A Year of Labour: Assessing the UK’s Progress Against Illicit Finance

Kinga Redlowska and Tom Keatinge reflect on the latest season, the CFS's 10th anniversary and the future of finance and security work. In this special season-wrap episode of the Suspicious Transaction Report podcast, host Kinga Redlowska, Head of Centre for Finance and Security (CFS) at RUSI Europe, is joined by Director Tom Keatinge to look back on a defining year. Together, they revisit highlights from the past 21 episodes, exploring major themes that emerged – from sanctions and statecraft to assessing the new Labour government's progress against the illicit finance. They look back on the highlights of the season – memorable episodes, key moments like the FinSec25 conference, and a global journey that took the team from London and Brussels to Romania, Armenia, and beyond. The conversation also looks ahead, as CFS continues to adapt to shifting threats from illicit finance and hostile state actors. With thoughtful reflection and an eye toward the future, Kinga and Tom wrap up Season 7 by asking: What lies ahead at the intersection of finance and security?

After 12 months in office, has the new Labour government turned the page on the fight against illicit finance, or is governing harder than opposition? CFS Director Tom Keatinge speaks with CFS Financial Crime Policy lead Kathryn Westmore and Associate Fellow Josie Stewart about the progress made by the new Labour government in its efforts to combat illicit finance as they assess what more should be done based on Josie's recently published Policy Brief.

A look behind the curtain at the financial dimension of Russia’s attempts to undermine Moldova’s 2024 presidential election and EU referendum. CFS Director Tom Keatinge speaks with Veronica Dragalin, former Chief Anti-Corruption Prosecutor in Moldova, who had a front row seat as the country confronted the reality of Russia’s attempts to subvert the 2024 presidential election and EU referendum via large scale illicit money flows into the country.

How the compliance systems of financial institutions have adapted in response to post-2022 trade restrictions on Russia. CFS Director Tom Keatinge speaks with CFS Associate Fellow Olivia Allison and Jinesh Amin, a financial crime specialist at Quantexa. They discuss the latest CFS policy brief co-authored by Olivia which looks at how banks have responded to the ever-mounting expectations placed on them by governments in their effort to restrict the funding, and importantly resourcing, of the Russian military.

Sanctions have become the go-to policy tool of our times, yet the lessons of the past are often forgotten by those at the centre of the world's stage today. CFS Director Tom Keatinge speaks with Eddie Fishman, a former US State Department sanctions official, about his new book ‘Chokepoints.’ Eddie gives a behind the scenes account of how the power of the US dollar and US-dominated financial and trade systems have been harnessed to support the projection of US foreign policy, and what lessons this 25-year episode of history holds for today’s policymakers.

A new report from the Financial Action Task Force examines how financial intelligence can be used to protect children from online sexual exploitation. CFS Director Tom Keatinge speaks with Abi Harrison from the United Kingdom's HM Treasury and Stefan Jerga from the Australian Federal Police about a new report from the Financial Action Task Force, examining the financial dimension of online child sexual exploitation. The report, which they co-led, highlights the alarming growth of this horrific crime and the financial indicators which can be used to detect, disrupt and investigate perpetrators and safeguard victims.

With geopolitical risk rising, this episode examines a recent Dutch National Bank report on how banks should navigate growing global tensions and fragmentation. CFS Director Tom Keatinge speaks with Thomas Vos, Strategy & Policy Advisor of De Nederlandsche  Bank and Haroon Sheikh, Senior Research Fellow at the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR) on the risks posed to the banking sector by growing geopolitical risk and fragmentation, their impact on society, and how the financial community should respond.

How could frozen Russian assets be used and what are the legal and geopolitical implications? Head of CFS Europe, Kinga Redlowska, is joined by Anton Moiseienko, CFS Associate Fellow and Senior Lecturer in Law at the Australian National University, along with Tom Keatinge, Director of CFS. They explore the ongoing debate about the future of frozen Russian assets, examining their potential uses and the legal, political and economic consequences for EU sanctions policy and international law.

This episode explores the role of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU)-the Netherlands in combating financial crime, featuring insights from its head, Hennie Verbeek-Kusters on challenges, strategies and global cooperation. CFS Director Tom Keatinge speaks with Hennie Verbeek-Kusters, Head of FIU-the Netherlands and former Chair of the Egmont Group, to discuss work at the FIU since 2008. They explore how FIU-the Netherlands operates, some of the unique features of the Dutch approach to fighting financial crime, the evolving financial crime landscape and the impact of international collaboration.

Sanctions on Belarus cover multiple issues: fraudulent elections, human rights abuses, and complicity in Russia's military aggression against Ukraine. But what is their real impact? Head of CFS Europe Kinga Redlowska is joined by Lev Lvovskiy, Senior Researcher at the Belarusian Economic Research and Outreach Center (BEROC) , and Tom Keatinge, Director of CFS, to examine the goals and effectiveness of sanctions on Belarus. The discussion covers economic impact, the Belarus–Russia alignment on sanctions evasion, and key challenges in sanctions enforcement.