The Laundry

What could link oligarchs and FATF grey-list countries to the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund? The Government Pension Fund of Norway, known more commonly as the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund, was established as a way to invest the country’s surplus revenues from its oil and gas sector. To date, the fund has reportedly put money into more than 8,500 companies in 65 countries around the world and is the largest sovereign wealth fund on the planet! But what happens when you take a public list of those declared investments and put them under the compliance microscope using AI? What would you find? And what does this tell us about big money investment and its appetite for risk? In the latest episode of The Laundry – our expert host, Marit Rødevand is joined by Robin Lycka, Solutions Architect, at Strise. The pair discuss: the alleged links between the sovereign wealth fund, PEPs, FATF grey list countries, and Russian oligarchs, and whether the average Norwegian understands what tops up their pension.DISCLAIMER: Any findings or implications presented are for educational purposes only and should not be taken out of context. The data has not been confirmed or assessed by any official representatives of Norges Banks Investment Management.List of investments can be found at nbim.no. ____________________________________The Laundry podcast: Dive deep into the intricacies of financial crime, AML (anti-money laundering), compliance, sanctions, and the ever-evolving landscape of financial regulation.Hosted by Marit Rødevand and Fredrik Riiser – this podcast features renowned experts from banking, fintech, compliance, and investigative journalism.Together, they shed light on the industry's trending topics, analyse mainstream news through a compliance-focused lens, and connect the fight against financial crime to its real-world consequences and ramifications.The Laundry is proudly produced by Strise, the AML Automation Cloud.Get in touch at: laundry@strise.aiSubscribe to our newsletter, Fresh Laundry, here.

The beautiful game – a sport adored by billions across the world.Fans will buy their tickets on match days and pay for subscription packages to watch all the big games. Meanwhile, wealthy owners pour fortunes to elevate their clubs to the top of the football pyramid and turn them into a valuable global brand.But alongside all the money streaming in from passionate supporters, wealthy owners, TV deals, and big-name sponsors – there are dark avenues of finance which have made their way into these beloved institutions.A report from the United Nations estimated that around 140 billion dollars is laundered through football every year.So, how did the beautiful game become the playing field of financial foul play?In the latest episode of The Laundry – our expert host, Fredrik Riiser, is joined by Fredrik Söderberg, CEO & Club Director, of AIK Fotboll.The pair discuss: the football industry's vulnerabilities to financial crime and money laundering, the impact of upcoming EU regulation, and the need to get this right, for fans and players alike.____________________________________The Laundry podcast: Dive deep into the intricacies of financial crime, AML (anti-money laundering), compliance, sanctions, and the ever-evolving landscape of financial regulation.Hosted by Marit Rødevand and Fredrik Riiser – this podcast features renowned experts from banking, fintech, compliance, and investigative journalism.Together, they shed light on the industry's trending topics, analyse mainstream news through a compliance-focused lens, and connect the fight against financial crime to its real-world consequences and ramifications.The Laundry is proudly produced by Strise, the AML Automation Cloud.Get in touch at: laundry@strise.aiSubscribe to our newsletter, Fresh Laundry, here.Get your free tickets for our live show in Stockholm, here.

This podcast is coming to you from the floor of Penningtvättsdagarna - Sweden’s biggest event focussed on professionals combating financial crime.So what better time to look at the challenges which have compliance professionals reaching for the stress ball? If you’re ever been wide awake in the night thinking about data breaches, new policy procedures, or audits - this episode is for you!In the latest episode of The Laundry – our expert host, Fredrik Riiser, is joined by Åsa Birgersdotter, Head of Group AML & CFT at Handelsbanken, and Erik Blommé, Director & Head of AML Supervision, at Finansinspektionen. The panel discuss: the biggest challenges facing the industry in 2024, how we can find solutions going forward, and how we better support those looking to fight financial crime.Producer: Matthew Dunne-MilesEngineers: Dominic Delargy, Nicholas Thon____________________________________The Laundry podcast: Dive deep into the intricacies of financial crime, AML (anti-money laundering), compliance, sanctions, and the ever-evolving landscape of financial regulation.Hosted by Marit Rødevand and Fredrik Riiser – this podcast features renowned experts from banking, fintech, compliance, and investigative journalism.Together, they shed light on the industry's trending topics, analyse mainstream news through a compliance-focused lens, and connect the fight against financial crime to its real-world consequences and ramifications.The Laundry is proudly produced by Strise, an AML Automation Cloud.Get in touch at: laundry@strise.aiSubscribe to our newsletter, Fresh Laundry, here.Get your free tickets for our live show in Stockholm, here.

Whisper it quietly, but crypto might be back.The industry is feeling confident following a few tough years, with Bitcoin’s market value skyrocketing, bills passing through U.S Congress, gold credit cards, and sushi served on scantily clad models at industry parties...But, alongside this fresh industry confidence, there is the backdrop of FTX founder - Sam Bankman-Fried - being sentenced to 25 years in prison, Binance executives going through the courts in Nigeria, and billions of dollars evading sanctions and being sent to Russia via cryptocurrency exchanges. So, where does all this leave us as we approach a new crypto boom? In the latest episode of The Laundry – our expert host, Marit Rødevand, is joined by Jessica Cath, Head of Financial Crime at Thistle Initiatives, and James Young, Head of Compliance & MLRO at Transak. The panel discuss: the lessons learned from crypto’s rise to the mainstream, the challenges still to overcome for compliance professionals, what the future holds in terms of new regulation. Producer: Matthew Dunne-MilesEngineers: Dominic Delargy, Nicholas Thon____________________________________The Laundry podcast: Dive deep into the intricacies of financial crime, AML (anti-money laundering), compliance, sanctions, and the ever-evolving landscape of financial regulation.Hosted by Marit Rødevand and Fredrik Riiser – this podcast features renowned experts from banking, fintech, compliance, and investigative journalism.Together, they shed light on the industry's trending topics, analyse mainstream news through a compliance-focused lens, and connect the fight against financial crime to its real-world consequences and ramifications.The Laundry is proudly produced by Strise, an AML Automation Cloud.Get in touch at: laundry@strise.aiSubscribe to our newsletter, Fresh Laundry, here.Get your free tickets for our live show in Stockholm, here.

We're a financial crime podcast, and of course, we're jumping on a viral trend – but making it our own!The Laundry is back with 12 new episodes starting next week.Join our expert hosts, Marit Rødevand and Fredrik Riiser, as they embark on a journey to connect the world of compliance, AML, and financial crime to its real world consequences.Rediscover why this work matters!Producer: Matthew Dunne-MilesEngineers: Dominic Delargy, Nicholas Thon____________________________________The Laundry podcast: Dive deep into the intricacies of financial crime, AML (anti-money laundering), compliance, sanctions, and the ever-evolving landscape of financial regulation.Hosted by Marit Rødevand and Fredrik Riiser – this podcast features renowned experts from banking, fintech, compliance, and investigative journalism.Together, they shed light on the industry's trending topics, analyse mainstream news through a compliance-focused lens, and connect the fight against financial crime to its real-world consequences and ramifications.The Laundry is proudly produced by Strise, an AML Automation Cloud.Get in touch at: laundry@strise.aiSubscribe to our newsletter, Fresh Laundry, here.Get your free tickets for our live show in Stockholm, here.

Some pretty shocking statistics surfaced recently from an enquiry by the UK’s Treasury Committee looking into access to finance.Obtaining data from eight UK banks - the committee found that more than 140,000 accounts held by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were forcibly closed in the past year. Following hot on the heels of the Nigel Farage Coutts drama – as well as the country’s recent dip into a recession – these figures raise concerns about how the backbone of the UK economy is being served by the banking industry.So is this a real issue? Or a storm in a teacup?In the latest episode of The Laundry – our expert host, Marit Rødevand, is joined by James Nurse, Managing Director of Fintrail, and Neil Donovan, Senior Associate at Ashurst, The panel discuss: Why thousands of businesses are being de-banked, the legitimacy of compliance concerns raised by banks, and how we make the system better at spotting bad actors and front organisations.Producer: Matthew Dunne-MilesEngineers: Dominic Delargy, Nicholas Thon____________________________________The Laundry podcast: Dive deep into the intricacies of financial crime, AML (anti-money laundering), compliance, sanctions, and the ever-evolving landscape of financial regulation.Hosted by Marit Rødevand and Fredrik Riiser – this podcast features renowned experts from banking, fintech, compliance, and investigative journalism.Together, they shed light on the industry's trending topics, analyse mainstream news through a compliance-focused lens, and connect the fight against financial crime to its real-world consequences and ramifications.The Laundry is proudly produced by Strise, an AML Automation Cloud.Get in touch at: laundry@strise.aiSubscribe to our newsletter, Fresh Laundry, here.

The Wirecard scandal has become the subject of legend in the financial industry.The German payments company, formerly worth tens of billions of euros, collapsed following the exposure of massive accounting fraud and financial misconduct.The fall of Wirecard sent shockwaves across the financial industry as well as right to the very top of politics, but none of it would have been possible without the actions of a whistleblower.To call out financial misconduct and illegal practices takes enormous strength, courage and determination – but what are the costs for the individuals involved and what does this look like in a post-Wirecard world? In the latest episode of The Laundry – our expert host, Marit Rødevand, is joined by Pav Gill, Founder & CEO of Confide.The pair discuss: Pav's journey from whistleblower to founder, the hidden impact of calling out wrongdoing, and how whistleblowing will look going forward.Producer: Matthew Dunne-MilesEngineers: Dominic Delargy, Nicholas Thon____________________________________The Laundry podcast: Dive deep into the intricacies of financial crime, AML (anti-money laundering), compliance, sanctions, and the ever-evolving landscape of financial regulation.Hosted by Marit Rødevand and Fredrik Riiser – this podcast features renowned experts from banking, fintech, compliance, and investigative journalism.Together, they shed light on the industry's trending topics, analyse mainstream news through a compliance-focused lens, and connect the fight against financial crime to its real-world consequences and ramifications.The Laundry is proudly produced by Strise, an AML Automation Cloud.Get in touch at: laundry@strise.aiSubscribe to our newsletter, Fresh Laundry, here.

Sweden is the global poster-child of the journey to completely digital transactions – with the number of Swedes using cash falling from 39% in 2010 to just 9% in 2020.  But; does a cashless society offer only benefits, or do we need to consider the financial crime risks this creates – as well as those it stops?In the latest episode of The Laundry – our expert host, Fredrik Riiser is joined by Kajsa Nordborg, Head of AML at Loomis.The panel discuss: how global wars and cyber-terrorism can leave digital systems vulnerable to disruption, the groups which rely on cash to protect their privacy and health, and whether Sweden will ever go completely cashless."The Fika Song" is by Saint SanjProducer: Matthew Dunne-MilesEngineers: Dominic Delargy, Nicholas Thon____________________________________The Laundry podcast: Dive deep into the intricacies of financial crime, AML (anti-money laundering), compliance, sanctions, and the ever-evolving landscape of financial regulation.Hosted by Marit Rødevand and Fredrik Riiser – this podcast features renowned experts from sectors such as banking, fintech, compliance, and investigative journalism.Together, they shed light on the industry's trending topics, analyse mainstream news through a compliance-focused lens, and connect the fight against financial crime to its real-world consequences and ramifications.The Laundry is proudly produced by Strise, the AML Automation Cloud.Get in touch at: laundry@strise.aiSubscribe to our newsletter, Fresh Laundry, here.