Money laundering is as old as money itself - and yet the laws designed to prevent it are as ineffective as they have ever been. Today's anti-money laundering laws stop only a staggering 0.05 per cent of global illicit financial flows, while significantly increasing the regulatory burden on legitimate businesses and consumers. Fraudsters and criminals stay several steps ahead of regulators, while it often costs governments more to execute forfeitures than they reap from them. In short, it's abundantly clear that these laws, though set up with the best of intentions, are not working. Billions move around the world in cash, gold and other assets every day without a trace. How to Launder Money explains how and why, breaking down in delicious detail the mechanics of money laundering - not to enable wrongdoing but to illuminate it, to showcase the bent levers of finance and how they are pulled. While acknowledging the challenges faced by law enforcement, it also provides concrete recommendations on how to reduce the crime associated with money laundering, empowering readers, professionals and policymakers to recognise vulnerabilities and understand what truly works in the fight against financial crime. The criminals already know how to launder money; this is, in part, their inside story. This book is for the rest of us, who want to know how the laws that are supposed to protect us are in reality doing more damage than ever before.
This unique insiders' guide addresses a total systemic failure and calls for governments to stop crime and stop burying honest businesses under ineffective regulations.
