Although the grandson of a former head of the Communist Party USA, Bill Browder isn't exactly beloved by Russian officials, even those professing nostalgia for the Soviet Union's supposedly golden days.
Away from Moscow, EU and U.S. sanctions have done more than simply hobble the ability of Russian banks to obtain credit and correspondent accounts. For some institutions in London, the restrictions have resulted in tight constraints on anti-money laundering compliance efforts.
At its highest levels, Russian corruption over the past 20 years has been disguised by networks of shell companies and facilitated by foreign banks willing to turn a blind eye to state embezzlement, according to Karen Dawisha, a political science professor at Ohio-based Miami University.
Whatever the effectiveness of sanctions meant to sway Russia's involvement in Ukraine, one thing is certain: they've worsened the country's capital flight problem. By year's end, approximately $128 billion will have moved abroad, up from $63 billion in 2013, according to Russia's central bank.
The Bank of England reportedly exerts "strong pressure" on Russia's second largest bank, an arrested Zetas leader's sons tweet incriminating photographs, and more, in this week's news roundup.
Plans by Russia to develop an independent payment network could limit the U.S. government's window into illicit finance in the federation, say analysts.
The West's financial ties to Russia have given countries pause in considering further sanctions, a Roman judge dropped a money laundering case against the former head of the Vatican Bank and more, in this week's news roundup.
In announcing sanctions against Russian politicians and one bank Thursday, U.S. officials made clear that American financial institutions should prepare for more, and soon.
Diplomatic tension over Ukraine has raised doubts that the United States will attend an upcoming Moscow plenary of the world's largest anti-money laundering task force, say current and former officials.
International banks are bracing for economic sanctions against Russian officials beyond those announced Monday by Western nations, according to compliance officers.
Resolving the growing tension between data privacy restrictions and anti-money laundering laws and overseeing the next round of mutual evaluations will define Russia's stewardship of a global anti-money laundering group, say analysts.
Most laws meant to combat money laundering have proven counterproductive and have failed to address the fact that dirty money is often cleaned in otherwise legitimate businesses, says Andrew Haynes.
A House panel Thursday advanced sanctions legislation that would blacklist individuals deemed responsible for the detention and death of a Moscow attorney who uncovered an alleged tax fraud scheme.
U.S. banks should consider increasing their scrutiny over transactions originating from Russia as widespread allegations of election fraud is expected to fan political instability and capital flight, say analysts.
A Russian law that prohibits corporate bribes and raises the ceiling on punitive fines isn't likely to impede businesses from offering illegal incentives to win lucrative contracts, say political observers.
Russia has offered to drop a controversial $22.5 billion lawsuit against Bank of New York Mellon in exchange for an $800 million settlement, a Russian financial newspaper reported Tuesday.
The Russian Federation is set to approve a European-based proposal that would bolster the country's ability to seize the assets of suspected money launderers and terrorists, according to a Russian news report.
The U.S. State Department imposed economic sanctions on companies in China, Russia and Venezuela for allegedly selling components that could help Iran, North Korea and Syria develop weapons of mass destruction.
High-level corruption in Russia continues to thwart government efforts to counter money laundering and terrorist financing in the country, a European anti-money laundering watchdog said in a report made public Thursday.
The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force announced last week that four countries would be dropped from its infamous 'name and shame' blacklist of "non-cooperative" countries in the global anti-money laundering effort.