Latest opinions that Simon Luke has shared on Finextra

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Simon Luke

UK Country Manager

First AML

Member since

14 Apr 2022

Location

London

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Simon's opinions

The c-suite confidence crisis: why anti-money laundering needs to be a boardroom issue

When you think of money laundering, you may picture an underworld of hidden criminals doing dark deeds. You may also think of the real world consequences, which can result in the exploitation of vulnerable people across the globe. Clearly, our collective goal needs to be disrupting the flow of dirty money wherever possible. With such high stakes, ...

22 May 2024 /regulation /crime Financial Services Regulation

Hidden value: how to uncover the dark origins behind unusual wealth types

Unusual wealth types provide criminals with an avenue for money laundering. Cryptocurrencies, artwork and luxury goods all have properties which make them the perfect vehicle for hiding the true origins of criminal profits. With these assets hard to value, trace and verify, how can compliance officers spot illegal activity? And what should they ...

07 August 2023 /regulation /crime

What does the EU UBO register access removal mean for compliance?

The EU UBO (Ultimate Beneficial Owner) register is a central database that contains information about the beneficial owners of companies and other legal entities within the European Union. It is designed to increase transparency and combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and other financial crimes. Recently, there have been some changes to...

09 May 2023 /regulation /crime

The ECJ’s new ruling on the beneficial ownership register is bad news for AML

In 2015, the European Parliament passed a directive “on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing”. Under this article, member states were obliged to ensure access to beneficial ownership to those with a legitimate interest. In 2018, this was extended to any member of the genera...

11 January 2023 /crime Banking Regulations

Why casinos are still failing to crack down on money laundering and how they can tackle it

Many of us have seen Ozark - where dirty money is directly cleaned through a casino - but just how much of this is based on truth? Historically casinos have been a target for money launderers. They are exposed to significant money laundering risks, including quick or high turnover of cash with minimal betting. Gaming accounts can also be used to s...

24 November 2022 /crime Business

Education and dark money: Why independent schools need anti-money laundering

Following the events of the last year, there has been a significant focus on the dirty money that is circulating in the UK. Institutions of all kinds – including prestigious law firms and high profile banks – have all been issued warnings, if not penalties, for not being vigilant about the risk of money laundering. The attention doesn’t stop there...

11 October 2022 /security /crime Exposing Financial Crime

Regulating Russia: why money laundering is the new global epidemic

Superyachts seized, banks sanctioned, and assets frozen. The Ukrainian conflict has shone a light on a problem bubbling under the surface for many years: Russian money laundering. The wealth of Russian oligarchs is nothing new. London even has a 'Red Square' of real estate primarily owned by Russian billionaires. However, as each new sanction is i...

07 June 2022 /regulation /crime Law and Finance