Overview

A commonality most countries share is that Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) pose serious threats to their national security and economies.  TCOs have expanded dramatically in size, scope and influence.  Not only have they expanded their operations, they have also vastly diversified their criminal enterprises and affiliations with terrorist and other criminal actors.  Consequently, the expansiveness of their illicit activities and exploitation of financial systemic vulnerabilities, through facilitation tools such as shell companies, have touchpoints throughout the financial services sector. The multiple dimensions of TCOs include their expanded criminal reach, the constancy of Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs), the nexus with terrorist groups and the continued evolution of Chinese Money Laundering Networks (CMLNs).  This compelling session will discuss:

• The magnitude of criminal activities TCOs engage in
• The convergence of TCOs and terrorist organizations
• The scourge of DTOs
• The evolution of CMLNs
• Touchpoints with the financial services industry
• Impacts on national security and the economy

Session takeaways will include:

• The importance of situational awareness to:
  • Understand the crime problems
  • Who you are dealing with
  • Financial flows and touchpoints to financial institutions
• Countermeasures to include the importance of public private partnerships and the importance of information sharing
• Understanding and exploiting a major vulnerability to TCOs - finance