Introducing The Cross Border Report: A New Voice on Finance & Geopolitical Risk
Soon after starting my first full-time job as an anti-money laundering analyst for a broker-dealer, I realized I might have stumbled onto something profound. I had just completed an internship at a D.C. think tank researching and writing on topics in national security and was eager to gain some additional experience before going back to law school.
The last place I expected to land was back in my home state working for a financial services company. I always had an interest in finance, but I was drawn to a career in national security. Completely unaware that a significant and growing apparatus existed to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, I was no longer bound for law school, and instead, embarked on this new path.
Right away, I encountered thoughtful professionals with an interest in how dirty money makes its way around the globe, and the factors that indicate a jurisdiction may be susceptible to various forms of risky activity. An internal task force was created, where we conducted in-depth research on country risk and partnered with law enforcement and federal agencies to collaborate on best practices for mitigation. I proactively volunteered to review sovereign wealth funds, and, absent any formal credit training, I developed a framework for how the firm should view the riskiness of these opaque entities.
Fast forward 10 years, and the world is increasingly more complex. Businesses, governments, non-profits and other organizations have a growing need for access to quality research on the actions, events and circumstances impacting global commerce and security:
Sovereign debt crises, money laundering and terrorist financing, sanctions and financial warfare, crypto, cyberwarfare, money movement and the digital economy, geopolitics, and political unrest.
The Cross Border Report’s mission will be to fill that void by featuring the latest thought leadership from a wide range of practitioners.
Join us, as we seek to make sense of these phenomena, and the resulting impacts that are felt across borders.