AML Conversations

In this week's episode of This Week in AML, John Byrne and Elliot Berman examine major developments shaping the financial crime compliance landscape. They discuss newly released presidential financial disclosures, FATF's priorities under new President Giles Thomson, and a new FATF report on terrorist financing risks tied to social media, messaging apps, and streaming platforms.

The conversation also covers the Rome Statement on Art Market Integrity, Binance's licensing challenges under the EU's MiCA framework, FinCEN and FBI actions targeting cartel-linked fuel theft and human smuggling networks, and the UK's evolving crypto asset regulatory regime.

Additional topics include Europol's latest assessment of organized crime networks, the SEC's enforcement action against Merrill Lynch for SAR reporting failures, and the potential business and regulatory implications of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision affecting independent federal agencies. The episode concludes with a preview of upcoming AML RightSource content, including a discussion on AI and financial compliance.

In this episode of This Week in AML, Elliot Berman and John Byrne break down key developments from the latest FATF plenary—highlighting a growing global emphasis on fraud, stronger public-private collaboration, and updated guidance on payment transparency and targeted sanctions.

They also explore the Wolfsberg Group’s refreshed framework for a truly effective risk-based approach, centered on proportionality, prioritization, and outcomes—not just compliance for compliance’s sake.

Back in the U.S., the conversation turns to the evolving regulatory landscape around stablecoins, including new proposed rules extending KYC and CIP requirements—and concerns about whether they go far enough to address illicit finance risks.

It’s a wide-ranging discussion that reinforces a central theme: effectiveness—not just effort—is becoming the defining standard in AML.

This week on This Week in AML, Elliot Berman and John Byrne unpack major developments shaping the financial crime landscape. They discuss FinCEN’s guidance expanding Section 314(b) information-sharing to include fraud and what it means for financial institutions. The conversation also covers new CFPB guidance on lending and immigration-related risks, increased IRS scrutiny of nonprofits, and enforcement actions from the UK and New Zealand.

Plus, they explore growing concerns about the future of U.S. anti-financial crime leadership, the challenges of beneficial ownership transparency, and ongoing investigations tied to high-profile cases.

In this episode of Third Party Risk Perspectives, host Elliot Berman sits down with Christopher Sindik of Blue Umbrella to explore what clients are truly looking for in today’s third-party risk management and due diligence landscape.

From the growing demand for scalable technology platforms to increased reliance on ongoing monitoring and managed services, organizations are rethinking how they build and maintain effective compliance programs—often while being asked to do more with fewer resources. The conversation also highlights the rising importance of speed, with a notable increase in expedited due diligence requests as companies look to move faster without sacrificing risk oversight.

Tune in for practical insights into how customer expectations are shifting—and what that means for building more efficient, responsive, and resilient risk management programs.

This week on This Week in AML, Elliot Berman and John Byrne break down a wide range of developments shaping the financial crime landscape. They unpack a new joint advisory from FinCEN and federal banking agencies targeting risks tied to unauthorized labor and its implications for banks. The conversation then turns to escalating concerns about “debanking,” including controversy over blocked charitable donations and its implications for access to the financial system.

The episode also dives into a congressional hearing on Chinese money laundering networks and how evolving typologies are challenging traditional approaches to tracking money. Plus, insights on prediction markets and potential manipulation, fraud trends tied to social media platforms, EU sanctions targeting crypto, and progress in combating antiquities trafficking.