreamy voice, “Perhaps I should do a PhD in criminology…”.  I love the idea of spending months in the library as I craft my thesis, and then becoming the first-ever Dr … Continue reading →

Posted in AML, Money laundering, Publications | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments