The Laundry

E157: Can you switch off sanctions on a Russian shadow fleet?

25 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Russia is the most sanctioned nation on planet earth. So, what happens when the US issues a waiver allowing the sale of Russian oil on sanctioned vess...

E156: What happens to Iran's shadow banking network now?

19 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Bombs are dropping on Iran, and we’ve seen the death of the Supreme Leader, counter-strikes across the region, global supply lanes in crisis, and sp...

E155: Is Norway too "cosy" to deal with corruption?

12 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The team is on their annual "KY-Ski" trip, located in a cosy cabin in the Norwegian mountains.But denting this "koselig" image is a slew of scandals l...

E154: What is the future for MLROs?

05 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Definitions are always evolving, but how will the next decade redefine the role of the Money Laundering Reporting Officer?This week, The Laundry comes...

Trailer: Oslo, book your ticket for The Laundry Live!

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On March 18th, Norway’s leading AML and compliance teams —Strise and Signicat—are coming together at SALT, Oslo for: The Laundry Live: Fincrime ...

Re-Spin: How technology became a money laundering machine!

26 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Strise is developing next-generation technology to help financial crime teams stay one step ahead of criminals. The reason is simple: bad actors are u...

E153: Does an AI Agent social network spell financial crime disaster?

19 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone is talking about Moltbook, the social network solely for AI agents.But they aren't just chatting —they’re executing tasks, making decisio...

Re-Spin: Can fincrime professionals fight romance fraud?

12 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

To mark Valentine's Day and the season of romance, we're re-spinning an incredibly important episode.More than £106m was lost to romance fraud in the...

E152: Is financial crime the juice behind Meta's success?

05 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The old adage about social media is: 'If you’re not paying for the product, you are the product.'We’re used to hearing how platforms use our data ...

E151: Have we got anti-money laundering all wrong?

29 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this industry, we’re constantly told that financial criminals are 'one step ahead' – but what if the very systems we built to stop them ar...

E150: What belongs in the Museum of Anti-Money Laundering?

22 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The history of AML has always been reactive.We move so fast to catch the next threat that we rarely look back at how we got here. But that changes tod...

E149: Is the USA giving up on SARs?

15 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

America remains the ultimate trend setter – and that goes for regulation and law enforcement.Which is why you should not be ignoring FinCEN’s new ...

E148: Can we predict the 2026 financial crime roadmap?

08 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Cross our palms with silver and look deeply into the crystal ball. We’re gazing into the future of financial crime in 2026. Consider this your 'Spoi...

E147: The Nobel Peace Prize and how financial crime threatens peace

10 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Oslo is the centre of global attention this week as the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize was presented, in absentia, to Maria Corina Machado – for her work pr...

E146: What keeps the US Department of Justice up at night?

04 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

“Uphold the rule of law, to keep our country safe, and to protect civil rights” – these are the stated aims of the US Department of Justice...

E145: What American Candy Stores can tell us about money laundering

27 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This month, more than 2,700 high street stores across the UK were visited by police – leading to 900 arrests and more than £10 million in criminal ...

E144: Three big takeaways from Norway's biggest AML event

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, The Laundry set itself a challenge: head to Hvitvaskingskonferansen 2025 – Norway's biggest AML and CTF conference – and come back...

143: What keeps FATF up at night?

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You're given two years to make a difference in the global battle against money laundering, financial crime, and corruption. The clock is ticking ...

142: What the Louvre heist can tell us about money laundering

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Seven minutes. Nine pieces of priceless jewellery. A place in heist history.The theft of the Louvre in Paris has made headlines across the world.You m...

141: What keeps the regulator up at night?

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For some, we know that the knock on the door from the regulator might be what’s keeping them up at night.But for this episode, let’s flip the pers...

E140: How is organised crime and dark money infiltrating Norway?

23 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Grenade attacks, kidnappings, young boys coerced into gang crime. This is all currently happening in Norway and it's causing a frenzy in the news. But...

E139: The Dark Money Files crossover! Finding passion for compliance

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the first part of The Dark Laundry Files!No one grows up dreaming of being named the Head of AML Sanctions at a tier 1 bank. In fact, ...

E138: How can data help solve the money mule crisis?

09 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We have a financial crime crisis going on. Everyday people are coerced into money muling via flashy social media ads Recruited to transfer "dirty" mo...

E137: What happens when 90,000 businesses become AML regulated?

02 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s time to turn our world upside down and turn our attention to what's happening in Australia!The Australian government passed new AML and CFT rul...

136: Can embedded AI change financial crime prevention forever?

25 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When we think about AI solutions, we picture them as disconnected from the systems and tools you're using every day.But for many in banking and compli...

E135: Will Trump’s new sanctions on Russia work – or is this more box-ticking? [Re-Spin]

18 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We all saw the handshakes – but Trump's meeting with Putin in Alaska has yet to see a peace deal signed and an end to the invasion of Ukraine.&...

E134: What is holding Sweden back on AI in AML?

11 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A alarming new report out of Sweden has revealed that a THIRD of their financial institutions have not started exploring artificial intelligence solut...

E133: The secrets of shadow banking

04 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Are you ready to step into a parallel world?It’s a bizarre world where no money moves – but currency changes hands between criminals, state-b...

E132: The rise of the NepoPEPs – Russia's golden youth

28 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Young, educated, multi-lingual, tech-savvy, operating across multiple countries.NepoPEPs are the sons, daughters, and other younger relatives of typic...

E131: What does vibe coding mean for AML?

21 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

VIBE CODING!The new tools that let users write the back-end code for websites, apps, and online games with AI—without any coding experience.The pote...

Greatest Hits: AMLA's impact on financial crime in the EU

14 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As a summer treat, we're bringing you some of the *top performing* episodes of The Laundry to date!The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financ...

Greatest Hits: A European fintech exposed as a billion dollar fraud

07 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As a summer treat, we're bringing you some of the *top performing* episodes of The Laundry to date!This is a story about the wild rise and crushing fa...

Greatest Hits: Is the EU's UBO ruling a gift to criminals?

31 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As a summer treat, we're bringing you some of the *top performing* episodes of The Laundry to date! The EU's Ultimate Beneficial Ownership ruling made...

The Soapbox E02: sanctions, fighting financial crime, and AMLA

24 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to The Soapbox, a summer special from The Laundry. The humble soapbox has been used for free speech and the open sharing of views for over a c...

The Soapbox E01: one-day regulator, AI takeover, and industry frustrations

17 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to The Soapbox, a summer special from The Laundry. The humble soapbox has been used for free speech and the open sharing of views for over a c...

E130: What happens when stablecoins go mainstream?

10 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Stablecoins are having a moment – with a bill moving through the U.S. system that could bring the tokens into mainstream regulation.These fiat-...

E129: What keeps internal auditors up at night?

03 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Internal auditors could be the ultimate ‘insider outsider’ in financial services. They are on average 1% of a bank’s staff, and yet they are the...

E128: Liberation Day strikes back? The impact of tariffs on financial crime

26 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump called tariffs “the most beautiful word in the dictionary.”On a self-declared ‘Liberation Day,’ the US unleashed a wave of new...

E127: How oligarchs embedded themselves across Scandinavia

19 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Think about the road you took to work, the flight you booked for your next holiday, or even the property you’re looking to buy. What if they were al...

E126: What you can learn about the future of AML from Helsinki

12 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Laundry was recently the closing act at Finland’s biggest event for the AML industry – after a day of talks from expert speakers across bankin...

E125: How fintech grows up and gets compliant

05 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hot coral cards, instant money transfers, sleek onboarding, and mega funding rounds. Take yourself back to the 2010s and the fintech hype train was in...

E124: Trump lifts sanctions on Syria – now what?

29 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been a wild ride for Syria’s interim President, Ahmed al Sharaa.Recently, he was photographed alongside Donald Trump in Riyadh, marking a his...

E123: What you should know about financial crime in the Netherlands

22 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’re touching The Laundry down in a single country – to understand how it looks at financial crime and the lessons we can take from it.This episo...

E122: How do you match innovation with compliance?

15 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

'Compliance’ and ‘Innovation’ have never traditionally been the best of friends. They can be seen as opposite ends of a spectrum.But in this mod...

E121: The Laundry team answers your questions!

08 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, our expert hosts – Marit Rødevand, Fredrik Riiser, and Robin Lycka – have the tables turned on them as they respond to questions, comm...

E120: How sanctions became a political weapon

30 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Turn on the TV or scroll your phone – the headlines are full of war and global conflict.But according to the author of a new book, modern warfa...

E119: What you don't know about defending suspects of financial crime

24 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone has the right to a fair trial. That also includes: alleged shady oligarchs, bribers, money launderers, sanction evaders, and dodgy dealers. S...

Re-Spin: The dark secrets of North Korea's cyber army

17 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For the Easter break – we are diving into The Laundry archives and bringing you one of our favourite episodes of the podcast to date!In this ep...

E118: Here's what you're getting wrong about data

10 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Data is the new currency.But many banks and financial institutions grabbed so much of this new currency, they don't know what to do with it! Our exper...

E117: Everything you need to know about financial crime in France

03 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’re touching The Laundry down in a single country – to understand how it looks at financial crime and the lessons we can take from it.To start u...

E116: Why remediation projects are spiking!

27 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Many institutions are running at one hundred miles an hour to keep up with compliance, new regulations, and sanctions.But sometimes, it’s crucial to...

E115: If everyone in compliance is using AI agents – what is left for humans?

20 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

AI agents can now perform many of the same tasks as compliance professionals.Software programs powered by AI can handle everything from KYC/KYB checks...

E114: Has Trump just legalised bribery and corruption?

13 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Trump presidency throws out a new dramatic storyline every day.But it's time assess three big decisions that are important to those working in the...

E113: What keeps MLROs up at night?

06 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The tackling and reporting of money laundering can lead to long nights for those on the frontline.It’s not just your company’s reputation, as well...

E112: Is combining fraud and AML a fad or the future?

27 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You know those action movies where the two biggest movie stars team up to turn their firepower on the bad guys?This is the approach that some organisa...

E111: Will sanctions hit their peak in 2025?

20 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, sanctions have become more than just a topic for compliance professionals, law enforcement, and regulators.They’...

E110: Why everybody is talking about AI agents!

13 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Who knew a pizza order could blow up the internet?In January, Jesse Pollak tagged an AI agent in a social media post saying, "I want some pizza." That...

E109: Super-yachts & sanctions: Who’s buying up Russian assets?

06 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Did you really think rich Russian oligarchs were going to just *give up* being rich?Despite the ongoing invasion of Ukraine and yet more sanctions pac...

E108: What we can learn from 150 years of financial crime

30 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As we kick off a new year, the industry is turning its focus to 2025, considering everything from evolving regulations and global sanctions to emergin...

Everything Must Go!

23 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

To celebrate the new season of the podcast connecting AML, compliance, and financial crime to the real world – we are bringing you this very sp...

Re-Spin: How ChatGPT is supercharging financial crime

16 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We are diving into The Laundry archives and bringing you some of our favourite episodes of the podcast to date.This week: our expert host, Marit Røde...

Re-Spin: How crypto fuels the deadly fentanyl epidemic

09 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's the festive season, so we’re leaving you a little something in your podcast stocking.We are diving into The Laundry archives and bringing you s...

Re-Spin: How the ridiculous UK business register fuels financial crime

02 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's the festive season, so we’re leaving you a little something in your podcast stocking.We are diving into The Laundry archives and bringing you s...

Re-Spin: Revealing the financial crime risks of the football industry

26 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's the festive season, so we’re leaving you a little something in your podcast stocking.We are diving into The Laundry archives and bringing you s...

Re-Spin: How can compliance keep the legal world ethical?

19 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's the festive season, so we’re leaving you a little something in your podcast stocking.We are diving into The Laundry archives and bringing you s...

E107: The financial crime stories that mattered in 2024

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There’s no such thing as a slow year in this industry—stories of scandals, crimes, fines, and regulations just keep on coming.But even with that i...

E106: Hiding in plain sight: the enablers of financial crime

05 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One of the dirtiest secrets of financial crime and money laundering is that there is a whole professional network of facilitators or enablers who help...

E105: Everything you need to know about UBOs

28 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Discovering the structures, identifying the key players, and uncovering potential shadowy influences behind a business—UBO discovery is among the mo...

E104: What the 1MDB scandal tells us about how the world really works

21 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A Malaysian government fund – set up to boost the country’s economy – becomes one of the biggest frauds in history!Billions of dollars were...

E103: What impact will Trump have on financial crime globally?

14 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Donald Trump sequel is happening—and this time, it’s personal!The former U.S. President has returned to the White House despite controversies,...

E102: Are we fighting financial crime, or just ticking boxes?

07 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Live from the Ministry of Sound in London!What if we could combine all the knowledge from our industry into one powerful source? Connecting all ...

E101: Unpacking the new UK Government's fight against financial crime

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After fourteen years of the Conservative party, July’s general election saw a huge swing to Labour – who pledged to provide a different kind ...

Trailer: The Laundry Live in London this Wednesday!

29 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Laundry Live is back in London!On Wednesday the 30th of October, we’re gathering AML Megaminds from across the industry for a night of netw...

E100: Regulation, Sanctions, AI: What can you learn from 100 episodes of The Laundry?

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We made it to 100 episodes! That's 100 conversations exploring the issues that matter most to both us and you.In addition to reaching this milestone, ...

E99: Can ChatGPT teach me to evade sanctions?

17 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We live in one of the most complex and toughest times for sanctions regimes, ever!Global conflicts have led to big political decisions which impact re...

E98: Which economies are winning from sanctions on Russia?

10 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The ongoing invasion of Ukraine has been a catastrophic ordeal for the country and its citizens – as well as the financial consequences for all...

E97:  Everything you need to know about transaction screening

03 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Transaction screening is like extra second of bullet time you see movies – where the action hero moves in slow-motion as everything whizzes aro...

E96: How a jailed CEO has rocked Sweden’s banking sector

26 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Former Swedbank chief executive, Birgitte Bonnesen, is facing 15 months in prison after being convicted of spreading misleading information about the ...

E95: Inside Telegram: What financial criminals talk about in secret

19 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Many were shocked when it was announced that Pavel Durov had been detained by authorities just outside Paris.The Russian-born CEO of the messaging app...

E94: Can ChatGPT teach me to launder money?

12 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

ChatGPT recently surpassed a milestone of 200 million active users every week: equivalent to the ​​combined populations of Germany, France, and Sp...

E93: The Holy Grail: How does a banking licence impact compliance?

05 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the world of financial services, a banking license is like the Holy Grail – key to unlocking powerful capabilities like holding deposits, le...

Trailer: We're going global!

29 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Laundry returns for a brand new series of podcasts connecting AML, Compliance, and Financial Crime to the real world.And, much like the dark money...

Re-Spin: Why compliance teams can't afford to miss the AI train

15 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

To mark the summer season, we're bringing you some of our favourite episodes from The Laundry archives!In this episode, originally published in May 20...

Re-Spin: The episode the money launderers don't want you to hear

08 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

To mark the summer season, we're bringing you some of our favourite episodes from The Laundry archives!In this episode, originally published in Februa...

Re-Spin: Turning compliance into a competitive advantage

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

To mark the summer season, we're bringing you some of our favourite episodes from The Laundry archives.In this episode, originally published in Januar...

Re-Spin: How a naive compliance culture opened the doors for money-laundering

25 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

To mark the summer season, we're bringing you some of our favourite episodes from The Laundry archives.In this episode, originally published in Novemb...

E92: Presidents, fraud, artificial intelligence: 11 big lessons on financial crime

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This season of The Laundry has shown that financial crime touches every aspect of society and life.We’ve been joined by Chief Compliance Officers, M...

E91: AMLA's impact on financial crime in the EU

04 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A new player has entered the game in the fight against financial crime.The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Authority (...

E90: What it means to be FATF President

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Financial Action Task Force is hugely influential in combatting money laundering and terror financing. Their 'black' and 'gray' lists are pow...

E89: What does it really take to be a Chief Compliance Officer?

20 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Running the entire compliance operations of a financial institution is no walk in the park. Managing a team working to keep customers safe, manag...

E88: Can synthetic data shake up financial crime and compliance?

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Synthetic data comes with all sorts of hype: the next great accelerator to combat financial crime, the silver bullet of compliance – even an em...

E87: This VAT loophole is funding criminal empires

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The most dramatic criminal actions can often be hidden behind the dullest of language.'VAT Refunds’ is unlikely to have your pulse racing – b...

E86: How technology became a money laundering machine

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Technology has drastically changed nearly every aspect our lives – but has it all been for the better? In this episode, we are spelling out the...

E85: The line between humans and AI in fighting financial crime

23 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Live on stage at VENUE81 in Stockholm, Sweden! AI is powerful tool in combatting financial crime and its impact can no longer be ignored. But where do...

E84: Connecting oligarchs to a sovereign wealth fund

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What could link oligarchs and FATF grey-list countries to the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund? The Government Pension Fund of Norway, known mo...

E83: Financial crime in the football industry

08 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The beautiful game – a sport adored by billions across the world.Fans will buy their tickets on match days and pay for subscription packages to...

E82: What keeps compliance professionals up at night?

02 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This podcast is coming to you from the floor of Penningtvättsdagarna - Sweden’s biggest event focussed on professionals combating financial crime.S...

E81: Bull Run: Is crypto still the Wild West of compliance?

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Whisper it quietly, but crypto might be back.The industry is feeling confident following a few tough years, with Bitcoin’s market value skyrocketing...

Trailer: We're a financial crime podcast, of course!

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We're a financial crime podcast, and of course, we're jumping on a viral trend – but making it our own!The Laundry is back with 12 new episodes star...

E80: De-banked SMEs: How 140,000 small businesses ended up on a banking blacklist

28 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Some pretty shocking statistics surfaced recently from an enquiry by the UK’s Treasury Committee looking into access to finance.Obtaining data from ...