Jake Plenderleith

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  17 January 2019

  South America: can a continent conquer corruption in 2019?

  US politics inevitably tends to attract greater scrutiny than anywhere else in the Americas. Regrettably, this often obscures that which is unfolding in the southern half of the continent, where very interesting – often odd, sometimes distressing – events are taking place. Last year was a case in point.....More

  Words by Jake Plenderleith

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  13 December 2018

  Navigating the bribery risk this Christmas

  Christmas – the season of gifts and giving. Nobody needs reminding that we already hurtling our way full speed towards the Big Day, but for businesses it is the time of year when a useful reminder on the dangers of bribery is required.....More

  Words by Jake Plenderleith

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  20 November 2018

  Negative news screening in the fake news era

  The Trump administration’s fractured relationship with the US media has prompted much talk on the freedom of the press. Outright hostility towards journalists encourages a cynicism towards the press that clearly chimes with the president’s electoral base, many of whom consider the media nothing but a megaphone for vested interests....More

  Words by Jake Plenderleith

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  5 November 2018

  Guy Fawkes Night: Celebrating counter-terrorism

  Guy Fawkes Night celebrates the failure of the Gunpowder Plot to kill King James I at the Palace of Westminster on November 5, 1605. There’s something modern, and therefore something we recognise, in the Gunpower Plot: it featured a small group of fanatics, whose plan was wildly ambitious, violent, and spectacular in its execution....More

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  3 September 2018

  Financial crime prevention: cleaning up the world

  Over the last decade the general public has woken up to the environmental issues affecting the planet. Concerted global efforts are now in place to reduce harm caused by pollution and to cut back on waste. The cost of cleaning up the damage already inflicted is now a central focus of national governments. Below, we look at the cost of financial crime and the incredible impact its prevention could have.....More

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  10 July 2018

  Given ample opportunities, Canara’s inadequate action led to FCA fine

  The £896,100 fine recently imposed on Canara Bank by the FCA is a useful example of the thinking behind penalties issued by the UK regulator.....More

  Words by Jake Plenderleith

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  18 June 2018

  The World Cup of Corruption: Part 2

  The World Cup has got off to an explosive, entertaining start. We follow up our coverage of each team’s first fixture with Part 2 of our World Cup of Corruption, looking at each nation’s ranking on Transparency International’s 2017 Corruption Perceptions Index. Teams included in Part 2 include Sweden, Senegal, South Korea, Panama, Poland and Japan.....More

  Words by Jake Plenderleith

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  14 June 2018

  The World Cup of Corruption: Part 1

  Football itself – and in particular FIFA – has been beset by corruption problems over the last decade. In light of this we thought we would consider each fixture of the tournament through the lens of corruption.....More

  Words by Jake Plenderleith

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  22 May 2018

  Is the sun setting on BOTs tax haven status?

  An amendment to the Sanctions and Anti Money Laundering Bill was approved by the British government in May. The headline news from the amendment was that from 2020 British Overseas Territories (BOT) will be obliged to publish the beneficial owner(s) of all registered companies.....More

  Words by Jake Plenderleith

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  14 May 2018

  With a FATF visit looming, Hong Kong steps up AML/CFT efforts

  FATF’s mutual evaluation in Hong Kong later this year will be its first evaluation in the territory since 2007.....More

  Words by Jake Plenderleith

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  13 February 2018

  2018: elections, cybercrime, Bitcoin and bribery

  Unpredictability is the new normal. What does 2018 hold for our industry?....More

  Words by Jake Plenderleith

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  16 January 2018

  Everything you need to know about mobile financial services

  Over the last decade, mobile financial services (MFS) have been instrumental in increasing financial inclusion in developing markets. What impact does this have on financial services and the telecommunications industry?....More

  Words by Jake Plenderleith

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  6 November 2017

  France gets serious about anti-corruption

  Earlier this year the French government enacted Sapin II, an anti-bribery and corruption law that bolstered the country’s transparency and anti-corruption efforts. The legislation was introduced after criticism over the years of France’s anti-bribery and corruption efforts from several quarters (including the OECD). The introduction of Sapin II was the most significant initiative on anti-corruption in the country in decades.....More

  Words by Jake Plenderleith

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  15 September 2017

  UN Democracy Day: Latin America’s growing intolerance of corruption

  Since 2008, the UN has held its day in honour and promotion of democracy on 15 September. For a cluster of nations across Latin America, this is a date that holds a special reverence, marking their independence from colonial rule: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica all celebrate their independence day on 15 September (with Mexico’s the following day, and Chile’s three days later).....More

  Words by Jake Plenderleith

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  15 September 2017

  UN Democracy Day: Latin America’s growing intolerance of corruption

  Since 2008, the UN has held its day in honour and promotion of democracy on 15 September. For a cluster of nations across Latin America, this is a date that holds a special reverence, marking their independence from colonial rule: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica all celebrate their independence day on 15 September (with Mexico’s the following day, and Chile’s three days later).....More

  Words by Jake Plenderleith

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  14 August 2017

  How Iran circumvented US sanctions for 20 years through real estate in Manhattan

  A decade-long battle between the United States government and the owners of a New York skyscraper was concluded last month when a US jury agreed with the government’s assertion that the Alavi Foundation, the majority owners, were guilty of money laundering and violating sanctions on Iran.....More

  Words by Jake Plenderleith

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  17 May 2017

  FIFA: The Beautiful Game?

  Fifa, football's world governing body responsible for promoting and protecting the sport, has done more damage to the reputation of the game than any other organisation or individual.....More

  Words by Jake Plenderleith

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  15 May 2017

  Corruption: Perception and reality

  ICT compares results from the World Economic Forum publishes annual corruption index and Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index (CPI) in this Prezi presentation.....More

  Words by Jake Plenderleith

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  9 February 2017

  Volkswagen fraud: US issue $4.3 billion fine

  We examine the case of automotive giant Volkswagen, the most recent household name to be hit by US authorities for breaching laws and regulations.....More

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  31 January 2017

  Top FCA Fines of 2016 Infographic

  We break down combined fines of nearly £18 million issued by the Financial Conduct Authority to five top offenders in 2016.....More

  Words by Jake Plenderleith

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  10 January 2017

  FATF Mutual Evaluation – United States

  The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) released this month their first Mutual Evaluation of the United States since 2006.....More

  Words by Jake Plenderleith

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  6 January 2017

  Brazilian firms receive largest ever foreign bribery fines

  Odebrecht and Braskem, two Brazilian companies, have been fined at least US$3.5 billion after pleading guilty to bribing government officials.....More

  Words by Jake Plenderleith

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  5 December 2016

  Financial regulation in the US: an uncertain future?

  The President-elect of the United States is a man on more familiar ground on Wall Street than in Washington DC, and yet Donald Trump will surely be focusing his attention on the banks when he moves into the White House in January.....More

  Words by Jake Plenderleith

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  11 November 2016

  Cyprus’s economic crisis: why effective GRC is essential

  Numerous reasons have been cited for Cyprus’s economic collapse, but one of the most enduring has been the charge of weak corporate governance in Cypriot banks. The demise of the now defunct Laiki Bank, previously the second biggest bank on the island, is indicative of the weak Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) framework that existed across Cypriot financial and governmental institutions.....More

  Words by Jake Plenderleith

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  3 November 2016

  Greece: Could effective GRC have prevented the economic crisis?

  Governance, Risk Management and Compliance (GRC) have been shown to be interconnected concepts. Applied effectively in a business, they can reduce costs, cut inefficiency and improve communication throughout an organisation; GRC can help ensure a businesses’ goals and objectives are better defined, the company structure improved and regulations properly adhered to. Indeed, strong GRC lays the foundations for potential company growth.....More

  Words by Jake Plenderleith

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  1 November 2016

  Ireland concerned Brexit will damage anti money laundering efforts

  Britain’s referendum on withdrawal from the European Union sent convulsions across Europe, and the uncertainty that the decision to leave triggered across the continent is felt nowhere more keenly than in Ireland. The Irish National Risk Assessment on Money Laundering (ML) and Terrorist Financing (TF) makes this explicitly clear; Brexit makes up a third of the ML/TF risk-enhancing factors for the Irish state.....More

  Words by Jake Plenderleith