Compliance Best Practices

Delve into expert strategies and global guidelines for enhancing compliance programs, risk management, and organizational integrity within the financial sector.

Understanding the FATF: A Guide for Private Sector Stakeholders

The FATF standards, known as the 40 Recommendations, have become more expansive, detailed, and stringent over time, requiring more of both public and private sector institutions.

March 2026 Monthly Sanctions and Export Controls Report

Explore this month’s Sanctions and Export Controls Update, highlighting IFI’s take on key developments from March 2026.

From The Night Agent to the Real World

In the Netflix show The Night Agent, a suspicious financial trail quickly escalates into a national security investigation. While dramatized, the premise is real. This article explores how transaction monitoring detects these signals and why financial institutions play a critical role in identifying and escalating suspicious activity.

The Travel Rule Playbook

The Travel Rule was established by the FATF to help prevent bad actors from moving illicit funds undetected. The scope has expanded to include VASPs and digital assets transactions. Explore best practices for compliance and implementation strategies in this article.

Professional Crypto Laundering

The indictment of Venezuelan national Jorge Figueira in 2026 reveals a highly advanced professional laundering network using cash, crypto, OTC brokerages registered in the UK and U.S., and shell companies with accounts at regulated financial institutions. This article assesses the methodology used, red flags, and actions for financial institutions.

KYC Is Not Just Onboarding, It’s a Living Risk Assessment

When customer profiles become outdated or incomplete, the controls that rely on them, including transaction monitoring and investigations, begin to weaken. This article explores why effective KYC programs must extend beyond onboarding and how stronger customer due diligence supports more accurate risk assessments and more effective financial crime controls.

Compliance Training as a Strategic Control

When training reflects how an institution actually operates, its value extends beyond compliance. This article examines the business case for custom compliance training and why it plays a critical role in managing risk and protecting institutional credibility.

What Effective Compliance Training Looks Like

Custom compliance training is often misunderstood as light tailoring. This article explains what real customization looks like in practice, from risk-aligned content and role-specific learning to training built around real decisions, controls, and regulatory expectations.

Why and How Standardized Training Falls Short

Today’s financial institutions operate across different products, jurisdictions, and threat environments. This article examines why standardized training falls short and where generic programs consistently break down in practice.

Wynn or Lose

Casinos have long been associated with money laundering and organized crime. Explore the recent Wynn Las Vegas $130 million forfeiture as a case study, including threats such as Chinese Money Laundering Networks, mirror transfers, proxy gambling, and the use of shell companies.