OpusDatum
LightNews LightNews
banner
opusdatum.bsky.social
OpusDatum
@opusdatum.bsky.social
16 followers 160 following 120 posts
OpusDatum offers market-leading Financial Crime Compliance assurance and advisory services, along with investigations, remediation, data analytics, and technology solutions.
Posts Replies Media Videos
opusdatum.bsky.social
Can AI really distinguish truth from fiction in adverse media screening, or are compliance teams placing misplaced trust in scale over substance?
#PEPs #AdverseMedia #AML #FinancialCrime #Compliance #Screening #RegTech #RiskManagement#AI
Can AI Really Discern Truth in Adverse Media Screening?
Financial crime compliance has always been shaped by the information available to us. We trust media reports, legal filings, regulatory notices, and increasingly, online data streams to help identify ...
wix.to
December 22, 2025 at 11:01 AM
opusdatum.bsky.social
Is the word whistleblower holding back ethical reporting in financial services?
#Whistleblowing #SpeakUpCulture #Bribery&Corruption #ABC #FinancialCrime #Compliance #FinancialServices #EthicalReporting
Time to Retire the Whistle? Rethinking the Language of Ethical Reporting
The financial services industry has long relied on employees to act as a final line of defence against misconduct. From exposing sanctions breaches and insider trading to highlighting fraudulent trans...
wix.to
December 20, 2025 at 10:45 AM
opusdatum.bsky.social
South Africa and Nigeria’s removal from the FATF Grey List highlights how compliance decisions now shape market access, investor confidence and global risk appetite.
#FATF #GreyList #AML #CFT #FinancialCrime #Compliance #DeRisking #GlobalFinance
Integrity, Inclusion & FATF’s Grey List
The October 2025 plenary of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) marked a turning point in the politics and perception of international compliance. South Africa and Nigeria, two of Africa’s largest ...
wix.to
December 15, 2025 at 12:39 PM
opusdatum.bsky.social
PEP screening is moving beyond static lists towards smarter, network-based risk analysis.
#FinancialCrime #AML #PEPs #Compliance #Screening #RiskBasedApproach #RiskManagement #AI #RegTech
From Static Lists to Smart Networks: The Future of PEP Screening Risk
A Politically Exposed Person (PEP) is an individual entrusted with a prominent public function who may present a heightened risk of involvement in bribery, corruption, or other financial crime. In the...
wix.to
December 12, 2025 at 2:08 PM
opusdatum.bsky.social
The UK’s rare Compliant rating for FATF Recommendation 16 signals global leadership, but FOI disclosures and FCA enforcement show that real-world Travel Rule execution is far from flawless. #FATF #TravelRule #FinancialCrime #AML #CTF #Compliance #UKRegulation
FATF Recommendation 16: The UK Benchmark, Tested by Reality
The Financial Action Task Force’s Recommendation 16 (R.16), commonly known as the ‘Travel Rule’, mandates that originator and beneficiary information must accompany all wire transfers. This obligation...
wix.to
December 8, 2025 at 10:44 AM
opusdatum.bsky.social
AI is reshaping financial crime compliance, but ungoverned use is creating hidden risks that bans alone cannot solve.
#FinancialCrime #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Compliance #AIGovernance #RiskManagement
The Tortoise Strategy: Avoiding the AI Shortcut in Financial Crime Compliance
Generative AI, once a speculative tool, has now embedded itself in the daily fabric of financial services. Banks across Europe and the UK are quietly facing a growing reality: their employees are alre...
wix.to
December 5, 2025 at 9:53 AM
opusdatum.bsky.social
Wire transfer regulations are far more than technical data fields; they are a powerful early-warning system for sanctions evasion, fraud, bribery and money laundering. #WTR #WireTransferRegulation #FinancialCrimeCompliance #FCC #AML #Sanctions #Compliance #Fraud #FinCrimeStrategy #RiskManagement
Breaking the Silo: Why Wire Transfer Regulations Must Anchor Financial Crime Strategy
Wire transfer regulations (WTR) have long operated in the shadows of the anti-money laundering (AML) regime. Introduced to provide greater transparency in cross-border fund transfers, their role is of...
wix.to
December 2, 2025 at 11:49 AM
opusdatum.bsky.social
Is Western integrity a myth? Uncover how corruption in the West often hides in plain sight, while developing nations are criticised for more visible, transactional forms of bribery.
#ABC #Corruption #Governance #FinancialCrime #Transparency #Politics #Compliance #Integrity
Bribery in Broad Daylight: Are Developing Nations Really More Corrupt than the West?
The assumption that bribery and corruption are more prevalent in developing nations has been a longstanding tenet of both media narratives and compliance frameworks. Western governments and institutio...
wix.to
December 1, 2025 at 10:21 AM
opusdatum.bsky.social
UK VASPs face rising pressure to get identity verification right as the MLRs and FATF Travel Rule tighten expectations.
#VASPs #Cryptocurrency #Crypto #WTR #WireTransferRegulation #MLR #AML #KYC #Compliance #TravelRule #FATF #FCA #DigitalIdentity
Identity Matters: How VASPs Verify Customers to Meet UK MLR & Travel Rule Requirements
As the cryptoasset sector continues to evolve, regulation is rapidly catching up with technological innovation. In the UK, Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) must ensure that robust customer iden...
wix.to
November 24, 2025 at 10:32 AM
opusdatum.bsky.social
Modern fraud has evolved into a global, industrialised supply chain, where criminal networks specialise, collaborate and scale their operations with alarming efficiency.
#FinancialCrime #Fraud #AML #Cybercrime #Prevention
Inside the Fraud Supply Chain: How Criminal Networks Industrialise Financial Crime
Fraud is no longer the work of lone actors exploiting isolated weaknesses. In today’s digital economy, financial crime has evolved into a highly organised, global industry with its own logistics, cust...
wix.to
November 21, 2025 at 11:38 AM
opusdatum.bsky.social
Discover how FATF Recommendation 16 became a political fault line shaping everything from crypto oversight to international credibility.
#FATF #TravelRule #FinancialCrime #AML #Compliance #Crypto #Regulation
FATF Recommendation 16 & the Politics of Compliance
FATF Recommendation 16, commonly referred to as the Travel Rule, sits at the heart of the international framework designed to combat illicit financial flows. It requires that countries ensure financia...
wix.to
November 17, 2025 at 11:43 AM
opusdatum.bsky.social
In an era marked by technological disruption, understanding financial crime has never been more critical. Our new blog delves into how deepfake technologies are reshaping risk frameworks.
#FinancialCrime #Fraud #AML #Deepfakes #AI #Crypto #Compliance #Risk#FinancialServices #RiskManagement
The Age of Fakery: Financial Crime in an Era of Deception, Disruption & Deregulation
We are living through a profound transformation in the architecture of risk. The convergence of deepfake technologies, generative artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, and regulatory rollback has n...
wix.to
November 14, 2025 at 11:09 AM
opusdatum.bsky.social
Few realise that payment processors now anchor the integrity of the UK’s financial system. They firms are becoming key to data integrity, transparency, and WTR compliance.
#UKPayments #AML #Compliance #FinancialCrime #FATF #WTR #DataIntegrity #RegTech #FinancialServices #PaymentProcessing
Payment Processors: The Unseen Gatekeepers of Global Transfers
The integrity of the UK’s financial system increasingly depends on entities that few consumers have ever heard of. Payment processors, which form the technical backbone of electronic transactions, now...
wix.to
November 10, 2025 at 12:50 PM
opusdatum.bsky.social
Once hailed as a landmark case for crypto regulation, Zhao’s conviction has been undone in a move that blurs the line between justice and political influence.
#Crypto #AML #FinancialCrime #Compliance #Ethics #Integrity #Governance #Accountability #TrumpPardon #USPolitics
Crypto, Clemency & the Collapse of Accountability
It has been little more than a month since United States President Donald Trump pardoned Changpeng Zhao, the former chief executive of Binance. Zhao, better known as CZ, had pleaded guilty in 2023 to ...
wix.to
November 6, 2025 at 12:17 PM
opusdatum.bsky.social
Hundreds of WTR breaches, zero FCA enforcement. Our white paper reveals how inertia, unclear ownership & outdated laws have hollowed out compliance. wtr.opusdatum.com/white-papers...

#WTR #AML #Compliance #FinancialCrime #Regulation #FCA #FATF #Payments #WTRKnowledgeHub
The UK's Wire Transfer Regulation Framework: A System in Crisis | WTR
wtr.opusdatum.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:01 PM
opusdatum.bsky.social
The latest FATF update to Recommendation 16 is turning old assumptions upside down. Once considered global leaders, some major economies now trail behind developing nations in meeting technical compliance standards.
#FATF #AML #Compliance #FinancialCrime #Payments #Crypto #TravelRule #R16
Who Really Complies? Rethinking FATF Recommendation 16
The architecture of the global anti-money laundering (AML) regime is often understood through the lens of geopolitical power. Countries like the United States, UK, and Germany are widely perceived as ...
wix.to
November 3, 2025 at 9:11 AM
opusdatum.bsky.social
The US has charged Sinaloa Cartel leaders with narco-terrorism for the first time, blurring the line between organised crime and terrorism. This landmark case could redefine global security and reshape AML/CTF priorities. #NarcoTerrorism #FinancialCrime #AML #CTF #USPolicy #OrganisedCrime
Narco-Terrorism: The Convergence of Cartel Violence & Global Security Threats
The term narco-terrorism, once an academic and counter-terrorism buzzword, has entered the mainstream of United States criminal justice and political discourse. Its resurgence is not coincidental. On ...
wix.to
October 30, 2025 at 12:26 PM
opusdatum.bsky.social
Wire Transfer Regulations are vital to financial transparency, yet their application within Islamic banking poses complex compliance challenges. Explore how Sharia-based finance can align with FATF standards. #IslamicBanking #AML #Compliance #WireTransferRegulations #WTR #ShariaFinance #Payments
Wire Transfer Regulations & Islamic Banking: Navigating the Crossroads of Compliance & Faith
Wire Transfer Regulations (WTRs) are pivotal in the global effort to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and the illicit movement of funds. By mandating transparency in electronic fund trans...
wix.to
October 27, 2025 at 9:08 AM
opusdatum.bsky.social
The UK’s trade and financial sanctions regimes are finally converging as OTSI steps into the spotlight with its first public case study.
#TradeSanctions #FinancialSanctions #LegalFramework #OTSI #OFSI #UKCompliance #Enforcement
Trade Sanctions vs Financial Sanctions: The Quiet Fault Line in UK Enforcement
Economic sanctions are the sharp edge of modern diplomacy. In a world marked by geopolitical fracture and strategic competition, they function as tools of coercion and containment, targeting adversari...
wix.to
October 24, 2025 at 8:33 AM
opusdatum.bsky.social
Banks prioritise MiFID II while sidelining the Wire Transfer Regulation, but at what cost? Discover why ignoring it could be the sector’s biggest blind spot yet.
#WireTransferRegulation #WTR #FinancialCrime #Compliance #AML #FATF #RegTech #MiFIDII #Banking #Payments
Why Banks Think Wire Transfer Regulation is Less Important & Why They’re Wrong
In the labyrinthine world of financial regulation, institutions face an ever-expanding array of compliance requirements. From market conduct rules to anti-money laundering directives, banks are expect...
wix.to
October 20, 2025 at 9:24 AM
opusdatum.bsky.social
As challenger banks like Monzo, Starling and Metro Bank face hefty FCA fines, a new question emerges: has innovation in fintech finally met its reckoning?
#Banking #Compliance #ChallengerBanks #AML #Fintech #FinancialCrime #FCA
When Does a Challenger Bank Stop Challenging? The AML Fine as Rite of Passage
For more than a decade, challenger banks have styled themselves as the antidote to a stagnant, fee-ridden and tech-deficient banking sector. Born in the ashes of the global financial crisis and bolste...
wix.to
October 17, 2025 at 8:30 AM
opusdatum.bsky.social
Hundreds of warnings vanish into silence. But is the real flaw in the FCA? Or in the WTR itself? Our latest piece shows how structural gaps in the law have left the UK regime toothless.
#WTR #WireTransferRegulation #FATF #PaymentTransparency #AML #Payments #Compliance #WTRKnowledgeHub #WireCheck
The UK Wire Transfer Regulation: The Problem Isn’t Just the FCA, It’s the Law Itself
The Wire Transfer Regulation (WTR) was designed to safeguard transparency in cross-border payments by requiring complete payer and payee information to accompany every transfer. Yet recent FCA data re...
wix.to
October 16, 2025 at 10:56 AM
opusdatum.bsky.social
The FATF’s 2025 overhaul of the Travel Rule marks a decisive step towards real payment transparency. But can these reforms finally turn transparency from illusion to reality?
#WTR #FATFTravelRule #PaymentTransparency #AML #Payments #Compliance #FinCrime #RegTech #WTRKnowledgeHub #WireCheck
The Travel Rule & the Illusion of Transparency: Reimagining R.16 for a Fragmented Financial Future
In the architecture of global anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CTF) regimes, Recommendation 16 of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) occupies a deceptively modest posit...
wix.to
October 13, 2025 at 8:42 AM
opusdatum.bsky.social
The UK’s reluctance to use the word ‘corruption’ masks a deeper crisis of accountability. Euphemisms like ‘sleaze’ and ‘lack of transparency’ sanitise misconduct and protect the powerful, eroding public trust in democracy.
#FinancialCrime #ABC #Governance #Integrity #Compliance #Ethics
The Voldemort of British Public Life: Why We Struggle to Say 'Corruption'
In British public discourse, there is a peculiar allergy to the word 'corruption'. From parliamentary scandals to procurement irregularities and lobbying controversies, the term is almost never uttere...
wix.to
October 10, 2025 at 10:27 AM
opusdatum.bsky.social
97 reports in 2021. Just 25 in 2023. Are firms getting better at compliance - or simply giving up on reporting because the FCA never responds?
#WireTransferRegulation #WTR #AML #Compliance #FCA #PSPs #VASPs #RepeatOffenders #Enforcement
Peaks & Troughs: What WTR Reporting Fluctuations Reveal About AML Oversight
The Mystery of the CurveIn theory, regulatory reporting should be a steady drumbeat. If Payment Service Providers (PSPs) repeatedly fail to transmit names and addresses under the Wire Transfer Regulat...
wix.to
October 9, 2025 at 8:54 AM