Laundering money has never been easier, cheaper, or more secure for bad actors, so why do we persist with our current response?

In this latest episode, host Tom Keatinge is joined by journalist Oliver Bullough to discuss his latest book, 'Everybody Loves Our Dollars: How Money Laundering Won', which reveals the seeming futility of the current approach to fighting financial crime.

Those who work in the world of financial crime inevitably get caught up on the 'hamster wheel' of compliance without stopping to ask: 'why?' Oliver's book takes the time to do just that.

It is a tough read – and an equally challenging listen – for those whose careers have been built on the long-held belief that our approach to financial crime fighting is making a difference. But as Oliver argues, it is past time we considered honestly whether all the money and time spent on fighting financial crime the way we currently approach the challenge is actually making a difference.

Motivation, coordination and making the right choices has brought a remarkable turnaround in the financial crime fighting fortunes of Latvia.

If you are involved in the fight against financial crime in Latvia then 2018, the year of the country's last FATF assessment, is a date that is both infamous and inspiring.

That is certainly the case for Toms Platacis and Paulis Iljenkovs, Head and Deputy Head of the Latvian FIU, who join host Tom Keatinge for this latest episode of the STR podcast, to review Latvia's recently published FATF Mutual Evaluation Report.

With 2018 etched in their memories, they reveal the steps they have taken to motivate public and private sector colleagues to move from 2018's near-death experience to an evaluation that places them at the top-of-the-class.

How has Russia managed to keep its oil exports flowing despite sanctions and what can governments do to more effectively disrupt the shadow fleet?

As Russia adapts its energy exports to withstand sanctions pressure, a parallel maritime system has emerged to keep oil flowing across global markets.

In this episode of the Suspicious Transaction Report, CFS Research Fellow Gonzalo Saiz is joined by Michelle Wiese Bockmann, Senior Maritime Intelligence Analyst at Windward, and Claire Grunewald, Co-Founder of Clarity Compliance Consulting and a former Sanctions Compliance Officer at OFAC, to examine how Russia's shadow fleet emerged, the tactics it uses to evade sanctions and continue moving oil despite international restrictions, and what governments can do to disrupt its operations as Russia's war in Ukraine enters its fifth year.