What happens when every control, every system, and every decision is tested not in theory, but by enforcement?

In this premiere episode of The Regulatory Files: AML Series, we examine the year that redefined global financial crime oversight.
2025 — a year of record-breaking fines, cross-border coordination, and a seismic shift in regulator expectations.

From Barclays and Monzo in the UK to Revolut in the EU and TD Bank across North America, this episode dissects the enforcement wave that has reshaped how compliance, risk, and legal teams think about accountability, governance, and resilience.

🎧 Featuring:

Alfred Frodes — Legal and Compliance Officer at Complia, opening the episode with a sharp lens on enforcement, accountability, and the growing synchronization of global regulators.

Phoebe Banks — Compliance Transformation Officer at Complia, guiding the deep-dive analysis across the first and second segments, breaking down the facts, frameworks, and failures underpinning the 2025 enforcement wave.

Adetoyese Adedokun — Compliance Lead at Complia, drawing out operational lessons for MLROs, auditors, and compliance professionals — translating regulatory findings into practical, auditable action steps.

Across 30 minutes, the episode explores:

• Why 2025 marks a new era of enforcement intensity coordinated, data-driven, and uncompromising.

• The anatomy of institutional failure through the Three Lines of Defense — where governance, culture, and audit intersect.

• Lessons from the FCA, EBA, Bank of Lithuania, and FinCEN filings that redefine what “effective” AML looks like.

• How global regulators are converging toward one standard of accountability regardless of geography or firm size.

• Practical steps for compliance officers and auditors to fortify control systems before regulators intervene.

As Alfred Frodes reminds us in his closing words:

“Enforcement isn’t punishment, it’s feedback. Every Final Notice is a mirror showing us how resilient our systems truly are.”

🎙️ Series Context:
Produced by Produced by Synapes & Spectra Studios, The Regulatory Files transforms enforcement headlines into learning blueprints for compliance, risk, and audit professionals. This AML Series begins with “The Watershed Year,” followed by deep-dive episodes into each major 2025 case — Barclays, Monzo, Revolut, and TD Bank each unpacked with the precision of regulator analysis and the pragmatism of field-tested compliance design.

Production Disclosure:
Some production elements — including research synthesis, post-production, and audio cleaning — were supported by AI-assisted tools. All content has been independently verified and approved for factual accuracy and regulatory integrity.

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