How To Academy Podcast Investigative Journalist Oliver Bullough - How the Money Launderers Won
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Feb 6, 2026 A deep dive into how money laundering has become more secure and impenetrable than ever. Tales of cash heists, trade‑based schemes and growing demand for high‑denomination notes. Why banks, compliance systems and new tech like stablecoins often help criminals more than stop them. Practical reform ideas such as abolishing big notes and better-targeted enforcement are discussed.
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Money Laundering Is The Core Enabler
- Money laundering is the enabling crime behind almost all acquisitive crimes and keeps criminals functioning.
- Despite decades of laws and spending, the proportion of laundered money in the global economy hasn't dropped.
Brink's-Mat Shows Lax Banking Response
- After the Brink's-Mat robbery a small bullion dealer bought huge amounts of cash without raising alarms at the bank.
- A courier even dropped £12,500 on the street and the money was handed back, showing how lax banks were.
Outsourcing Enforcement Backfired
- The UK model asks banks to file suspicious activity reports, outsourcing enforcement to private firms.
- That design created mountains of unread paperwork while letting bad actors operate undetected.
