Reported by Alexander Verhagen, Angela Luget, Vasiliki Stergiou, Debanjan Banerjee, and Olivia Conjeaud (Summary featured below. To read full report, go to: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/risk-and-resilience/our-insights/how-agentic-ai-can-change-the-way-banks-fight-financial-crime#/) Banks are spending more than ever on know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money-laundering (AML) compliance, but the return on investment remains alarmingly low. Interpol estimates that only around 2% of global financial crime flows […]

Reported by Lynsey Chutel (Excerpt featured below. To read full report, go to: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/09/world/americas/drug-cartels-us-terrorist-designation.html?searchResultPosition=7) President Trump’s directive to the Pentagon to begin using military forceagainst certain Latin American gangs and cartels has turned a spotlight on those groups and raised a host of questions about legal issues, U.S. intervention abroad and which organization might be targeted. […]

Videos by Tom from Texas and Our Animals (TikTok) The first video below shows what familiar goods from the EU and U.S. you can still buy in a typical grocery in Russia. The other video shows that you can afford to own a pet bear in Russia.

Videos by Snydexplores (TikTok) Two videos below show how you can travel to Afghanistan and other countries with Sanctions

Reported by Ghost Ghost (Excerpt featured below. To read full report, go to: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/technical/kyc-is-the-quiet-kill-switch) The know-your-customer (KYC) threat isn’t coming. It’s already here, and it didn’t arrive through a nationwide ban or an emergency executive order. It quietly showed up with a checkbox and a Terms of Service agreement. While the influencers make noise about CBDCs and paper […]

Reported by Paulina Villegas and Maria Abi-Habib (Excerpt shown below. To read entire article, go to: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/09/world/americas/fentanyl-us-mexico-route-cartel-smuggling.html) New York Times reporters documented how fentanyl was concealed by Mexico’s most powerful criminal syndicate, which is adapting in the face of a crackdown by two governments. The fentanyl packer moved with precision, his headlamp casting a sharp glow on […]

Reported by Victor Nava (Excerpt shown below. To read full report, go to: https://nypost.com/2025/08/07/us-news/trump-admin-announces-50m-reward-for-capture-of-venezuelas-nicolas-maduro/) The Trump administration on Thursday offered a $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro. “Maduro uses foreign terrorist organizations like [Tren de Aragua], Sinaloa and Cartel of the Suns to bring deadly drugs and violence […]

Reported by Anton Stravinsky (Excerpt shown below. To read full report, go to: https://www.newstrail.com/why-anonymous-businesses-still-matter-in-a-world-of-transparency-laws/) In an age dominated by transparency mandates, know-your-customer (KYC)regulations, and digital surveillance, the concept of an anonymous business might seem like a relic of the past. However, for entrepreneurs, investors, whistleblowers, and even journalists operating across borders, anonymous business structures remain not […]

Reported by Héctor Ríos Morales (Excerpt shown below. To read full report, go to: https://www.latintimes.com/us-sanctions-mexican-rapper-el-makabelico-laundering-cartel-del-noreste-money-through-concerts-588074) The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned three senior members and one associate of the Cártel del Noreste (CDN)—formerly known as Los Zetas—for their roles in the cartel’s criminal activities, including drug trafficking, extortion and money laundering. […]

Reported by Kevin Hall (Excerpt shown below. To read full report, go to: https://www.occrp.org/en/news/fincen-calls-for-vigilance-on-crypto-kiosk-activities) The Treasury Department on Monday warned financial institutions to monitor and report suspicious activity at so-called crypto ATMs, which have been used to launder proceeds from drug sales and other criminal activity. Formally known as convertible currency kiosks, or CVC kiosks, […]