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8/18/23

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Breaking News for Financial Crime Professionals

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Happy Friday! It's August 18, and weโ€™re tracking top stories to take you into the weekend: Credit Suisse disregarded key records in Nazi-linked account probe, UK launches Crypto Travel Rule, Russia's Ghost Fleet evades sanctions, Singapore money launderers used Citibank accounts, and much more...

 

Also... keep your knowledge fresh with a few new financial crime reports!

Featured Story

 

๐ŸŽฏ US Senators claim Credit Suisse disregarded key records in Nazi-linked account probe. The Swiss lender didn't review all available records when it conducted an internal probe into the historical servicing of Nazi clients, according to an investigation published by US lawmakers. Reuters

 

Top Stories

 

๐ŸŒŽ UK Launches FATF Travel Rule on Crypto. Starting September, UK's virtual asset service providers (VASPs) will need to comply with the FATF Travel Rule, which mandates the sharing of customer data during transfers to flag dubious transactions. Cointelegraph

 

๐ŸŒŽ The Ghost Fleet Helping Russia Evade Sanctions and Pursue Its War in Ukraine. Companies evade Western sanctions by operating outside the usual industry standards, often forgoing insurance with the P&I Clubs, the global networks that insure some 90% of the worldโ€™s commercial shipping. WSJ

 

๐ŸŒŽ Citi, CIMB Used by Accused in Singaporeโ€™s Laundering Scandal. Citigroupโ€™s Singapore subsidiary and CIMB Group Holdings Bhd are among banks affected by a major money laundering case in the city-state involving $736 million of assets. Bloomberg

 

๐ŸŒŽ Citibank subpoenaed over US House probe into alleged data sharing with FBI. Panels in the Republican-led chamber are probing major banks over sharing Americans' private financial data with the FBI without legal process for transactions made in the Washington, D.C., area around Jan. 6, 2021. Reuters

 

๐ŸŒŽ Coinbase-Backed Group Loses Lawsuit Arguing Tornado Cash Sanctions Overstepped U.S. Treasury's Authority. The judge upheld the Treasury's designation of Tornado Cash, including its governing DAO, as a valid entity. CoinDesk

 

๐ŸŒŽ U.S. sanctions 4 Russian operatives for 2020 poisoning of Alexey Navalny. Three of the four worked with a specialized laboratory run by the Russian security service known as the FSB Criminalistics Institute. CBS News

 

๐ŸŒŽ Dollarโ€™s Clout in Markets Confronts BRICS Joint Currency Idea. A plan by the BRICS group of emerging market nations to look at a joint currency has investment banks examining whether thatโ€™s any threat to the global dominance of the dollar. Bloomberg

 

๐ŸŒŽ US-China Solar Trade Probe Ruling to Reshape Billions in Trade. The Commerce Department is set to conclude that some Chinese solar manufacturers are evading tariffs by assembling equipment in other Asian nations before sending it to the US. Bloomberg

 

๐ŸŒŽ How Narco Traffickers Unleashed Violence and Chaos in Ecuador. An overcrowded, corrupt and poorly financed penal system has become a breeding ground for prison gangs that have formed alliances with powerful drug cartels from abroad. NY Times

 

๐ŸŒŽ Fed cracks down on bank with FTX ties. The Federal Reserve has slapped a cease-and desist order on a small, rural bank in Washington state with ties to FTX, the bankrupt cryptocurrency platform founded by the disgraced Sam Bankman-Fried. Axios

 

๐ŸŒŽ โ€˜Poor Manโ€™s Cocaineโ€™ Costing $3 a Pill Threatens to Proliferate. Europe is bracing for the possible influx of a drug thatโ€™s hooked the Middle East as political shifts and crackdowns in the Gulf spur producers in Syria and Lebanon to tap new markets. Bloomberg

IN THE NEWS

China & Russia

 

๐Ÿ’ฅ Federal judge rejects push to block Florida Chinese land ownership law Politico

 

๐Ÿ’ฅ North Korean missile capable of striking the U.S. likely a result of cooperation with Russia NBC News

 

๐Ÿ’ฅ Pentagon biodefense review points to Chinese, Russian threats WaPo

 

๐Ÿ’ฅ High Costs Wonโ€™t Deter Germany From Removing Huawei Parts Bloomberg

 

๐Ÿ’ฅ US imports of auto parts face scrutiny under law on Chinese forced labor Reuters

Crypto & Cyber

 

๐Ÿ” Ether Futures ETFs Are Poised for U.S. Approval CoinDesk

 

๐Ÿ” Google proposes new security keys to protect data from future quantum attacks The Record

 

๐Ÿ” Coinbase, Tarred as an Illicit Exchange by the SEC, Quietly Got Regulated Elsewhere in the U.S. CoinDesk

 

๐Ÿ” Hackers ask $120,000 for access to multi-billion auction house Bleepingcomputer

 

๐Ÿ” Chinese hackers accused of targeting Southeast Asian gambling sector The Record

Corruption & Financial Crime

 

๐Ÿ’ธ How Trump Uses Supportersโ€™ Donations to Pay His Legal Bills NY Times

 

๐Ÿ’ธ Colombia Charges Dozens In Connection With Brazil Corruption Scandal AFP

 

๐Ÿ’ธ Two men arrested, accused of telemarketing fraud that cheated people of millions of dollars AP

 

๐Ÿ’ธ US imposes sanctions on two Turkey-backed Syrian militias ABC News

 

๐Ÿ’ธ Three admit roles in ยฃ1bn cocaine ring after Yorkshire's largest ever drugs seizure BBC News

Industry Reports

 

๐Ÿ“˜ How Mexican narcos use remittances to wire U.S. drug profits home Reuters

 

๐Ÿ“˜ Congress eyes establishing a digital regulator Brookings

 

๐Ÿ“˜ Institutional Virtual Asset Service Providers and Virtual Assets Risk Assessment Guide RUSI

 

๐Ÿ“˜ The Transfer of a Russian ICBM to North Korea? CSIS

 

๐Ÿ“˜ Trade Secrets: Exposing China-Russia Defense Trade in Global Supply Chains C4ADS

 

๐Ÿ“˜ Atlantic Connections: The PCC and the Brazil-West Africa Cocaine Trade Global Initiative

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND!

๐Ÿ“ฉ

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