Here are the top Anti-Financial Crime and AML stories so far this week:

SCHUMAN DIARY:?Publisher for AML Intelligence,? Stephen Rae writes about EUROPE's new Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) which is expected to be?operational?by this year's end.

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The European Parliament is preparing to hold a full plenary session on the authority around the end of April or beginning of May, it has been learned.

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This will follow the work of rapporteurs in the parliament who are currently setting out how they think AMLA should operate and will report by the end of next month. A full vote will then follow at plenary session of the parliament before summer.

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Read the story:?Europe’s new AML Authority (AMLA) set to gain full legal status by year end as parliament gets ready for major vote on agency

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SCHUMAN DIARY EXCLUSIVE: Europe's new AML Authority (AMLA) will?require?in the region of 500 staff - double the original estimate, 'AML Intelligence' has learned.

The Authority's budget will also have to be raised to an estimated €400M.

The increases reflect the European Council's decision to raise the number of institutions directly supervised from around 12-15 to up to 40. European governments have also asked that AMLA supervise crypto transactions which also require extra resources.

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Find the story here:?Europe’s new AML Authority (AMLA) will need 500 staff – double original estimate – and budget of at least €400M pa

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CRYPTO TERROR GROUPS:?PROSECUTORS in New York have?announced?the charging of a woman with using cryptocurrency to fund terror groups in Syria.

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Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg and #NYPD chief Keechant L. Sewell said Victoria Jacobs, aka Bakhrom Talipov (43) was charged under the Soliciting or Providing Support for an Act of Terrorism in the First Degree, as a Crime of Terrorism; Money Laundering; and other charges.

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The indictment follows a year-and-a-half-long investigation by the NYPD Intelligence Bureau and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office’s Counter Terrorism Program, which was created in June 2015 to identify and pursue investigative leads related to homegrown terror plots, extremist activities, and terror-financing.

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Read the story here:?Woman (43) is charged in New York with using cyrptocurrencies to fund terror organisations across Syria

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UK TREASURY DRAFT RULES:?THE UK TREASURY set out draft rules to?regulate?cryptoassets saying ongoing turbulence in the sector and the collapse of exchange FTX highlighted major risks.

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The rules will cover crypto firms in Britain or those providing services to the UK. Firms would need a licence, along with minimum capital and liquidity requirements.

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Cryptoassets, such as #bitcoin, have little direct regulation globally, but regulators are taking a closer look after the downfall of FTX last year, which left millions of investors nursing losses totalling billions of dollars, some of them in Britain.

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Read the story here:?UK Treasury sets out draft rules to regulate cryptoassets, including licence, minimum capital and liquidity requirements

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INVITATION:?The next?next meeting of the FinCrime Intelligence Network (FCIN) will take place on February 22nd 2023,?at the Armourers’ Hall?in the City of London.?

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The theme of the February 22 meeting is?‘Unblocking the Barriers to Data Sharing in Anti-Financial Crime.’

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We are delighted to announce our guest speaker will be?Assistant Commissioner John O'Driscoll?(Rtd), who led the?police?operation to have the?Kinahan?Organised Crime Group sanctioned.

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The invitational evening will be moderated by?AML Intelligence?publisher Stephen Rae and hosted in association with #SymphonyAI, #NetReveal.?

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If you are a senior banking or AFC leader in the UK and would like to attend, please register your interest by emailing Alisha Houlihan at?[email protected]

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INSIGHT:?Following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine last year, Britain?trumpeted?new legislation requiring property-ownership disclosure aimed at cracking down on Russian oligarchs and corrupt elites laundering illicit wealth.

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Foreign companies holding UK property had until the end of Tuesday to identify their “beneficial owners” in a new public register, making Britain one of the first countries to do so. But a #Reuters analysis of government data found that the people behind more than ten thousand UK-property owning foreign companies remain shielded from public view.

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More than 19,700 overseas companies had disclosed ownership of UK property as of Wednesday morning in Britain, according to data from Companies House, which runs the new register. That represents about two thirds of all the property-owning foreign companies, according to the government.

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READ the story here:?Russian oligarchs on sanctions list have not disclosed their UK properties ahead of today’s new law deadline

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MONEY-LAUNDERING BUST:?The Australian Federal Police (AFP) have?dismantled?an alleged Chinese-Australian money laundering organisation that moved approximately AUD$10BN (€6.4BN) offshore while acquiring a blue-chip property portfolio including Sydney mansions, a luxury city building and hundreds of acres of land near Sydney's second airport.?

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Nine suspects were arrested and charged, including two alleged Chinese-Australian gangsters with a combined fortune estimated at more than AUD$1BN (€648M) on Wednesday, according to The Sydney Morning Herald .?

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Find the story here:?Australian Federal Police bust alleged AUD$10BN (€6.4BN) money-laundering scheme

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WOMEN IN FINCRIME:?The award-winning?Women In FinCrime?Summit takes?place on February 22nd (2pm-5pm GMT).?

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Have you registered your place for the stand-out Anti-Financial Crime?(AFC)?summit of the year.?We will be joined by:??

-?El?bieta Franków-Ja?kiewicz, Chair of MONEYVAL?& Vice Chair,?Egmont Group of Financial?Intelligence Units?

- Alexandra Jour-Schroeder, Deputy Director General,?DG FISMA,?European Commission??

- Brenda Lucki, Commissioner,?Royal Canadian Mounted Police | Gendarmerie royale du Canada?Police?(RCMP)?

- Dr.?Shlomit Wagman, former DG Israel Money Laundering & Terrorism Prohibition Authority (IMPA)?

-?Ilze Znotina,?former Director,?Financial?Intelligence Unit (FIU) Latvia?

-?Toni Gillich, Assistant Director, Forensic Audit and?Investigative Service, GAO?

-?Nana Lisa Heider, Head, Financial Crime?Intelligence Unit,?Deutsche Bank

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The summit will be chaired by Managing Director of Interpath’s Advisory, Federica Taccogna and moderated by Jackie King??Executive Director at Ibec Global

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The theme of the February?22?Summit is ‘Emerging Technology?in?the Fight Against Financial Crime.’?

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Book your place now?HERE !

CORPORATE GIFT:?Give the Christmas gift that will please every Anti-Financial Crime professional this year - an 'AML Intelligence' Membership.

Department leaders can purchase a corporate 'AML Intelligence' Membership for your team.

Alternatively, you can buy individual Memberships. Our members get access to our premium content, complimentary access to our award-winning conferences and access to 'Regulatory Watch.'

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Have a great Wednesday??

Alisha and the team at AMlintelligence.