Please Be Informed...

Politics: Biden's 2022 State of the Union speech

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If there was ever a unifying speech by an American President, this was probably it.

Only the most hard-line Republicans, determined to complain no matter what, will have much to say that doesn't support the vast majority of Biden's proposals. Yes, it was loaded with tacky rhetoric and tub-thumping and he lost his way from time to time but the general thrust of his speech was this: capitalism and social responsibility can live side by side and in doing so create a fairer and more wealthy society.

CoNet Section:

Security and Society

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Russia v Ukraine: where are the mass protests?

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In a world where hundreds, even thousands, turn up in public spaces to protest against whatever is the current fancy, there is question that needs to be answered: why aren't the large protest movements that can drive such action encircling Russian missions around the world? Where are their apparently tireless keyboard warriors? How come they aren't driving trending hashtags across social media?

Is the answer that they are, in some way, beholden to Russia and its money?

BIScom Subsection:

Risk Management

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Primer on RU: Understanding SWIFT, Sanctions, and Correspondent Banking.

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Luke Raven provides an accessible and clearly set out explanation of the issues surrounding the imposition and effect of financial sanctions.

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Sanctions against Russia creates significant problems for Formula One

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It was in 2014, in Sochi, shortly after Russian-backed terrorists in Eastern Ukraine shot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 that Formula One granted Russian President Vladimir Putin a unique privilege: at the first Formula One race in Russia in modern times, he was allowed to go into the cool-down room and to talk to drivers, teams and officials. He had had special treatment throughout: drivers were required to come to the front of the grid and to stand for the Russian national anthem and he sat, in pride of place, next to the then undisputed boss of F1, Bernie Ecclestone. But the world didn't really care about one plane from a minor nation far away from the centres of commerce, industry...

Publication:

Sanctions In Action

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US jumps the gun: issues sanctions re Ukraine

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US President Biden has signed a new Executive Order Blocking Property Of Certain Persons And Prohibiting Certain Transactions With Respect To Continued Russian Efforts To Undermine The Sovereignty And Territorial Integrity Of Ukraine (the capitals are exactly how the US department of the Treasury wrote this in its notice).

OFAC has issued Ukraine General License (sic) Numbers 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22.

Publication:

Sanctions In Action

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EBRD telegraphs crisis in the Turkish banking sector.

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Today, the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development has issued a loan of just under 6.5 million euros to a company that buys bad and doubtful debt from banks. It's a token amount in the great scheme of things. The big question is what comes next?

BIScom Subsection:

Regulation

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EU: Do you want to know where your taxes go?

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The European Bank of Reconstruction and Development began life as a combination lender and aid agency to help bring relatively poor areas in the EU up to standards in the more well off areas. It funded bridges and drainage, hospitals and schools and it was good. It has no money other than what it raises from "donors" which is a fictitious term meaning member states which, of course, means EU taxpayers.

What is it spending money on now? Let's just say that it's not good and if you are a taxpayer in the EU, it's your money. The EBRD itself says that 35% of the money it spends comes from EU coffers. As you will see, more comes direct from member states.

CoNet Section:

Politics and Economies

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Credit Union closed because its CEO had her nose in the trough.

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You think we are being facetious but we aren't.

Stacey Shaw was the President and Chief Executive Officer of a credit union in a small American town, Beaver, Pennsylvania. It was called The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union 712, Federal Credit Union.

She systematically embezzled funds to the extent that there was so little money left it had to close.

BIScom Subsection:

Compliance

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Five Eyes international action against collusion in trade.

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They are going to have trouble : is it "cartel," "monopoly," "anti-trust"....?

The UK, USA, New Zealand, Canada and Australia are forming a working group to identify and act against illegal conduct in international supply chains.

And the US will get to use its terminology because, on the face of it, it gets two votes.

CoNet Section:

Anti-Competitive Practices

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Zachary Joseph Horwitz of Los Angeles sentenced to 20 years for Ponzi scheme.

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A Los Angeles man was sentenced this week to 240 months in federal prison for operating a Ponzi scheme that raised at least USD650 million with bogus claims that investor money would be used to acquire licensing rights to films that HBO and Netflix purportedly had agreed to distribute abroad.

FCRO Subsection:

Financial Crime News

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bi-annual v biennial

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Don't say that:

Bi-annual when you mean every other year
Biennial when you mean twice a year.

Do say this:

Bi-annual when you mean twice a year
Biennial when you mean every other year.

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Another country tells websites to stop using Google Analytics.

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Several weeks, ago, Austria declared Google Analytics to be non-compliant with its data protection legislation.

Now France has followed suit.

CoNet Section:

GDPR

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Australia's DPP withdraws bank cartel case.

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The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) has today withdrawn charges against Citigroup Global Markets Australia Pty Limited (Citigroup), Deutsche Bank AG and four senior banking executives.

BIScom Subsection:

Enforcement

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Civil forfeiture in the USA: examples of its use

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Be prepared to be amazed.

Stefan Cassella, principal of Asset Forfeiture Law LLC in the USA has produced a fascinating list of cases in which the USA, at a federal level, has used civil forfeiture in relation to proceeds of criminal conduct and assets used in the commission of offences. Many of the cases are in rem. The USA is not the only country to pursue such assets but it is unusually active in the use of in rem (i.e. against the asset compared with against the person) actions in doing so. The list demonstrates an extraordinary range of criminal conduct and of assets forfeited (isn't that a much better description than "recovered"?)

FCRO Subsection:

Learning

Do say this:

"their heavily criticised Privacy Policy. "

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