Leila Hosseingholizadeh
Senior AML Compliance Expert
MBA in European/Asian studies, MSc. In Business Administration
Published articles
Russia’s persistent efforts to bypass the oil price cap have prompted the European Union to take decisive action in its 15th sanctions package. This new set of measures targets loopholes that have enabled Russia to continue exporting oil and sustaining its revenues. By blacklisting 52 additional vessels—bringing the total to 79—the EU is focusing on Russia’s shadow fleet, a network of aging, underregulated ships central to its evasion strategies. This initiative has the potential to increase the cost and complexity of sanctions evasion while addressing the significant safety and environmental concerns associated with these high-risk vessels.
The Risk-Based Approach (RBA) is a foundational principle in modern anti-money laundering (AML) frameworks. It is about understanding the risks of money laundering and terrorist financing (ML/TF) within a business. By identifying and assessing these risks, the RBA supports an effective but also efficient allocation of resources to combat ML/TF effectively.
Identifying suspicious activities is a cornerstone of combating money laundering, helping Obliged Entities (OEs) detect and deter fraud and other illicit activities. To this end, OEs must closely monitor high-risk criteria to flag transactions or behaviours that deviate from standard patterns. All red flags should be investigated to determine whether they represent legitimate transactions or warrant further scrutiny.