Podcasts about fincen

This week on This Week in AML, Elliot Berman and John Byrne break down a wide range of developments shaping the financial crime landscape. They unpack a new joint advisory from FinCEN and federal banking agencies targeting risks tied to unauthorized labor and its implications for banks. The conversation then turns to escalating concerns about “debanking,” including controversy over blocked charitable donations and its implications for access to the financial system. The episode also dives into a congressional hearing on Chinese money laundering networks and how evolving typologies are challenging traditional approaches to tracking money. Plus, insights on prediction markets and potential manipulation, fraud trends tied to social media platforms, EU sanctions targeting crypto, and progress in combating antiquities trafficking.

On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, ABA's Heather Trew breaks down recent news about the president's executive order on illegal immigration and the financial system and the advisory from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, the OCC, the FDIC and others on red flags associated with illegal immigration. Trew covers: An overview of the executive order and advisory Financial typologies of suspicious activity linked to illegal immigration that FinCEN has identified — for individual consumers, small businesses and large businesses Scrutiny on the use of individual taxpayer identification numbers, or ITINs, to open accounts, and the technical complexities of differentiating between ITINs and other identifiers How banks can stay in the loop on developments, particularly future changes to the customer due diligence and customer identification program rules

Small tax mistakes can cost you thousands, even when you think you're doing everything right.From missing a filing deadline to misunderstanding how a deduction works, small errors can quickly turn into penalties, lost deductions, and a higher tax bill.In this episode, Mike answers real tax questions from small business owners covering gambling losses, BOI reporting, moving an S corporation to another state, the Augusta Rule, HSAs, late 1099s, estimated tax penalties, startup expenses, vehicle write-offs, and more. He breaks down the rules, explains the available options, and shares practical steps to help you stay compliant and avoid costly tax mistakes.

This week, Patty and Scott welcome special guest Dan Sumner, Scott's former college roommate and the show's "Buyer of the Month!"

In this episode, Tom Fox welcomes Matt Ellis of Miller & Chevalier about the ACI “Cartels, TCOs and Compliance in Latin America” forum (July 20–21, Washington, DC) and why cartel/TCO/FTO risk is a timely 2026 compliance priority. Ellis describes the Trump administration's focus on cartels, fentanyl, China's influence, and the expanded enforcement toolkit—FCPA guidance linking to cartel activity, sanctions, AML actions (including FinCEN orders against Mexican financial institutions), and cartel FTO designations implicating the Anti-Terrorism Act. They discuss how cartels infiltrate supply chains, creating “material support” exposure, and why due diligence must go beyond traditional screening to on-the-ground intelligence and nuanced red flags. Ellis notes government interest in compliance expectations, extortion-payment considerations, the Lafarge/ISIS example, anticipated investigations, broader regional risk (Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil), and increased multi-agency coordination and potential dialogue with U.S. authorities. Key highlights: Why This Conference Now Due Diligence Goes Deeper Extortion and Self-Reporting Beyond Mexico Regional Risks Whole-of-Government Focus When to Engage Government Resources: Cartels, TCOs and Compliance in Latin America, July 20-21 Matt Ellis on LinkedIn Tom Fox Instagram Facebook YouTube Twitter LinkedIn To learn about the intersection of Sherlock Holmes and the modern compliance professional, check out Tom's latest book, The Game is Afoot-What Sherlock Holmes Teaches About Risk, Ethics and Investigations on Amazon.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lauren Rodriguez joins Mark Edge at the Libertarian National Convention to share the story of her husband Keonne Rodriguez and William "Bill" Lonergan Hill, creators of Samourai Wallet. In April 2024, both men were raided by the FBI and charged with money laundering and operating an unlicensed money service business — despite FinCEN confirming the wallet was not in violation. After a judge denied every motion, they were left with no choice but to accept a plea deal. Keonne is now serving 5 years and Bill 4 years in federal prison. Visit BillandKeonne.org to sign the petition for a presidential pardon and support their families. Sponsored by SALT Lending.

Lauren Rodriguez joins Mark Edge at the Libertarian National Convention to share the story of her husband Keonne Rodriguez and William "Bill" Lonergan Hill, creators of Samourai Wallet. In April 2024, both men were raided by the FBI and charged with money laundering and operating an unlicensed money service business — despite FinCEN confirming the wallet was not in violation. After a judge denied every motion, they were left with no choice but to accept a plea deal. Keonne is now serving 5 years and Bill 4 years in federal prison. Visit BillandKeonne.org to sign the petition for a presidential pardon and support their families. Sponsored by SALT Lending.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heartland-newsfeed-radio-network--2904397/support.

This week, Elliot Berman and John Byrne break down a packed slate of AML and financial crime developments shaping the global landscape. They start in the U.S. with two new FinCEN alerts—one highlighting Iran's use of front companies, digital assets, and complex corporate structures to evade sanctions, and another warning of heightened human trafficking risks tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The conversation expands into broader trafficking concerns From there, they unpack the OCC's latest risk perspective, emphasizing persistent cyber threats, rising fraud sophistication, and mounting pressure on compliance systems amid geopolitical tensions. On Capitol Hill, attention turns to the Clarity Act and its push to build a regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies—alongside mounting concerns from banks and law enforcement about stablecoins, AML enforcement, and investigative visibility. Internationally, they discuss Canada's dramatic increase in AML penalties, AUSTRAC's updated risk outlook and virtual asset focus, Switzerland's proposed AML rule changes, and The EU's push toward a unified anti-corruption strategy.

The Ultimate Guide for Americans Moving to Spain: Visas, Taxes, and Cross-Border Financial Planning By AIO Financial — Fee-Only Fiduciary Financial Planners Spain has quietly become one of the most popular destinations for Americans relocating abroad. The lifestyle is compelling — long lunches, walkable cities, world-class healthcare, sunshine, and a cost of living that, in many regions, runs 20–30% below comparable U.S. cities. But behind that lifestyle is a tax and regulatory system that can blindside Americans who move without proper planning. We work with U.S. expats every week at AIO Financial, and the same patterns keep showing up. People sell investments at exactly the wrong moment. They convert Roth IRAs and trigger Spanish tax bills they didn’t know existed. They open European brokerage accounts and accidentally buy PFICs. They miss the six-month window for the Beckham Law and lose six figures of potential tax savings. None of this is necessary. Almost every cross-border financial mistake we see is preventable with planning that starts twelve to eighteen months before the move — not after the boxes are unpacked in Valencia. This guide walks through what we believe every American family should understand before moving to Spain: the visa landscape after the Golden Visa was eliminated, how Spain actually taxes Americans (including the surprising treatment of Roth IRAs), what to do with your investments before you become a Spanish tax resident, and how to think about banking, currency, and cash transfers across borders. None of this is legal or tax advice for your specific situation, but it should give you a real working framework before you sit down with a cross-border specialist. Why Americans Are Moving to Spain Right Now The reasons people give us are remarkably consistent. They want better work-life balance. They want their kids to grow up bilingual. They’ve watched U.S. healthcare costs spiral and want a system that just works. They’re approaching retirement and the math on living in coastal Spain versus coastal Florida is hard to argue with. A few are motivated by political concerns; many simply want to live somewhere that feels less hurried. What makes Spain particularly attractive compared to other European destinations is the combination of a well-functioning Digital Nomad Visa, a meaningful (if imperfect) tax treaty with the United States, and a cost-of-living advantage that still holds up despite recent inflation. A single person can live comfortably in mid-sized Spanish cities like Valencia, Granada, or Málaga on roughly €1,600–€1,900 per month. Madrid and Barcelona cost more, but still less than San Francisco, Boston, or Seattle. The catch — and this is the part most relocation guides skip — is that Spain has a wealth tax, taxes worldwide income for residents, does not respect the U.S. tax-free status of Roth IRAs, and uses a fiscal-year structure that can leave new arrivals exposed to a full calendar year of Spanish taxation if they cross the 183-day threshold without realizing it. Done well, moving to Spain can be one of the best financial and lifestyle decisions a family makes. Done poorly, it can be a multi-year tax mess. Visa Pathways: What’s Available in 2026 Before any tax planning matters, you need legal residency. Spain offers several pathways for non-EU citizens, and the right one depends on whether you’re working, retired, or have substantial passive income. The Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) The Digital Nomad Visa, introduced under Spain’s 2023 Startup Act, has become the most popular route for working-age Americans. It allows non-EU remote workers — both employees of foreign companies and self-employed freelancers — to live legally in Spain while working for non-Spanish employers or clients. As of 2026, the income threshold is set at 200% of Spain’s Minimum Interprofessional Salary, which works out to approximately €2,850 per month, or roughly €34,200 per year. Most Spanish consulates recommend showing at least €3,000 monthly to account for currency fluctuations. If you’re applying with family, the income requirement increases. You’ll need to demonstrate an additional 75% of the SMI (about €1,035 per month) for your first dependent — typically a spouse — and 25% for each additional family member. A family of four moving together generally needs to show somewhere around €4,400 per month in qualifying income. The DNV initially issues a residence authorization valid for up to three years if applied for from within Spain, or a one-year visa if applied for through a Spanish consulate abroad. It can be renewed for additional periods, allowing total stays of up to five years, after which permanent residency becomes available. Citizenship is generally available after ten years of legal residency for U.S. nationals (two years for citizens of Latin American countries, the Philippines, Andorra, and a handful of others). Other key requirements include having worked with your current employer or clients for at least three months before applying, holding either a relevant university degree or three years of professional experience in your field, working for a company that has been in operation for at least one year, and earning no more than 20% of your income from Spanish sources. The application process typically takes four to five months. One important wrinkle for Americans: the U.S.–Spain Totalization Agreement does not currently cover remote work in the way that some other bilateral agreements do, so the U.S. Social Security Administration rarely issues Certificates of Coverage for DNV applicants. Most U.S. W-2 employees need to either get their employer to set up a Spanish “shadow payroll” arrangement, switch to 1099 contractor status and register as an autónomo (self-employed) in Spain, or accept that they’ll be paying into the Spanish social security system. This is a frequent friction point and is best resolved before the move, not after. The Non-Lucrative Visa (NLV) The Non-Lucrative Visa is the traditional retiree route — and increasingly used by Americans of any age with sufficient passive income. It explicitly does not permit working in Spain or remotely for any employer, which is its main limitation. As of 2026, applicants need to show approximately €2,400 per month (around €28,800 per year) in passive income or savings, with additional financial requirements for dependents. For genuinely retired Americans drawing Social Security, pension income, or living off investment portfolios, this is often the cleanest path. It comes with one substantial caveat that we’ll return to in the tax section: NLV holders are not eligible for the Beckham Law, so they pay full progressive Spanish tax rates on worldwide income from day one. The Golden Visa Is Gone If you’ve been planning around Spain’s Golden Visa — the residency-by-investment program that previously offered residency in exchange for a €500,000 real estate investment — that program ended in April 2025 as part of housing market reforms. New applications are no longer accepted. Existing Golden Visa holders retain their residency, but anyone considering this route now needs to look at alternative visas, or alternative countries (Portugal and Greece still operate similar programs, though Portugal’s no longer accepts real estate). The Highly Qualified Professional Visa For Americans being recruited by Spanish companies for skilled positions, the Highly Qualified Professional (HQP) Visa provides a path tied to a specific job offer. It’s typically valid for two years and renewable, and it qualifies the holder for the Beckham Law tax regime. This is less common for traditional relocation but matters for executives and engineers being hired into Spanish operations. Choosing Among Them In practice, most Americans we work with end up on either the DNV (if working remotely) or the NLV (if retired or financially independent). The choice has significant tax implications down the line, particularly around eligibility for the Beckham Law, which we’ll cover next. The Spanish Tax System: What Americans Actually Pay This is where most pre-move planning gets serious. Spain taxes its tax residents on worldwide income — meaning your U.S. dividends, your rental income from a property in Texas, your capital gains from selling Apple stock, all of it can be subject to Spanish tax. The U.S.–Spain tax treaty and the Foreign Tax Credit prevent most cases of literal double taxation, but the interaction between the two systems creates real planning challenges. When You Become a Tax Resident Spain considers you a tax resident if any one of three things is true: you spend more than 183 days in Spain during a calendar year, your “center of economic interests” is in Spain (meaning your primary income or main assets are there), or your spouse and minor children habitually live in Spain (a rebuttable presumption). The 183-day rule is the most common trigger, and importantly, sporadic absences count toward the total unless you can prove tax residency in another country. This matters because Spanish tax residency is binary and applies to the full calendar year. If you arrive in Spain on July 1 and stay through year-end, you’ve spent 184 days there and you’re a tax resident for the entire year — including January through June, when you were still living in the U.S. Smart timing of the move can save substantial tax. We often recommend arriving after July 2 in a given year, which keeps you under the 183-day threshold for that year and pushes Spanish tax residency to year two. Income Tax Brackets Spanish income tax (IRPF) is progressive and combines a national portion with a regional portion that varies by autonomous community. For 2026, the combined general rates run roughly: Up to €12,450: about 19% €12,451 to €20,200: about 24% €20,201 to €35,200: about 30% €35,201 to €60,000: about 37% €60,001 to €300,000: about 45% Over €300,000: about 47% Investment income — dividends, interest, capital gains, and rental income from investments — is taxed on a separate “savings” schedule: Up to €6,000: 19% €6,001 to €50,000: 21% €50,001 to €200,000: 23% €200,001 to €300,000: 27% Over €300,000: 30% For most American expats earning between €40,000 and €80,000 per year, the effective Spanish tax rate is about 25–33%, which is comparable to or slightly lower than combined U.S. federal and state taxes for the same income. The pain points aren’t usually the standard rates — they’re the wealth tax, the lack of Roth recognition, and Modelo 720 reporting. The Beckham Law: A Major Opportunity Spain’s “Beckham Law” — named for the soccer player who was its early high-profile beneficiary — allows qualifying newcomers to be taxed as non-residents for up to six years, despite physically living in Spain. Under this regime, you pay a flat 24% on Spanish-source employment income up to €600,000 per year (47% on amounts above that), and your foreign income is generally exempt from Spanish taxation. For an American earning €100,000 per year on a Digital Nomad Visa with an employment contract, the Beckham Law saves roughly €10,000 annually compared to standard progressive rates — and the savings grow rapidly at higher income levels. For someone earning €250,000, the savings can exceed €40,000 per year. The Beckham Law has strict requirements. You generally must not have been a Spanish tax resident in the previous five years, you must move to Spain because of an employment contract or to take on a directorship, and — critically — you must elect into the regime within six months of registering with Spanish Social Security. Miss that six-month window and you cannot opt in later. We’ve seen this mistake destroy tens of thousands of euros of potential tax savings. The regime is available to W-2 employees and DNV holders with employment contracts. It is not available to self-employed autónomos in most circumstances, nor to Non-Lucrative Visa holders. This is why your visa choice has such significant tax implications. The Wealth Tax This is the tax that most surprises Americans. Spain’s wealth tax (Impuesto sobre el Patrimonio) is an annual levy on net worth as of December 31 each year. Spanish tax residents pay on their worldwide assets; non-residents only pay on Spanish-located assets. The structure includes a national tax-free allowance of €700,000 per person (which means €1.4 million for a married couple holding assets jointly), plus an additional €300,000 exemption for your primary residence in Spain. Above those thresholds, rates run progressively from 0.2% to 3.5%, depending on total assets and the autonomous community where you reside. Regional variation matters enormously here. Madrid and Andalucía effectively eliminate the wealth tax through 100% regional bonifications, though the national-level Solidarity Tax on Large Fortunes still applies above €3 million in those regions. Catalonia, by contrast, applies the tax in full. If wealth tax exposure is a serious concern for your situation, the autonomous community you choose to live in becomes a meaningful planning variable. There’s also a Solidarity Tax on Large Fortunes, introduced in 2023, that applies to net wealth above €3 million and adds an additional 1.7% to 3.5% on assets above that threshold. It coordinates with regional wealth tax relief to provide a national floor, so even residents of Madrid pay it on assets above €3 million. Roth IRAs in Spain: A Critical Issue Here is one of the most important things for Americans to understand before moving: Spain does not respect the tax-free status of Roth IRAs. Under U.S. law, qualified Roth IRA distributions are entirely tax-free, since contributions were made with after-tax dollars. Spain doesn’t see it that way. The Spanish tax authority (Hacienda) classifies Roth IRA distributions as investment income — specifically, as income from movable capital — and taxes them at savings rates. The taxable portion is generally the gain (the increase in value over your contributions), not the entire distribution, but this still represents a substantial loss of the Roth’s core benefit. A 2022 binding consultation (V1291-22) clarified this treatment, and the same ruling generally requires Roth IRAs to be reported on Modelo 720 and included in wealth tax calculations. The strategic implications are significant. If you have a large Roth IRA and you’re moving to Spain, you may want to consider taking distributions before establishing Spanish tax residency, while distributions are still tax-free in both countries. After becoming a tax resident, every Roth IRA distribution will likely face Spanish tax on the embedded gains. The same applies to any Roth conversions you might be considering — generally you want these completed before the move, not after. Traditional 401(k) and IRA distributions are treated more conventionally as pension or general income in Spain, and they’re taxable in both countries with foreign tax credits relieving most of the double taxation. The U.S.–Spain treaty was updated by a protocol that entered into force in November 2019, and it improves the treatment of cross-border pensions in several ways, though it does not solve the Roth issue. Capital Gains and Investment Income For Spanish tax residents, capital gains on the sale of most U.S. securities (like stocks held in a brokerage account) are taxable in Spain at savings rates of 19% to 30%. Under the U.S.–Spain treaty, gains on the sale of shares are generally taxed only in the country of residence, with limited exceptions for real estate and substantial shareholdings, so the planning here is relatively clean: if you sell while a U.S. resident, you owe U.S. tax; if you sell while a Spanish resident, you owe Spanish tax. This creates a major pre-move planning opportunity. If you have substantial unrealized gains in your taxable investment accounts, the year before your move is a powerful window. You can harvest gains at U.S. long-term capital gains rates — which top out at 23.8% including the Net Investment Income Tax — rather than at Spanish savings tax rates that run as high as 30% above €300,000 in gains. For a portfolio with $500,000 in unrealized long-term gains, the difference can be tens of thousands of dollars. This is one of the most common planning moves we recommend for clients moving to Spain with appreciated portfolios. The strategy isn’t always to harvest. If you’re moving to a non-Beckham regime and your overall income will push you into Spain’s higher capital gains brackets later, harvesting now may be valuable. If you have low income in Spain and modest gains, the Spanish tax may actually be lower than your U.S. rate. The right answer depends on your specific numbers — which is exactly the kind of cross-border modeling a fee-only planner is well-positioned to do without bias. The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and Foreign Tax Credit U.S. citizens are taxed on worldwide income regardless of where they live, so you’ll continue filing U.S. returns from Spain. Two main mechanisms prevent literal double taxation. The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE), claimed on Form 2555, allows you to exclude up to $130,000 of foreign earned income from U.S. taxation for the 2025 tax year (the limit adjusts for inflation each year). Qualifying requires either the bona fide residence test or the physical presence test (330 full days outside the U.S. in any 12-month period). Importantly, the FEIE only covers earned income — wages and self-employment income — not investment income. The Foreign Tax Credit (FTC), claimed on Form 1116, gives you a dollar-for-dollar credit against U.S. taxes for income taxes paid to Spain. Because Spanish rates often exceed U.S. rates at higher income levels, most expats earning above the FEIE threshold find the FTC works better. Excess credits can be carried back one year and forward ten years. The choice between FEIE and FTC has secondary effects worth understanding. The FEIE can disqualify you from making Roth IRA contributions if it pushes your taxable U.S. income low enough. The FTC preserves earned income for IRA contribution purposes. For families with college-age children, the FEIE can also affect the calculation of education credits. Reporting Obligations: Modelo 720 and FBAR Spanish tax residents must file Modelo 720 each year, declaring foreign accounts, securities, and real estate that exceed €50,000 in any of three categories. The form is informational, not a tax return, but penalties for non-filing have historically been severe (though the European Court of Justice forced Spain to substantially soften them in 2022). The filing window is January 1 through March 31 each year for the prior year’s data. On the U.S. side, you’ll continue to file: FBAR (FinCEN Form 114): required when total foreign accounts exceed $10,000 at any point during the year. Form 8938 (FATCA): required when foreign financial assets exceed $200,000 at year-end or $300,000 at any point during the year for single filers living abroad ($400,000/$600,000 for married filing jointly). Form 8621: required for any PFIC holdings — more on this below. Form 8833: to disclose treaty positions. The reporting load is real but manageable with the right preparer. What gets people in trouble isn’t usually the difficulty of any single form — it’s not knowing the forms exist. Investments: What to Do Before You Become a Spanish Tax Resident This is the single most consequential financial planning area for Americans moving to Spain, and the area where pre-move action matters most. Once you’re a Spanish tax resident, your options narrow considerably. The window before that happens is when most of the high-leverage decisions get made. The Brokerage Account Problem A wave of U.S. brokerage firms — including Vanguard, Fidelity, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Edward Jones, Ameriprise, TIAA, USAA, and others — have been restricting or closing accounts of U.S. citizens who update their address to a foreign country. The pace accelerated sharply in 2024 and 2025 as firms tightened compliance with anti-money-laundering and FATCA-related requirements. Some firms close accounts outright; others restrict trading to liquidating positions only; some allow continued holdings but block new purchases. The practical implications for someone planning to move to Spain are: Don’t update your address until you have a plan. Once your firm sees a Spanish address, you may have 30 to 60 days to make decisions under significant time pressure. Identify expat-friendly custodians in advance. Charles Schwab International and Interactive Brokers continue to serve U.S. expats in Spain with relatively few restrictions, and a handful of independent advisory firms maintain relationships with custodians who will hold accounts for U.S. citizens abroad — typically when those accounts are managed by the advisory firm rather than self-directed. Transfer assets in-kind, don’t liquidate. If you’re forced to move accounts, transferring securities directly between custodians avoids creating a tax event. Liquidating into cash can trigger massive unintended capital gains. We spend considerable time at AIO Financial helping clients structure their accounts to remain compliant and accessible from abroad. The best time to do this work is before the move. Why Local European Brokerages Are a Trap for Americans The natural instinct, once you’ve moved to Spain, is to open a Spanish or European brokerage account and invest locally. For non-Americans, this is fine. For U.S. citizens, it’s a tax catastrophe — because of the Passive Foreign Investment Company (PFIC) rules. Under U.S. tax law, virtually any non-U.S. pooled investment vehicle — every European mutual fund, every UCITS ETF, every European-domiciled index fund — is classified as a PFIC. The IRS designed PFIC rules to discourage Americans from investing in foreign funds that the IRS cannot easily audit, and the punishment is severe: PFICs are taxed at the highest ordinary income rates (currently up to 37%) on gains, with interest charges layered on top, and require an annual Form 8621 filing that can take a tax preparer several hours per fund to complete. There’s a Qualified Electing Fund (QEF) election that can avoid the worst of these rules, but it requires the foreign fund to provide an annual PFIC statement with very specific information. Almost no European fund managers produce these for retail investors, so QEF elections are theoretically available but practically impossible. The bottom line is straightforward: as a U.S. citizen living in Spain, you generally need to invest through a U.S. brokerage in U.S.-domiciled funds and ETFs. Buying European funds — even excellent, low-cost European index funds — turns a clean financial picture into a tax disaster. There’s a complicating wrinkle: EU MiFID II regulations restrict EU-resident investors from buying many U.S.-domiciled ETFs, because U.S. fund providers haven’t produced the EU-required Key Information Documents. Most U.S. expats in Europe end up holding individual stocks, ETFs purchased through expat-friendly U.S. brokerages, and pre-existing fund positions. Some use options strategies or structured workarounds. Working with a cross-border advisor who understands which products remain accessible matters here. Pre-Move Investment Moves to Consider Twelve to eighteen months before your move, the following are typically worth analyzing: Harvesting long-term capital gains. As discussed above, U.S. long-term gains rates often beat Spanish savings rates, and once you’re a Spanish resident, every sale potentially triggers Spanish tax. Strategically selling and rebuying appreciated positions in your final U.S. year can lock in U.S. tax treatment. Roth conversions. If you have meaningful traditional IRA balances and you’re not in a high U.S. tax bracket, completing Roth conversions before the move means the conversion is taxed at U.S. rates only. After the move, conversions get more complicated (and the resulting Roth doesn’t get U.S.-style tax-free treatment in Spain anyway). Roth distributions. For older clients with substantial Roth balances who plan to draw on them in retirement, taking distributions before becoming a Spanish tax resident captures the full Roth benefit. Once in Spain, the gain portion of every distribution is taxable. HSA decisions. Health Savings Accounts are not recognized by Spain. The income inside them is potentially taxable annually for Spanish tax residents. Some clients draw down HSAs before the move; others maintain them with the understanding that ongoing reporting and tax will apply. 529 plans. Similar issues. 529 plans aren’t recognized as tax-advantaged in Spain, and depending on the structure, may create ongoing Spanish tax liability. Drawing down 529s for U.S. educational use before the move, or restructuring them, is often part of the plan. Real estate decisions. Selling a U.S. primary residence before the move keeps the Section 121 exclusion ($250,000 single / $500,000 married) cleanly available under U.S. rules. Selling after the move adds Spanish tax considerations and can complicate the exclusion. Renting out the U.S. home while abroad creates ongoing reporting in both countries but can be the right answer for those who plan to return. Trust and estate review. U.S. revocable living trusts are not recognized as transparent in Spain — Spanish tax authorities may treat them as opaque foreign entities, which can create unexpected tax consequences. Estate plans drafted under U.S. assumptions often need substantial revision before a move. Should You Keep Investments in the U.S. or Move Them Abroad? For almost every American citizen moving to Spain, the answer is: keep your investments in the U.S. The combination of PFIC rules, EU MiFID II restrictions on U.S. ETFs, and the comparatively higher costs and lower transparency of European retail investing means that a U.S.-domiciled portfolio held at an expat-friendly U.S. brokerage is almost always the right structure. The exception is if you renounce U.S. citizenship — but that’s a separate, much larger conversation. What changes is what you hold and how you manage it. U.S.-domiciled ETFs and individual stocks remain the foundation. You may need to adjust around currency exposure (more on this below), tax-efficiency rules that differ between the two countries, and the loss of access to certain U.S. mutual funds that don’t allow non-resident purchases. Asset location — what you hold in Roth versus traditional versus taxable accounts — also looks different through a cross-border lens. Currency Considerations One question we get often: should you convert to euros once you move? The honest answer is “it depends on your time horizon and liabilities.” Most retirees and long-term residents in Spain end up with euro-denominated living expenses but dollar-denominated investments. Over time, this creates currency exposure: a 10% drop in the dollar means your investment portfolio buys 10% less in Spain. There are a few approaches we use with clients: Hold a euro cash reserve sufficient to cover 1–2 years of living expenses. This protects against short-term currency movements forcing investment sales at bad prices. Don’t try to time currency markets. Strategic currency hedging at the portfolio level is rarely worth the cost for individual investors. For larger portfolios, consider modest direct euro exposure through ETFs that hold European equities or international developed-market funds. Don’t overdo it — global diversification is good; concentrated currency bets are not. Moving Cash: How to Actually Get Money to Spain Getting funds across the Atlantic has gotten easier in recent years but still has friction points worth understanding. Wire Transfers vs. Money Service Providers Traditional bank wires from a U.S. bank to a Spanish bank work but are typically expensive — fees commonly run $25–$50 per outbound wire from the U.S. side, plus a poor exchange rate that often costs another 1–3% of the amount transferred. For a $100,000 transfer, that’s potentially $3,000+ in spread costs. Specialized providers like Wise (formerly TransferWise), OFX, and Revolut typically offer mid-market exchange rates with much lower fees, often under 0.5% all-in. For larger transfers, a foreign exchange broker can negotiate even better rates, sometimes with a forward contract that locks in the exchange rate for a specific future date — useful when you’re closing on a Spanish property and want to know exactly how many dollars the euro purchase price will cost. For most cross-Atlantic transfers under $250,000, Wise is the simplest and lowest-cost option. Above that, dedicated FX brokers start to make sense. Spanish Bank Accounts You’ll need a Spanish bank account for daily living. The traditional banks (CaixaBank, BBVA, Santander) all offer non-resident accounts you can open before establishing residency, though increasingly they want to see your NIE (Spanish foreigner identification number) or your visa. Newer digital banks like N26 and Revolut are popular with expats for their lower fees and English-language interfaces, though some Spanish landlords and employers still prefer traditional banks. A common approach: open a basic non-resident account at a major Spanish bank for housing transactions and government payments, plus a Wise multicurrency account for receiving USD income and converting to EUR efficiently. Reporting Large Transfers Both U.S. and Spanish authorities track large cross-border transfers. On the U.S. side, transfers over $10,000 are reported automatically by your bank to FinCEN. On the Spanish side, banks report incoming international transfers to the Banco de España and tax authorities. None of this is illegal or problematic — but if you’re moving $400,000 to buy a house in Valencia, expect both sides to know, and don’t structure transfers in ways that look like you’re trying to avoid reporting (which is itself a U.S. federal crime). Cash Buffer for the First Year We typically recommend clients have at least six months — preferably twelve months — of Spanish living expenses available in liquid form before the move, in addition to their long-term investment portfolio. The first year in Spain comes with surprise costs: temporary housing, deposits, immigration fees, legal and tax advisor fees, furniture, car purchases, healthcare deposits. Having a cash buffer means none of this requires selling investments at a bad time or running up debt at unfavorable rates. Healthcare, Insurance, and Social Security Spain has one of the better healthcare systems in the developed world, but accessing it as a new arrival requires planning. Most visa categories require private health insurance during the application process and typically through the first year of residency. Standard policies from companies like Adeslas, Sanitas, and Asisa run €60–€150 per month per person depending on age and coverage level. After establishing residency and (for those working in Spain) contributing to Spanish Social Security, you become eligible for the public system, which is generally excellent. For Americans on Medicare, Medicare does not cover care received in Spain. Some retirees maintain Medicare and pay the Part B premiums in case they return to the U.S.; others let it lapse. Reactivation comes with late-enrollment penalties, so this decision deserves careful thought before it’s made. U.S. Social Security retirement benefits continue to be paid to U.S. citizens living in Spain, and the U.S.–Spain Totalization Agreement helps prevent dual social security taxation for many work situations. Working in Spain also generates Spanish social security credits that may eventually qualify you for Spanish retirement benefits, though qualification typically requires fifteen or more years of contributions. Estate Planning Across Borders This is the area most often deferred — and most often regretted. U.S. estate plans drafted assuming U.S. residence rarely work cleanly in Spain. Spain has its own inheritance and gift tax (Impuesto sobre Sucesiones y Donaciones) that applies to Spanish residents and to inheritances of Spanish-located assets. National rates run from 7.65% to 34%, with multipliers based on the relationship between the deceased and the beneficiary. Autonomous communities have wide latitude to set their own rates and bonifications, so effective rates vary enormously: in Madrid, Andalucía, and several other regions, close family members pay almost nothing; in others, rates approach the national maximum. Spanish forced heirship rules also differ from U.S. rules. Spain reserves a legitimate portion of an estate for certain heirs (typically children), which can override testamentary wishes expressed in a U.S. will. EU Regulation 650/2012 allows you to elect U.S. (or your nationality’s) law to govern your succession, but this election generally must be made explicitly in your will and is not automatic. Revocable living trusts, the workhorse of U.S. estate planning, are not transparent in Spain. The Spanish tax authority may treat the trust as a separate opaque entity, which can create unexpected income tax during life and complicate inheritance treatment at death. Many cross-border families need to revise or replace their trust structure before the move. Practical recommendations: consult a Spanish abogado experienced in cross-border estate planning before the move. Have a Spanish will (separate from your U.S. will) covering Spanish-located assets. Make explicit choice-of-law elections under EU Regulation 650/2012. Review beneficiary designations on all U.S. accounts to ensure they still make sense. Lifestyle Costs: What Spain Actually Costs in 2026 A rough framework for Spanish living costs in 2026, by region: Mid-sized cities (Valencia, Granada, Málaga, Seville, Zaragoza): A comfortable lifestyle for a single person runs €1,800–€2,500 per month including rent for a one-bedroom in a desirable neighborhood. A couple typically lives well on €3,000–€4,500 per month. Madrid and Barcelona: Add 30–50% to the above. A nice one-bedroom in central Madrid runs €1,400–€2,000 per month; in Barcelona, €1,500–€2,200. Total monthly costs for a single person comfortably range €2,800–€4,000. Coastal premium areas (Marbella, Ibiza, parts of Mallorca): Closer to U.S. coastal city costs, especially in summer months. Expect €4,000+ monthly for comfortable single living, often €6,000+ for couples. Rural and smaller towns: Substantially lower. Many Americans report living comfortably in Spanish villages or small cities for €1,500–€2,000 monthly per person, including rent. These figures cover housing, food, utilities, transport, basic entertainment, and private health insurance. They don’t include big-ticket items like a car purchase, international travel, or major medical events. A Practical Pre-Move Timeline For a hypothetical move twelve to eighteen months in the future, here’s the timeline we generally recommend: T-18 to T-12 months: Strategic planning. Engage a U.S.-side cross-border financial planner and a Spanish abogado/tax specialist. Decide on visa pathway. Begin tax-projection modeling. Identify which U.S. accounts will move and which custodians can serve you abroad. Begin Spanish language study if you haven’t already. T-12 to T-9 months: Big financial moves. If indicated, complete Roth conversions. Begin strategic gain harvesting in taxable accounts. Review 529 and HSA balances for pre-move decisions. Decide on U.S. real estate (sell, rent, or hold). Update estate documents. T-9 to T-6 months: Visa application. Gather documents, get FBI background check apostilled, prepare income documentation, file the visa application. (Application processing typically takes 4–5 months.) T-6 to T-3 months: Logistics. Arrange international moving company. Begin planning what to ship versus sell versus store. Open expat-friendly U.S. brokerage account if needed. Open Spanish non-resident bank account if possible. Identify Spanish housing for the first 3–6 months. T-3 months to move date: Execution. Final tax planning moves. Cancel U.S. utilities, services, insurance. Notify employer if working remotely. Confirm all Spanish appointments (NIE, padrón, visa pickup). Time the actual move date for tax efficiency — generally after July 2 in any given calendar year if circumstances permit. T-0 to T+6 months in Spain: Settling in. Register with local padrón. Apply for Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero (TIE). Set up Spanish utilities, internet, healthcare. Critically: file Beckham Law election within 6 months of Social Security registration if eligible. Begin Spanish tax registration with AEAT. T+12 months: First Spanish tax return. File first IRPF return for the partial year (if applicable). Review and adjust ongoing tax strategy based on actual income realized. How AIO Financial Works With Cross-Border Clients At AIO Financial, our work with Americans moving to Spain is fundamentally about reducing the cost of bad surprises. We are a fee-only fiduciary firm — meaning we receive no commissions, no kickbacks, no revenue from any product we recommend. Our clients pay us directly, and we work only for them. That structure matters especially for international moves, where the financial services industry’s commission-based incentives often push expats into expensive insurance products and PFIC-laden offshore structures that primarily benefit the salesperson. Our typical engagement with a Spain-bound client involves an initial deep planning phase eight to twelve months before the move, then transition support during the move itself, then ongoing investment management and annual planning review once settled. We coordinate with Spanish tax counsel and U.S. expat tax preparers — we don’t replace them, but we make sure all the pieces fit together. We help clients maintain compliant U.S. brokerage relationships from abroad through our institutional arrangements. We don’t claim to be everything. We’re not Spanish lawyers or accountants. We don’t handle Spanish tax filings ourselves. Spain’s gestores and Spanish tax advisors handle that side of the picture. Our role is the U.S.-side planning and the cross-border coordination — making sure the two systems work together rather than against each other for our clients. The Bottom Line Moving to Spain can be one of the best financial and lifestyle decisions an American family makes. It can also be one of the most expensive, depending on how the planning goes. The difference is rarely about how much money you have — it’s about how much advance planning you do. The tax rates aren’t usually the killer. Spain isn’t dramatically more expensive than the U.S. on income tax for most middle-income families. What costs people money is the avoidable mistakes: missing the Beckham Law deadline, holding the wrong type of investments, triggering U.S. capital gains in Spain when they could have been harvested at home, getting blindsided by Modelo 720 reporting, ending up in a high-wealth-tax region without realizing it. Almost all of these are preventable. The work to prevent them mostly happens twelve to eighteen months before the plane takes off, not after. If you’re seriously considering Spain, the time to start the financial planning conversation is now. AIO Financial is a fee-only fiduciary financial planning firm registered with the SEC, headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, and serving clients virtually across the United States and abroad. We specialize in expat financial planning, sustainable and impact investing, retirement planning, and tax-aware investment management. We earn no commissions, sell no products, and are compensated only by our clients. To discuss your situation, visit aiofinancial.com or contact us at 520-325-0769. This guide is for educational purposes only and is not legal, tax, or investment advice. Tax laws and visa rules change frequently. The figures, thresholds, and rates cited reflect our understanding as of early 2026 and are subject to change. Please consult qualified U.S. and Spanish professionals about your specific situation before making cross-border financial or relocation decisions.

Today, we released a new episode of the award-winning Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast examining one of the most significant recent federal developments in the fight against scams and fraud: Executive Order 14390. Hosted by Alan Kaplinsky (the founder, chair for 25 years and now Senior Counsel in the Consumer Financial Services Group), the episode features returning guests Kate Griffin and Nick Bourke of the Aspen Institute, who previously joined the podcast to discuss Aspen's landmark report, United We Stand: A National Strategy to Prevent Scams.   Why This Episode Matters Scams and fraud continue to impose staggering losses on American households, businesses, and financial institutions. As discussed in the episode, the Aspen report framed scams as a "whole-of-society" problem requiring coordination across government, financial institutions, technology companies, telecom providers, and civil society. The new Executive Order appears to respond directly to that challenge by calling for: A coordinated federal anti-scam strategy Greater inter-agency cooperation Enhanced public-private information sharing Increased disruption of transnational scam networks Stronger victim restitution and recovery efforts More aggressive international enforcement tools, including sanctions and diplomatic pressure In many respects, the Executive Order may represent the first serious federal attempt to build a national strategy to combat scams. Key Themes Explored in the Episode During the discussion, Kate Griffin described the Executive Order as the "starting gun" in the race against scams—an important signal that the federal government is now treating scams as a national priority. Nick Bourke emphasized that success will require more than enforcement alone. He noted that regulators, financial institutions, telecom carriers, and digital platforms must be empowered to share information and intervene more effectively when suspicious activity is detected. The conversation also examined: Coordination Across Government The Executive Order relies heavily on the federal government's National Coordination Center framework to align agencies such as the Departments of Treasury, State, Justice, and Defense. Whether that coordination translates into meaningful operational change remains to be seen. 2. Information Sharing and Safe Harbors The guests explained that one of the largest barriers to scam prevention is the inability of private-sector participants to share threat intelligence quickly because of privacy, litigation, or antitrust concerns. Legislative or regulatory safe harbors may ultimately be necessary. 3. Targeting the Scam Business Model Rather than focusing solely on individual fraudsters, the discussion stressed the need to undermine the economics of scams—making them harder, riskier, and less profitable for criminal enterprises to operate. 4. Victim Restoration A particularly notable feature of the Executive Order is its call for a victim restoration program, which could help return seized assets to scam victims more efficiently. 5. Modernizing Law Enforcement Tools The guests also highlighted the need to modernize legacy federal databases such as FBI and FinCEN reporting systems, many of which were designed before today's high-speed digital scam environment. What Comes Next? While the Executive Order is an important milestone, the guests agreed that additional action will be needed from Congress, regulators, and the private sector. A successful anti-scam strategy will likely require: Clearer legal pathways for data sharing Better consumer reporting systems Greater use of AI and analytics International cooperation Faster prosecutions and asset recovery Ongoing public education efforts Bottom Line This episode makes clear that scams are no longer simply a consumer-protection issue, they are now a national economic security issue. The White House has taken an important first step, but whether the Executive Order produces meaningful results will depend on execution, follow-through, and sustained cross-sector collaboration. Consumer Finance Monitor is hosted by Alan Kaplinsky, Senior Counsel at Ballard Spahr, and the founder and former chair of the firm's Consumer Financial Services Group. We encourage listeners to subscribe to the podcast on their preferred platform for weekly insights into developments in the consumer finance industry.

In this episode of AML Conversations, John Byrne is joined by Sarah Beth Felix, author of Dirty Money Weekly, for an in-depth discussion on the evolving state of AML and BSA reform. Recorded at the close of April, the conversation examines FinCEN's proposed AML program rule, with a critical look at how concepts like “effectiveness,” “risk-based approach,” and “reasonably designed” are used—and often left undefined. Sarah and John also dig into FinCEN's latest annual report, ongoing challenges with SAR data and form design, and what proposed changes could mean for enforcement consistency and regulatory bottlenecks. The episode explores emerging issues, including the PACE Act, AML model validation, and what meaningful modernization of the Bank Secrecy Act should prioritize ahead of an upcoming congressional hearing on BSA reform.

Attorney Stephen Kohn joins Jane Turner to sound the alarm on an urgent action alert regarding the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Whistleblower Law. This new law is the most comprehensive award program ever passed—covering everything from drug cartels to sanctions violations—yet proposed regulations written and administered by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) now threaten the very confidentiality whistleblowers critically depend on to stay safe. Act now—submit your comment before the June 1 deadline! Go to www.whistleblowers.org/actions/fincen-rules to take action today.Use the direct link to submit your official public comment to regulations.gov.You can easily cut and paste the proposed comment provided by the National Whistleblower Center.Your action is urgently needed. Massive public participation is critical right now to compel the Department of the Treasury to enact regulations that work as Congress intended and to protect those who risk everything to expose global corruption. Listen to the podcast on WNN or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon. Subscribe on your favorite platform!

Can the U.S. government send a software developer to prison for writing and publishing code? That's the question at the center of the Tornado Cash and Samourai Wallet prosecutions, and every crypto founder, builder and investor should understand the answer.This deep-dive episode walks through the history of U.S. money transmission law, how the DOJ is applying it to non-custodial software developers, what the Roman Storm verdict actually means, and what new legislation could change in 2026.Guests:Peter Van Valkenburgh — Executive Director, Coin CenterAmanda Tuminelli — Chief Executive Officer, DeFi Education FundBrian Klein — Partner at Cooley, lead defense attorney for Roman StormJake Chervinsky — Hyperliquid Policy Center (cameo)This is the most comprehensive podcast I've ever done. Welcome to Law of Code, Season 2.Timestamps:0:00 Intro3:18 What's at stake?4:40 Which developers are at risk6:03 Custodial vs. non-custodial9:32 What is a money transmission license?9:47 Steamships, the telegraph & Western Union12:14 The Bank Secrecy Act13:38 Section 196015:26 The Patriot Act19:39 FinCEN's 2013 and 2019 guidance24:42 OFAC sanctions Tornado Cash 27:30 How Tornado Cash works 30:48 Coin Center v. Yellen 32:24 DOJ indicts Roman Storm, Roman Semenov, Roman Sterlingov & Samourai Wallet developers35:15 The Van Loon win 40:33 Developer losses43:48 Bad facts make bad law48:46 Brian Klein on Roman Storm's case 50:50 The Brady letter57:00 Michael Lewellen sues for answers1:09:24 The Blanche memo1:18:46 The Galeotti speech1:26:13 Catch-22 for developers 1:30:03 The chilling effect on U.S. innovation1:33:48 Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act 1:38:03 Promoting Innovation in Blockchain Development Act1:45:28 What's nextNothing in this podcast is legal or investment advice. Newsletter: I'm re-launching the Law of Code newsletter soon: you can ⁠⁠⁠stay updated on emerging tech law for free here⁠⁠⁠. https://www.lawofcode.fm/ Any feedback on this episode? Or how to improve the podcast? ⁠⁠Click here⁠⁠. https://forms.gle/W4d2a5aHuLJjuNdn7 Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal or investment advice. Views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of their employers. Listening to this podcast does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Coinbase becomes a movie studio, Apple shows you the crew behind the commercial, and suddenly every brand is breaking the fourth wall just to prove the magic trick is real. This week, Toner and BTC Ankarino follow the signal through Finding Satoshi, gray-box AI, shiny Brian Armstrong stages, and the new media playbook where trust is manufactured one behind-the-scenes shot at a time.Meanwhile, Polymarket and Kalshi keep turning reality into a casino—soldiers betting on Maduro, airport thermometers getting hair-dried in Paris, and war maps settling million-dollar outcomes before anyone can say “premature payout.” Tether freezes $344 million like a private-state sanction machine, FinCEN and the OCC start building the next alphabet-soup enforcement stack, and stablecoins begin looking less like crypto rails and more like banks with better branding.Then it all gets weirder: Michael Saylor in Vegas, sovereign wealth funds circling media assets, Clarity Act dominoes, dream-state wearables, agentic sleep labor, and the terrifying question of who owns the billion-dollar idea your brain invents while you're unconscious. The world is becoming tokenized, surveilled, regulated, filmed, and bet on in real time.The casino is open. The truth layer has a thermostat. Better bring a battery-powered hairdryer.

On today's episode of The Stretch we recap the Chicago Bears 2026 draft class. While some picks may seem questionable and some needs appear to not be addressed, we have decided to trust Ben Johnson's process. We talk about some of the Bears newest rookies, Billy Donovan stepping down, the Cubs 10 game winning streak snapped and more. On today's episode of The Stretch we recap the Chicago Bears 2026 draft class. While some picks may seem questionable and some needs appear to not be addressed, we have decided to trust Ben Johnson's process. We talk about some of the Bears newest rookies, Billy Donovan stepping down, the Cubs 10 game winning streak snapped and more. SUPPORT THE SHOW Mountain Dew - Enjoy the refreshing citrus kick of Mountain Dew: an American Original. Grab a Dew. Tasting Great Since 48. Shopify - Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at https://SHOPIFY.com/stretch Kraken - Kraken's giving you $25 inBitcoin, new users go to kraken.com/barstool, use code BARSTOOL25 when you sign up, deposit and trade $100 boom -- $25 in BTC. Disclaimer: Securities and brokerage services offered by Kraken Securities LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Digital asset services offered by Payward Interactive Inc., (NMLS ID:1843762) a FINCEN registered money services business, not a member of FINRA/SIPC and not FDIC insured DraftKings - Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. 18+ (21+ in certain states) to open, own, or access an advance deposit wagering account and resident of a state where DK Horse or DK Racing is available. Eligibility restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Opt-in req. Min. $5 wager. Only the first straight single horse win wager on the Kentucky Derby placed after opt-in is eligible. Wager must win to qualify for an equal share of $1,000,000. Reward issued in cash within 7 days of race completion via a click to claim, which expires 30 days (720 hours) after receipt. Unclaimed rewards will be forfeited. Ends at the closing of the betting pool for the Kentucky Derby on 5/2/26. Terms: www.dkhorse.com/bet/offers/details; www.racing.draftkings.com/promos Sponsored by DraftKings.You can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/redlineradio

In this week's episode of This Week in AML, with Elliot traveling, Joe McNamara joins John Byrne to break down a busy week in global compliance news. The big domestic story is the Corporate Transparency Act, where the House Financial Services Committee passed a bill to repeal the CTA for domestic entities - but only by a single vote. The hosts unpack what that means, where the legislation goes from here, and why a separate threat to withhold FinCEN's entire budget adds another layer of uncertainty to an already complicated picture. North of the border, Canada's FINTRAC has rolled out updates to its administrative monetary penalty framework, including a notable elevation of certain compliance program violations from serious to very serious. Internationally, Transparency International had a busy week - launching a new Anti-Corruption Resource Center, announcing the EU's first Anti-Corruption Directive, and publishing a working paper on professional enablers implicated in illicit financial flows from Africa. AMLA is also moving forward with two public consultations on risk assessment and compliance standards, with hearings scheduled for May 20th and May 28th. Across the pond, the FCA is pressing ahead with the UK's crypto regulatory regime, targeting October 2027 for full implementation - with rules expected this summer and firm authorization applications opening in September 2026. The episode closes with a look at FATF's latest ministerial declaration, a heads-up on OCCRP's coverage of the CTA repeal, and a walkthrough of FinCEN's 2025 Year in Review - a document the hosts recommend as essential reading for any BSA professional. Plus, a preview of AML RightSource's upcoming May webinar on global financial access and a recent AML Conversations episode featuring former IRS CI Special Agent in Charge Paul Camacho.

Thursday April 23, 2026 FinCen Fines Canaccord $80 Million

On today's show we are joined by Jeff D. Lowe and Clem for a draft of the greatest fast food french fries of all time. SUPPORT THE SHOW: Shopify - Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at https://SHOPIFY.com/dogwalk Mountain Dew - Enjoy the refreshing citrus kick of Mountain Dew: an American Original. Grab a Dew. Tasting Great Since 48. Kraken - Kraken's giving you $25 inBitcoin, new users go to kraken.com/barstool, use code BARSTOOL25 when you sign up, deposit and trade $100 boom -- $25 in BTC. Disclaimer: Securities and brokerage services offered by Kraken Securities LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Digital asset services offered by Payward Interactive Inc., (NMLS ID:1843762) a FINCEN registered money services business, not a member of FINRA/SIPC and not FDIC insured Stella Blue - Grab yours now at https://stellabluecoffee.com, Amazon, and select retailers nationwide.You can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/thedogwalk

The boys sit down this week in a new set up. We talk tootsie rolls, green apple caramel pops, Coachella, Atlanta, nicknames, and more! Ads: DraftKings - GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-MY-RESET, (800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org (MA). Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Please Gamble Responsibly. 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), or visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD), 1-800-981-0023 (PR). 21+ and present in most states. (18+ DC/KY/NH/PR/WY). Void in NH/OR/ONT/PR. Eligibility restrictions apply. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino (KS). Pass-thru of per wager tax may apply in IL. 1 per new DraftKings Sportsbook customer. Must register new account to receive reward Token. Must select Token BEFORE placing min. $5 bet to receive $300 in Bonus Bets if your bet wins. Min. -500 odds req. Min. deposit varies, either $5 or $10. Token and Bonus Bets are single-use and non-withdrawable. Bet must settle by and Token expires 5/3/26 at 11:59 PM ET. Bonus Bets expire in 7 days (168 hours). Stake removed from payout. Terms: sportsbook.draftkings.com/promos. Ends 4/26/26 at 11:59 PM ET. Sponsored by DK. Jackpocket - GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is a lottery courier and not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. 1 per new customer. Min. $5 deposit. Max. $10 issued in non-withdrawable Lottery Credits that expire in 7 days (168 hours). Ends 5/3/26 at 11:59 PM ET. Terms: https://jkpt.co/DEPOSIT5. Scratch off tickets subject to availability. Sponsored by Jackpocket.  *Based on 2025 iOS download data collected by Sensor Tower. Kraken - Don't be the guy telling the story later.Be in it. Kraken's giving you $25 in Bitcoin, new users go to https://kraken.com/barstool, use code BARSTOOL25 when you sign up, deposit and trade $100 boom -- $25 in BTC. Done.   Disclaimer: Securities and brokerage services offered by Kraken Securities LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Digital asset services offered by Payward Interactive Inc., (NMLS ID:1843762) a FINCEN registered money services business, not a member of FINRA/SIPC and not FDIC insured Stella Blue - Grab yours now at https://stellabluecoffee.com, Amazon, and select retailers nationwide. More ANUS content ⬇️ https://linktr.ee/anuspodcastYou can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/anuspodcast

Thursday April 16, 2026 FinCen Fines Broker Dealer $80 Million

Insurance agents are trained annually using FinCen manuals to identify frivolous financial services products. How did this insurance agent let himself get scammed?

On the upcoming show, we chat with Janelle Kennedy about the latest in real estate and dive into important updates from FinCEN. #LasVegasRealEstate #FinCEN #RealEstateNews #LasVegas #RealEstateRadio #RadioShow Facebook: www.facebook.com/LVRealEstateRadio Twitter: www.twitter.com/LVRERadio LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/LVRealEstateRadio Instagram: www.instagram.com/lvrealestateradio/ SoundCloud: @lvrealestateradio Website: www.lvrealestateradio.com

In this week's This Week in AML, Elliot Berman and John Byrne break down FinCEN's newly released notice of proposed rulemaking to modernize the AML/CFT program rule—its first major rethink in two decades. They explore what a risk-based refocus could mean in practice, including new requirements for risk assessments, changes to the four pillars, examiner discretion, and the unprecedented requirement that bank regulators consult with FinCEN before certain enforcement actions. The conversation also covers a flurry of regulatory and enforcement developments: the OCC's GENIUS Act proposal on stablecoins, the removal of reputation risk from bank examinations, and what both could mean for smaller financial institutions. Elliot and John look back at the 10-year anniversary of the Panama Papers, review the FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Report, and discuss global enforcement challenges—from scam centers in Southeast Asia to resource constraints at foreign FIUs.

Episode 82:  In this episode, Timalyn talks about FinCen Form 114, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR). Within recent years, FinCen has cracked down on those who are willingly not filing their FBAR. The civil penalties for mistakes with the FBAR can range from $500 - $1,000,000+. That is why Timalyn is discussing it today, to help people avoid those penalties. What is the FBAR?The Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) was passed in the 1970s to help stop money laundering. Part of that requires taxpayers to disclose certain foreign financial accounts. This includes bank accounts, brokerage accounts, and mutual funds. These taxpayers are required to do this annually to the Treasury Department on Form 114.  Who needs to file the FBAR? Not all taxpayers with foreign accounts are required to file an FBAR. It can be an individual who is a citizen or resident, or an entity such as a partnership, corporation, LLC, Trust, or estate. They have a filing requirement if they meet the following requirements: A financial interest in or signature authority over at least one financial account outside of the United States. The aggregate amount in the account(s) at any time during the calendar year was $10,000 or more. There are some exceptions to these rules that can be found on the FinCen and IRS websites.  How do you file the FBAR? You can pay a tax professional to file the FBAR for you or you can file it yourself for free online by using the BSA E-filing system. If you choose to have a tax professional file this form for you, be sure that they have experience with preparing a Form 114. This is a specialized form.  If you'd like a tax professional or someone else to prepare this form for you and submit it electronically, you must fill out Form 114a, Record of Authorization to electronically file FBARs. This form is required even if the person filing the form for you is your spouse. When is the FBAR Due?The FBAR is due on April 15th, the same date as your 1040. However, it is not to be filed with your 1040. These forms go to two different areas under the treasury. Your tax return goes to the IRS and your FBAR goes to FinCen. If you miss the April 15th deadline you can get an automatic extension until October 15th, even without requesting it. If you have trouble in the future with your FBAR, you do have the right to representation. A tax professional with Form 2848, Power of Attorney, and Declaration of Representative on file with the IRS can do this for you. Only an Enrolled Agent, such as Timalyn, Certified Public Accountant, or Tax Attorney, can have a Form 2848 and be your tax power of attorney. Need Tax Help Now?If you need answers to your tax debt questions, book a consultation with Timalyn via her Bowens Tax Solutions website.  Click this link to book a call.Please consider sharing this episode with your friends and family. This information might be helpful to someone who really needs it.  As we conclude Episode 82, we encourage you to connect with Timalyn on social media. You'll be able to subscribe to this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and many other podcast platforms.  Remember, Timalyn Bowens is America's Favorite EA, and she's here to fill the tax literacy gap, one taxpayer at a time.  Thanks for listening to today's episode.For more information about tax relief options or filing your taxes, visit https://www.Bowenstaxsolutions.com/.If you have any feedback or suggestions for an upcoming episode topic, please submit them here:  https://www.americasfavoriteea.com/contact.Disclaimer:  This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only.  It provides a framework and possible solutions for solving your tax problems, but it is not legally binding.  Please consult your tax professional regarding your specific tax situation.

AML RightSource's John Byrne sits down with Dan Stipano, partner at Davis Polk's Financial Institutions and Regulation Group and former Deputy Enforcement Director at the OCC, for an immediate reaction to FinCEN's newly proposed AML/CFT Program Rule. The conversation covers the genesis of the proposal and its key structural changes — including the bifurcation of program establishment and implementation, the formal incorporation of national AML priorities, and the clarification of the US-based compliance officer requirement. Most notably, the two dig into what may be the rule's most consequential provision: FinCEN's unprecedented new role as a gatekeeper over federal banking agency supervisory and enforcement actions. They also touch on a separate final rule from the OCC, the Fed, and the FDIC that eliminates reputational risk from the supervisory framework and what that means for banks' account decisions going forward.

Control the Government or Get Government Control  If you want to know what you are going to pay for goods and services in the future, just look at what the government is spending today. They will take money from you, your kids, and your grandkids, and, if that won't cover what they want to spend, they will use the invisible tax of inflation. Total government spending worldwide is 100% of global GDP. No country has come back when they reach 120%, and we are almost there worldwide! We also talk about Iran, property taxes, FINCEN being beaten down again by the Supreme Court, the government's attempts to crush information for political gain, and the threat of mRNA in all meat! Most of our government officials are not doing a great job representing us, and the few that are can only do so much. It is up to the citizens to realize that if they don't control the government, what they will get is the government controlling them! Sponsors: American Gold Exchange Our dealer for precious metals & the exclusive dealer of Real Power Family silver rounds. Get your first, or next bullion order from American Gold Exchange like we do. Tell them the Real Power Family sent you! Click on this link to get a FREE Starters Guide. Or Click Here to order our new Real Power Family silver rounds. 1 Troy Oz 99.99% Fine Silver Abolish Property Taxes in Ohio: www.AxOHTax.com  Get more information about abolishing all property taxes in Ohio. Our Links: www.RealPowerFamily.com Info@RealPowerFamily.com 833-Be-Do-Have (833-233-6428)

In this episode, Elliot Berman and John Byrne break down a wide‑ranging set of regulatory and enforcement developments shaping the global financial crime landscape. The conversation covers major U.S. bank settlements tied to the Epstein litigation, a closely watched Capital One debanking case involving Trump‑affiliated entities, and key overseas actions—from Australia's expanded AML regime to the UK's sanctions enforcement against Apple and a massive scam operation in Cambodia. The discussion also dives into the OECD's latest anti‑bribery report, FinCEN's proposed whistleblower award program, emerging healthcare fraud typologies, and renewed concerns over the weakening of the U.S. Corporate Transparency Act. Wrapping up, Elliot and John assess developments tied to FATF's mutual evaluation of the United States, nonprofit de‑risking, and new OFAC guidance on sham transactions—offering critical context for compliance professionals navigating a rapidly shifting risk environment.

In this episode of AML Conversations, John Byrne sits down with Sarah Beth Felix—AML expert and author of Dirty Money Weekly—for a wide‑ranging discussion on the biggest AML, sanctions, and financial crime developments shaping the landscape in March 2026. Drawing on insights from multiple industry conferences and recent regulatory activity, Sarah shares why banks of all sizes are becoming more creative in financial crime detection, why sanctions compliance is no longer just a name-matching exercise, and how AI can be leveraged thoughtfully to manage growing complexity. The conversation explores Treasury's newly released national risk assessments, critical gaps in the U.S. regulatory framework, and what institutions should take away as the FATF mutual evaluation continues. John and Sarah also dig into the implications of recent court decisions affecting FinCEN's residential real estate rule, ongoing lobbying challenges, FINRA's growing leadership in AML enforcement, and why now is not the time for institutions to let their guard down—despite shifting regulatory priorities. This episode is a must‑listen for AML, compliance, and risk professionals looking for practical, unfiltered insights on where the industry stands—and where it's headed next. The views expressed in this podcast represent those of the speakers and not AML RightSource.

In this milestone 300th episode of This Week in AML, Elliot Berman and John Byrne reflect briefly on the evolution of the podcast before diving into a wide‑ranging discussion of the most pressing developments in the AML, sanctions, and financial crime landscape. The episode features key takeaways from the Fifth Annual AML Partnership Forum in Washington, DC, including insights on public‑private collaboration, cryptocurrency investigations, fraud trends, sextortion, and human trafficking. Elliot and John also unpack major global and domestic developments—from wartime corruption risks and sanctions involving Iran and Russia, to FATF's new anti‑fraud toolkit and a federal court ruling striking down FinCEN's residential real estate AML rule. Additional topics include emerging concerns about insider trading and prediction markets, nonprofit investigations tied to domestic extremism, shifting counterterrorism resources, and new reporting on classified information and financial motives. The episode closes with reflections on public service and the legacy of former FBI Director Robert Mueller. As always, listeners are encouraged to review the source material referenced and draw their own conclusions.

What happens when national security collides with everyday real estate transactions? In this episode of the Title Agents Podcast, Crosby and Zina unpack a fast-moving legal battle that's sending shockwaves through the title and escrow industry. A sweeping federal rule designed to track illicit money in real estate was rolled out nationwide, only to be struck down days later by a federal judge, while another court upheld it. This isn't just regulatory noise. It's a direct clash between privacy rights, government oversight, and the role of title professionals caught in the middle. From FinCEN's aggressive reporting requirements to constitutional challenges and conflicting court rulings, this episode breaks down what's happening right now and what it means for your business moving forward. If you're in title, escrow, or real estate, this is one of those moments you can't afford to ignore.   What you'll learn from this episode Why the federal government expanded reporting nationwide  The constitutional challenge against FinCEN Main reason why the Texas federal court struck down the rule entirely The conflicting Florida ruling that upheld the same regulation What title companies should be doing right now   Resources mentioned in this episode  Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) American Land Title Association (ALTA) Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) Qualia Foley & Lardner LLP Bowditch & Dewey   Connect With Us Love what you're hearing? Don't miss an episode! Follow us on our social media channels and stay connected.    Explore more on our website: www.alltechnational.com/podcast Stay updated with our newsletter: www.mochoumil.com Follow Mo on LinkedIn: Mo Choumil Stop waiting on underwriter emails or callbacks—TitleGPT.ai gives you instant, reliable answers to your title questions. Whether it's underwriting, compliance, or tricky closings, the information you need is just a click away. No more delays—work smarter, close faster. Try it now at www.TitleGPT.ai. Closing more deals starts with more appointments. At Alltech National Title, our inside sales team works behind the scenes to fill your pipeline, so you can focus on building relationships and closing business. No more cold calling—just real opportunities. Get started at AlltechNationalTitle.com. Extra hands without extra overhead—that's Safi Virtual. Our trained virtual assistants specialize in the title industry, handling admin work, client communication, and data entry so you can stay focused on closing deals. Scale smarter and work faster at SafiVirtual.com.

Two major housing developments just hit real estate investors in a short window, and both could have a big impact on how you buy, hold, and scale residential real estate. In this episode of the TaxSmart REI Podcast, Thomas Castelli and Nate Sosa break down the Senate's 21st Century Road to Housing Act and FinCEN's new residential real estate reporting rule that went live on March 1. They cover what the proposed housing bill could mean for investors with large single-family portfolios, the key exceptions built into the legislation, and how forced exit rules could create major tax planning considerations. To become a client, request a consultation from Hall CPA, PLLC at go.therealestatecpa.com/3KSEev6 Register for our FREE Tax Mistakes Webinar: https://go.therealestatecpa.com/3PpELKu Submit your question for Tom & Nathan: go.therealestatecpa.com/question The Tax Smart Real Estate Investors podcast is for general information purposes only and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Information on the podcast may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information. No reader, user, or listener of this podcast should act or refrain from acting on the basis of information on this podcast without first seeking legal and tax advice from counsel in the relevant jurisdiction. Only your individual attorney and tax advisor can provide assurances that the information contained herein – and your interpretation of it – is applicable or appropriate to your particular situation. Use of, and access to, this podcast or any of the links or resources contained or mentioned within the podcast show and show notes do not create a relationship between the reader, user, or listener and podcast hosts, contributors, or guests. Any mention of third-party vendors, products, or services does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. You should conduct your own due diligence before engaging with any vendor.

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: New polling is out in the Texas Republican primary runoff race for U.S. Senate between Ken Paxton and ol' John Cornyn. One might say about it: The more things change, the more things remain the same. Paxton is leading Cornyn and as expected has picked up the majority of Wesley Hunt voters. See the full breakdown from Quantus here.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Anti-Wimp update: Incident leads to home invasion; homeowner was ready for action.Federal court in Texas strikes down FinCEN's horrible real estate surveillance rule that burdened title companies with big expenses and fines. Hub City Title's Lee Williams discusses the issue with us.Microsoft to rent data center expansion in Abilene from which Oracle backed away.TEA orders public schools to suspend instruction and activities related to the nasty Cesar Chavez. Also, new leadership for Fort Worth ISD announced.UNT to cut its leftwing Women's and Gender Studies minor.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

A new federal reporting rule could impact how real estate investors buy and transfer property. In this episode, Kathy Fettke sits down with asset protection attorney Clint Coons to break down the new FinCEN real estate reporting requirements that took effect March 1. The rule targets certain residential real estate transactions involving business entities and cash purchases, requiring detailed reporting to the U.S. Treasury. Clint explains which transactions are now reportable, what exemptions exist, and why many investors are reconsidering how they structure property ownership. He also discusses strategies investors are using to maintain privacy and asset protection, including the role of land trusts and LLCs. If you buy investment property, transfer property into an LLC, or purchase real estate with cash, this is an important update you won't want to miss.

Guest: Pete HeimRates slip into the High 5s as the “rate flip” loosens lock-in sellers, while cash buyers surge and affordability shifts across regions. We share practical buying strategies, explain the new FinCEN rule for entity cash deals, and outline spring selling moves that actually pay off.• New show cadence and focus on bigger real estate shifts• Mortgage rate dip and first “rate flip” in five years• Low inventory dynamics and millions re-entering the market• Why cash offers win and how to compete without cash• FinCEN reporting for LLC and Entity Purchases• Renting versus Buying by region and affordability data• Down payment assistance options including PHFA trade-offs• Spring prep that boosts ROI and pricing discipline• Wages rising faster than prices!!Thanks for watching the show every Thursday at 7 p.m ---Welcome to The Brad Weisman Show, where we dive into the world of real estate, real life, and everything in between with your host, Brad Weisman!

In this episode of the Mountain Real Estate Podcast, Candice Day talks with Brooke Roberts from Land Title about the Federal Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and its implications for real estate transactions. The discussion explores the new requirements placed on title companies, attorneys, and buyers and sellers involved with cash purchases under LLCs or trusts. They highlight the steps needed to comply, the importance of early communication, and the role of secure portals in submitting sensitive information. The conversation underscores the new goals of FinCEN in preventing money laundering and ensuring legal safety in real estate deals.

A new federal reporting rule is changing how some real estate transactions are reported to the government. But what does it actually mean for homeowners and estate planning?In this episode of the Legacy Lawyers Podcast, we break down FinCEN's new real estate reporting requirements, why the rule exists, and which property transfers are typically exempt. We also explain how real estate owned through entities like LLCs may be treated differently.If you own property or are planning your estate, this episode will help you understand what to know moving forward.

This week, Elliot and John unpack a whirlwind of global developments impacting financial crime compliance. They break down a major OCCRP report on how Russia, North Korea, and Iran are exploiting cryptocurrency for sanctions evasion and illicit finance—alongside new Chainalysis insights on post-strike crypto movements in Iran. The conversation explores FATF's latest reports on stablecoins, cyber-enabled fraud, and the evolving risk-based approach. On the U.S. regulatory front, they cover the effective date of FinCEN's residential real estate reporting rule, the OCC's proposed stablecoin framework under the GENIUS Act, and the ongoing debate over rollbacks to the Corporate Transparency Act. Across the Atlantic, they examine the FCA's push to strengthen AML supervision for professional bodies. The episode also examines the liquidation of Swiss bank MBaer under U.S. enforcement pressure and amid concerns about recent counterintelligence cuts.

Send a textBroker to broker compensation is done in South Carolina. But how do you real estate agents navigate through the compensation discussion now?  For some reason, we want to make this very difficult. But it is not.  It does require you to understand and articulate your value.  It is not time and task based, rather it is based on outcomes.  Listing agents must learn how to educate the sellers about commission negotiations. Buyer agents need to adapt their strategies in this new environment.  This is not anti-buyer agent. It is pro-agent and pro-client. Don't forget to like us and share us!Gary* Gary serves on the South Carolina Real Estate Commission as a Commissioner. The opinions expressed herein are his opinions and are not necessarily the opinions of the SC Real Estate Commission. This podcast is not to be considered legal advice. Please consult an attorney in your area.

FinCEN reporting has officially arrived. This week, we sit down with Kim Whitlock to talk about what this change actually looks like for title agents across the country. If your office is working through FinCEN reporting right now, this episode offers perspective, reassurance, and a reminder that you're not navigating this shift alone. For resources and links mentioned in this episode, visit the show notes: www.proplogix.com/podcasts/ep-71/

The withdrawal closes a chapter that hung over the world's oldest CBI program for more than a decade; PM Drew credits three years of reform.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Privacy is under attack again — and real estate investors need to pay attention. A new federal rule tied to FinCEN and the Corporate Transparency Act now requires certain residential real estate transfers to file a Real Estate Report disclosing personal information of LLC owners. If you're transferring property to an LLC, buying with cash, or using creative financing without a bank involved, this could apply to you starting March 1st.In this episode of the Main Street Business Podcast, Mark J. Kohler and Mat Sorensen break down exactly when this new reporting requirement is triggered, what information must be disclosed, and the penalties for non-compliance. They also explain key exemptions — including the trust exception — and walk through potential privacy strategies using land trusts, Wyoming LLCs, and layered entity structures to help protect your name while staying compliant. If you own rental property or are actively investing in real estate, this is critical information.Make sure you understand the rules before your next transfer. Subscribe for weekly tax and legal strategies, leave a comment with your questions, and share this episode with other real estate investors who need to know about this change!You'll Learn:What the new FinCEN Real Estate Report is and why it's being enforcedThe three specific scenarios that trigger this new federal reporting requirementWhat personal information must be disclosed (and who has to report it)How this rule connects to the Corporate Transparency Act and beneficial ownership reportingWhich real estate transactions are exempt — including the trust exceptionThe risks and penalties for failing to complyHow transferring property to an LLC is still critical for asset protectionPractical privacy strategies using trusts and Wyoming LLCsHow to balance state-level privacy with federal reporting requirementsSmart next steps to stay compliant without sacrificing asset protection or overpaying for entity setupsGet a comprehensive tax consultation with one of our Main Street tax lawyers that can build a tax strategy plan with an affordable consultation that will leave you speechless!! Here's the link - https://kkoslawyers.com/services/comprehensive-bus-tax-consult/?utm_source=buzzsprout&utm_medium=description-link&utm_campaign=main-street-business-podcast&utm_content=msbp611-fincen-real-estate-report Grab my eBook 30 Unique Strategies Every Business Owner Should Know! You don't want to miss this! Secure your tickets for the #1 Event For Small Business Owners On Main Street America: Main Street 360 Looking to connect with a rock star law firm? KKOS is only a click away! Are you ready to get certified in EVERY strategy I teach? Start your journey with a FREE 15-minute discovery call to explore the Main Street Tax Pro Certification. Check out our YOUTUBE Channel Here: https://www.youtube.com/markjkohler Craving more content? Check out my Instagram!

In this week's episode, Elliot Berman and John Byrne cover a wide-ranging set of developments reshaping the global AML landscape. They open by marking the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine before diving into new regulatory, enforcement, and geopolitical stories affecting financial crime professionals. John highlights the Federal Reserve's request for comment on removing “reputation risk” from bank supervision and discusses ongoing litigation involving JPMorgan and the Trump Organization. The conversation then turns international: OCCRP's newly announced Anti-Corruption Hero Awards, revelations of European-made parts ending up in Russian military drones, and the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law's work on financial access for human rights defenders. Elliot and John also examine Australia's transition to a new AML/CFT regime and Canada's new financial intelligence initiative focused on extortion. Additional topics include the Treasury Inspector General's audit of FinCEN, IRS-CI's latest BSA data usage report, and U.S. cases involving cyber intrusions and tax fraud.

Show Notes - https://forum.closednetwork.io/t/episode-52-opsec-fail-epstein-files-why-decentralized-systems-are-a-threat-to-power-networks-age-verify-is-coming-to-everything/177Website / Donations / Support - https://closednetwork.io/support/BTC Lightning Donations - closednetwork@getalby.com / simon@primal.netThank You Patreons! - https://www.patreon.com/closednetworkMichael Bates - Privacy Bad AssDavid - Privacy Bad AssInferno Potato - Privacy Bad AssTK - Privacy Bad AssDavid - Privacy Bad AssVO - Privacy Bad AssMrMilkMustache - Privacy SupporterHutch - Privacy AdvocateTOP LIGHTNING BOOSTERS !!!! THANK YOU !!!@bon@sn@x@fireflygowartime@unkown@anonymousBBB - Buy Me. A Coffee - $30.00Thank You To Our Moderators:Unintelligentseven - Follow on NOSTR primal.net/p/npub15rp9gyw346fmcxgdlgp2y9a2xua9ujdk9nzumflshkwjsc7wepwqnh354dMaddestMax - Follow on NOSTR primal.net/p/npub133yzwsqfgvsuxd4clvkgupshzhjn52v837dlud6gjk4tu2c7grqq3sxavtJoin Our CommunityClosed Network Forum - https://forum.closednetwork.ioJoin Our Matrix Channels!Main - https://matrix.to/#/#closedntwrk:matrix.orgOff Topic - https://matrix.to/#/#closednetworkofftopic:matrix.orgSimpleX Group Chat - https://smp9.simplex.im/g#SRBJK7JhuMWa1jgxfmnOfHz7Bl5KjnKUFL5zy-Jn-j0Join Our Mastodon server!https://closednetwork.socialFollow Simon On The SocialsMastodon - https://closednetwork.social/@simonNOSTR - Public Address - npub186l3994gark0fhknh9zp27q38wv3uy042appcpx93cack5q2n03qte2lu2 - primal.net/simonTwitter / X - @ClosedNtwrkInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/closednetworkpodcast/YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@closednetworkEmail - simon@closednetwork.ioApple rolls out age-verification tools worldwide to comply with growing web of child safety lawshttps://techcrunch.com/2026/02/24/apple-rolls-out-age-verification-tools-worldwide-to-comply-with-growing-web-of-child-safety-laws/iOS 26.3—Update Now Warning Issued To All iPhone Usershttps://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2026/02/13/ios-263-update-now-warning-issued-to-all-iphone-users/Using the vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-20700, an attacker could execute arbitrary code. “Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals on versions of iOS before iOS 26,” Apple said on its support page.iOS 26.4 Beta - End-To-End RCS Encryption For Messageshttps://www.macrumors.com/guide/ios-26-4-beta-features/#:~:text=End%2Dto%2DEnd%20RCS%20Encryption%20for%20MessagesPopular password managers fall short of “zero-knowledge” claimshttps://cyberinsider.com/popular-password-managers-fall-short-of-zero-knowledge-claims/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLJ_sLr72-gWatch Out: Your Friends Might Be Sharing Your Number With ChatGPThttps://www.pcmag.com/news/watch-out-your-friends-might-be-sharing-your-number-with-chatgpt?test_uuid=04IpBmWGZleS0I0J3epvMrC&test_variant=ABitLocker, the FBI, and the Illusion of Controlhttps://cryptomator.org/blog/2026/02/15/bitlocker-fbi-and-the-illusion-of-control/Google patches first Chrome zero-day exploited in attacks this yearhttps://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/google-patches-first-chrome-zero-day-exploited-in-attacks-this-year/the watchers: how openai, the US government, and persona built an identity surveillance machine that files reports on you to the fedshttps://vmfunc.re/blog/personaTL;DR: discord's KYC provider (persona) is very naked, very poorly secured federal intelligence outfit, and also a siphon for openai data for them and their partners like worldcoinThe most interesting part (for me) is that it legit crosschecks a discord ID check (actually involves checking your face, IP, device signature, etc....) against chainanlysis dossiers for any partial matches to devices/people/accounts/names involved with tracked crypto addresses.So, if chainalysis gets a device signature, and then you verify your discord on the same device (yielding the same signature), both FinCEN, Chainalysis, OpenAI, and basically everyone now knows your crypto tx your device sig your real identityBill Summary: SB26-051 – Age Attestation on Computing DevicesPurpose:SB26-051 requires operating system providers (such as mobile device platforms) to implement an age attestation system that signals a user's age bracket to apps in order to enhance protections for minors.What the Bill Requires1. Operating System Providers Must:Provide an accessible interface at account setup requiring the account holder to enter the user's birth date or age.Generate an “age signal” that communicates the user's age bracket (not exact age) to applications in a covered app store.Provide developers access to this age signal through a real-time API.Share only the minimum amount of information necessary to comply.Not share the age signal with third parties except as required by the bill.2. Application Developers Must:Request the age signal when the app is downloaded and launched.Treat the age signal as knowledge of the user's age range across all platforms and access points.If they have clear and convincing evidence that a user's age differs from the signal, they must rely on that updated information.Not request more information than necessary.Not share the age signal with third parties except as required by the bill.Enforcement & PenaltiesIf violated:Up to $2,500 per minor per negligent violationUp to $7,500 per minor per intentional violationEnforced through civil action by the Colorado Attorney GeneralIn Simple TermsThe bill creates a standardized age-verification signal built into device operating systems. Instead of each app independently collecting age data, the operating system provides an age bracket to apps — while limiting unnecessary data sharing.The goal is to:Strengthen protections for minorsLimit excessive data collectionCreate a consistent age-verification framework across apps

In this episode of AML Conversations, John Byrne sits down with Sarah Beth Felix—AML expert and author of Dirty Money Weekly—to break down the biggest storylines shaping financial crime compliance this month. Sarah offers a practical, forward-looking take on the Epstein files and why community and midsize banks must rethink their approach to adverse media screening. She and John also unpack the confusion surrounding the administration's de-risking Executive Order, the impact of FinCEN's recent CDD “exceptive relief,” and the optics behind the agency's decision to rescind its advisory on the St. Kitts & Nevis Citizenship‑by‑Investment program. They dive deeper into IRS‑CI's newly released data proving the value of BSA reporting—and what rising CTR/SAR thresholds could mean for law enforcement. To close, Sarah responds to emerging rumors that banks should be required to capture and track customer citizenship status, explaining why such a shift would have massive operational implications. This is a must-listen for AML professionals navigating a rapidly changing regulatory landscape and looking for actionable insight, context, and clarity.

Open Frontier Executive Director Erik Balsbaugh and board member Amanda Wick join Andy Pickering for a wide-ranging conversation on crypto, politics, and the future of digital finance. The discussion explores why digital assets are too important to be left to partisan trench warfare, and why the real promise of crypto has less to do with speculation and more to do with reducing fees, expanding access, and breaking the grip of extractive financial intermediaries. Erik and Amanda make the case that this is ultimately a fight about fairness, affordability, and who the financial system is built to serve. Why you should listen Erik lays out the mission behind Open Frontier: to ensure progressive and broader public-interest voices stay engaged in shaping digital asset policy before the space is captured by incumbents and centralized financial power. He argues that crypto and fintech can help restore finance to everyday people by lowering remittance costs, reducing predatory fees, and enabling more transparent, accountable financial flows. Rather than letting digital assets become just another tool for concentrated institutions, Open Frontier wants to push for a democratic financial future—one where the benefits of innovation reach workers, immigrants, nonprofits, and small businesses, not just insiders and early winners. Amanda brings hard-earned perspective from the Department of Justice, FinCEN, Chainalysis, and Capitol Hill, and offers one of the episode's sharpest reframes: crypto doesn't uniquely create crime—it makes financial activity more visible. She argues that much of the outrage around crypto crime reflects a visibility problem, not a new crime problem, noting that scams, laundering, and illicit finance long predate blockchain. What changed is that crypto put more of it in plain sight. She also takes aim at the media and political tendency to reduce the entire sector to meme coins and scandals, while ignoring the less flashy but genuinely transformative use cases: stablecoins, cheaper cross-border payments, tokenization, digital identity, and financial infrastructure that can return value to consumers instead of extracting it. The conversation closes on the geopolitical and ethical stakes of the current moment. Amanda warns that stablecoins are becoming a major global channel for dollar access, and that U.S. policymakers risk undermining dollar influence if they fail to regulate intelligently and stay competitive while other jurisdictions move faster. At the same time, both guests address the reputational damage caused by political grift and conflicts of interest in crypto, stressing that corruption should be treated as a governance and ethics problem—not as evidence that the underlying technology should be discarded. Amanda ends with a broader call that goes beyond left versus right: in a world increasingly split between the haves and the have-nots, digital assets may be one of the few tools capable of shifting structural power in finance—if people pay attention before the opportunity is lost. Supporting links Stabull Finance Open Frontier Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin If you enjoyed the show please subscribe to the Crypto Conversation and give us a 5-star rating and a positive review in whatever podcast app you are using.  

On today's bonus episode, Editor in Chief Sarah Wheeler talks with Brooklee Han, Senior Real Estate Reporter and a former Olympian, about how her experience at the top of the ice skating world influences her work as a reporter. Related to this episode: Court upholds FinCEN's anti-money laundering rule for home sales HousingWire | YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ More info about HousingWire To learn more about Trust & Will click here. The HousingWire Daily podcast brings the full picture of the most compelling stories in the housing market reported across HousingWire. Each morning, listen to editor in chief Sarah Wheeler talk to leading industry voices and get a deeper look behind the scenes of the top mortgage and real estate.

In this episode, Elliot Berman and John Byrne break down the major developments from the February FATF Plenary, including Kuwait and Papua New Guinea joining the Grey List and updates on evaluations for Austria, Italy, and Singapore. They also explore FATF leadership changes and the reiteration of Russia's suspension. The conversation moves into rising crypto-enabled human trafficking networks highlighted in a new report from Chainalysis, Cambodia's large-scale crackdown on fraud centers, and several key U.S. regulatory updates. These include FinCEN's new CDD “exceptive relief,” the rollout of a whistleblower portal, and the OCC's proposed changes to the bank appeals process. Elliot and John also discuss recent law enforcement actions, Supreme Court efforts to strengthen conflict-of-interest checks, and a Federal Reserve governor's insight into how AI may reshape the labor market.

Today, Blair discusses a new FinCEN rule requiring reporting of certain non‑financed residential transfers to entities or trusts starting March 1, 2026.