Enhanced Due Diligence for Law Firms: What Are You Actually Looking For?
A client has been identified as higher risk. So what happens next? Perhaps you ask for more information. You obtain additional details about the transaction. You investigate source of funds or source of wealth. You carry out further searches. Maybe the matter is referred for senior management approval. More checks are completed. More evidence is […]
Is the Greatest Danger in AML Failing to Look — or Looking Without Seeing?
Is the Greatest Danger in AML Failing to Look — or Looking Without Seeing? Have you ever driven home and, when you arrived, realised that you could remember almost nothing about the journey? You know you drove there. You stopped at traffic lights. You negotiated junctions. You checked your mirrors. You changed speed, indicated, turned […]
UBOs: The Search for a Unicorn?
One of the fundamental principles of anti-money laundering and corporate transparency is identifying the Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO). On paper, the concept is simple: understand who ultimately owns or controls the organisation you are doing business with. In most cases, that is exactly what happens. If a business is owned by an individual who openly […]
How Insurance Intermediaries Should Create A Meaningful Sanctions Risk Assessment
Following the FCA’s recent publication, Sanctions Systems and Controls: Our Firms, Our Findings, which highlights both good practice and common weaknesses identified across regulated firms, it is clear that sanctions risk assessments are becoming an increasingly important area of regulatory focus. One of the recurring themes within the FCA’s findings is that firms must understand […]
How Mortgage Advisers Should Create A Meaningful Sanctions Risk Assessment
The Problem With Most Sanctions Risk Assessments Ask to see the sanctions risk assessment of ten mortgage firms and there is a good chance you will see the same document repeated ten times. The wording changes slightly. The branding changes. The logo changes. The risks rarely do. This is one of the biggest weaknesses we […]
A Week at Simplified.ID: A Work Experience Perspective
My name is Lola Allen and I am a sixth form student who is studying Business, Geography and Economics for A level. I have always had an interest in working within a business and was excited to gain first-hand experience of how one operates. Throughout the week, I developed new skills, gained valuable insight into […]
Are Letting Agents Building Trust on Fraudulent Foundations?
Every letting agent wants the same thing. A tenant who pays the rent on time, respects the property, and doesn’t turn the neighbours into a complaints department. Simple enough. Yet speak to almost any landlord or agent and you’ll hear the same horror stories: unpaid rent, property damage, anti-social behaviour, disappearing tenants, forged documents, and […]
What Does a Money Launderer Look Like?
Close your eyes and picture a money launderer. What do you see? For most people, the image is remarkably similar. A hardened criminal. A masked figure carrying a bag full of cash. Someone operating from the shadows, moving millions through offshore accounts and complex corporate structures. Hollywood has done an excellent job of creating this […]
Why Most Sanctions Screening Strategies Fail Quietly
Sanctions screening has become one of the most visible components of modern compliance frameworks. Firms invest heavily in technology, onboarding controls, watchlists, and monitoring processes in an effort to demonstrate robust financial crime prevention. Yet many sanctions screening failures do not occur because organisations ignore their obligations. They occur because firms slowly drift into ineffective […]
AI Does Not Carry Regulatory Accountability. Humans Do.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the compliance industry. Firms are increasingly using AI to automate onboarding, prioritise alerts, identify unusual behaviour, process adverse media, support enhanced due diligence, and improve operational efficiency across financial crime controls. The potential benefits are significant. AI can help compliance teams: process large volumes of information faster, identify patterns humans […]
