Whose Job is it to Protect the International Financial System?

In the globalised economy, kleptocrats and sanctions evaders rely on these professional services providers, or ‘enablers’, to move, hide and legitimise their ill-gotten gains and reputation, rather than carrying suitcases of cash. In the UK, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine elevated this to a national security priority, and financial centres sit at the forefront. On the other side of the coin, these same professional services providers serve legitimate functions in the economy. The headline was that, despite attempts by the global AML system, political leaders, regulators, firms and law enforcement are pulling in different directions. Unwittingly ComplicitGatekeepers are not a single group but diverse firms providing different services, with a variety of sizes and different teams.