AML Weekly Recap and Insights | Week 21st - 25th April 2025

Apr 25, 2025

Dear AML Professionals,

Another week has come to an end, bringing with it key developments and insights in the world of financial crime compliance.

If you want to learn what to expect this year in the area of anti-financial crime, download the Anti-Financial Crime 2025 Report! Packed with expert contributions and practical guidance, it’s a must-read for compliance professionals navigating today’s challenges.

Download the Report for free

Listening doesn’t make you quiet. It makes you powerful.

Today I shared a post for early-career AML professionals about the power of listening - really listening as a leadership skill.

Here's the link if you missed it:

🔗 The underestimated leadership skill for compliance professionals

But I want to take this thought one step further, and speak to those of you who are already in senior roles.

Because at this level, listening becomes less about being polite…
And more about unlocking influence.

When you listen strategically - especially in management meetings - you start to notice things others don’t:

↳ Misalignment between risk appetite and actual decisions
↳ Pressure points that no one sees
↳ What the company really needs (not what they’re saying)

This kind of listening isn’t passive. It’s one of your most active tools as a compliance leader.

And it’s also how you earn the space to challenge, advise, and lead without resistance.

If you interrupt, you come across as defensive.
If you listen well, you become the person in the room who “gets it.”

That builds trust. It earns respect. It opens doors.

So next time you’re in a tense meeting, try this: Pause. Listen to what’s being said. Then listen to what’s not being said.

And when you speak, make it count.

Leadership in compliance isn’t about being the loudest.
It’s about hearing clearly - so you can act wisely.

With this thought, I wish you a nice and restful weekend - you deserve it!

Regards

Anna

Here are some interesting news related to financial crime this week:

UNODC issued a new report "Inflection Point – Global Implications of Scam Centres, Underground Banking, and Illicit Online Marketplaces in Southeast Asia": The report highlights how Southeast Asia has become a global hub for cyber-enabled fraud and underground banking. Criminal groups are running industrial-scale scam centres under the cover of casinos, hotels, and science and technology parks. They’re laundering billions through illicit platforms while deploying malware, AI, and underground networks to evade detection. UNODC warns that without urgent international coordination, these operations will keep scaling across borders unchecked.
MGM Resorts faced an $8.5 million penalty by the Nevada Gaming Control Board over anti-money laundering failures linked to illegal bookmakers: Investigators identified serious weaknesses in the company’s anti-money laundering controls and overall compliance practices. The proposed settlement requires enhanced compliance measures, employee training, and new conditions on gaming licenses. The Nevada Gaming Commission will consider approval of the agreement at its April 24 meeting in Las Vegas.
The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates imposed a financial sanction on a local bank for failing to comply with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing requirements: The penalty followed an official examination that found serious lapses in the bank’s internal controls and procedures. Authorities cited violations of the UAE’s Federal Decree Law on Anti-Money Laundering and its related amendments. No further details on the bank’s identity or the exact penalty amount were disclosed at the time of the announcement.