Reported by Jon Elvin (Summary shared below. To read full report, go to: https://saifr.ai/blog/the-future-of-compliance-isnt-continuous-kyc.-its-continuous-risk-awareness) The future of AML/KYC may not be continuous KYC so much as continuous risk awareness. That is the central argument of Saifr Strategic Risk Advisor Jon Elvin, who says traditional compliance programs were built around scheduled activity: onboarding checks, periodic reviews […]

Reported by Kamal Sultan (Summary version shown below. For full report, go to: https://nypost.com/2026/08/25/us-news/inside-the-penn-state-frat-house-drug-ring-coke-and-molly-parties-secret-dealing-rooms-and-hazing/) A major drug investigation at Penn State has exposed an alleged cocaine and MDMA operation centered on the Sigma Chi and Delta Upsilon fraternities. According to prosecutors and sources cited by the New York Post, 13 fraternity members were arrested in […]

Reported by by Laurence Hamilton (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://consilient.com/illegal-gold-mining-money-laundering-fatf-unodc) I sat through FATF’s launch of its 2026-2028 agenda earlier this month. $1 trillion is the number FATF opened with. That’s what scams cost globally in a single year. That’s what they want to change, and they name cross-border data sharing as one […]

Reported by Robin Wigglesworth (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.ft.com/content/38d95298-8b9b-486a-96d3-0c6616972abb) Despite now having been around for almost two decades, bitcoin is still struggling with use cases beyond money laundering, sex trafficking, drug selling, ransomware and number-go-up, as Jamie Dimon has acerbically noted. But at least the blockchain allows us a peek at […]

(To purchase book, click here: “Den of Thieves“) James B. Stewart’s “Den of Thieves” has never really left us, it just keeps finding new casts. First published in 1991, the book remains the definitive chronicle of how Ivan Boesky, Michael Milken, and Dennis Levine built an insider trading network so vast it reshaped Wall Street’s […]

Reported by SOPHENG CHEANG (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://apnews.com/article/cambodia-mexico-money-laundering-sinaloa-cartel-drugs-crime-70889f60244dc67497eed3bfc99e98d4) Cambodian and U.S. anti-drug agencies have uncovered a network that authorities say uses cryptocurrency to launder money for Mexico’s notorious Sinaloa Cartel, officials from both countries said Friday. Meas Vyrith, secretary-general of Cambodia’s National Authority for Combating Drugs, told The Associated Press […]

Reported by Josh Spero (Summary presented below. To read full report, go to: https://www.ft.com/content/2a791f9d-1036-4ef9-a232-5993b91c554d?syn-25a6b1a6=1) UK anti-money-laundering rules designed to prevent criminals from moving large sums through the art market are increasingly catching small businesses that may not view themselves as part of the regulated financial-crime ecosystem. The rules require art market participants — including galleries, […]

Reported by FinCEN Renews Order Requiring Enhanced Reporting When Money is Transferred Outside of the United States On August 7, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) renewed its Geographic Targeting Order (GTO) designed to combat fraud in Minnesota and protect U.S. taxpayers.  Extensive schemes have fraudulently diverted state and Federal dollars […]

Reported by PYMNTS (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.pymnts.com/authentication/digital-identity/2026/banks-target-repeat-checks-that-drive-customers-away/) A SOLO pilot is testing reusable verification records across participating banks and FinTechs while leaving compliance decisions with each receiving institution.  Participating institutions can use different verification processes; the pilot standardizes how completed work is documented and evaluated.  The project will test […]

Reported by Andres Knobel (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://taxjustice.net/2026/08/18/new-imf-aml-guidance-pushes-for-beneficial-ownership-transparency-and-tackles-risks-from-major-financial-centres/) On 25 June 2026, the IMF published its Guidance Note for Addressing Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism Issues in Surveillance, Financial Sector Assessment Programs, and Use of Fund Resources. This Guide can help address one of the main problems of the […]