Crypto and Sanctions Circumvention

With three FIU (financial intelligence unit) leadership positions under his belt, and much more besides, Daniel Thelesklaf shares his varied and valued experience in tackling financial crime. In this latest episode of the STR podcast, host Tom Keatinge catches up with Daniel Thelesklaf, long-time friend of RUSI's Centre for Finance and Security. Through FIU leadership positions from Liechtenstein to Germany via Switzerland, and roles as the Moneyval president, the Director of the UN University Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking programme and, now, Egmont vice-chair (not to mention starting life as a compliance officer in the Swiss banking industry), there is not much Daniel has not seen in the financial crime world. Here he shares the lessons he has learned.

Elise Thomas speaks with Tom Keatinge about why the growing role of cryptocurrencies in sanctions circumvention needs urgent attention. In this latest episode, host Tom Keatinge caught up with Elise Thomas from the Centre for Information Resilience during a recent visit to London, to dive into her work on the murky world of A7 and its rouble-backed stablecoin 'A7/A5' With Russian sanctions evasion a continual challenge, this episode shines an important light on how - and why - the Kremlin is supporting the development of alternative financial systems that avoid the traditional banking sector, and why policymakers must urgently address this rapidly expanding weakness in their Russia sanctions strategy.

Kimberly Donovan joins Kinga Redlowska to discuss the evolving role of economic security and economic statecraft in global affairs. Kimberly Donovan, Director of the Economic Statecraft Initiative at the Atlantic Council, talks to host Kinga Redlowska about the important differences between economic security and economic statecraft, the value of 'positive economic statecraft' and Global South engagement, the 'axis of evasion', and much more besides.

The effective use of sanctions needs clear objectives and outcomes, multilateral coordination, and rigorous enforcement; their overuse can have unintended consequences. Former US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo talks to host Tom Keatinge about the 2021 US Treasury Sanctions Review, the use of sanctions following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the challenges posed by cryptocurrencies in designing sanctions in response to Hamas's murderous attack on Israel. He stresses that sanctions must be tied to measurable goals, integrated into broader foreign policy, and enforced via multilateral cooperation to remain credible. But he also warns that overuse risks undermining US influence by pushing adversaries toward alternative financial systems and causing unintended humanitarian harm.

A personal story exploring the challenges of introducing financial integrity and transparency to Myanmar's financial system - and of 650 days of imprisonment as a result. We talk a lot about the realities of fighting financial crime and the harms that these crimes cause. But what happens when the victims are the financial crime fighter or the financial reformer themselves...? In this first episode of Season 8, CFS Director Tom Keatinge speaks with Sean Turnell, an Australian economist and central banker, about his attempts to reform Myanmar's dysfunctional banking system after Aung San Suu Kyi's election victory in 2015, the opposition he faced from the cronies and military leaders who benefited from the status quo, and his subsequent imprisonment following the 2021 coup.

Host Tom Keatinge reveals what's in store for Season 8 of the Suspicious Transaction Report. Some great episodes are already lined up, delving into terrorist financing, what it's like to be imprisoned after attempting to reform a country's financial system, how to lead not one, not two, but three financial intelligence units (FIUs), and why the best way to fight financial crime is time in a prison cell with a guy called Bruno... There's so much more to come.

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.