Financial Integrity Hub – The Podcast FinCrime Hates

If you work in financial crime compliance, run a business subject to regulation, or simply want to understand how financial crime works and how to stop it – the Financial Integrity Hub (FIH) podcast is essential listening. Produced by Macquarie University, this podcast brings together academics, regulators and industry experts to break down the evolving world of financial crime and compliance in Australia and beyond, focusing on what to look out for, who’s at risk and what you can do to combat FinCrime. With AUSTRAC's AML/CTF reforms coming into effect, there's never been a better time to get up to speed.

Why This Podcast Matters for FinCrime Compliance

The FIH was created to bring academia, industry and government together to build a central ecosystem that supports the interests of financial compliance and AML/CTF (Anti-Money Laundering/Counter-Terrorism Financing) – a future-focused space to gather insights and understanding on how to recognise and fight financial crime. Their podcast helps drive those objectives forward, with financial crime experts across Australia shedding light on some of the key issues facing the AML/CTF industry. Guest speakers include:

• Nathan Lynch, author of The Lucky Laundry
• Anthony Quinn, Founder of Arctic Intelligence
• Jeremy Moller, Risk Advisor at Norton Rose Fulbright
• Brendan Thomas, CEO of AUSTRAC

... to name a few. These aren't talking heads, they're the people shaping how Australia fights financial crime. Hearing directly from AUSTRAC's CEO on regulatory direction, or from specialist lawyers on what compliance gaps look like in practice, gives listeners a genuine edge.

What You’ll Learn

Season 2 of the podcast addresses the changing AML/CTF landscape in Australia and provides insights into how to best navigate the new regulatory compliance requirements – a set of reforms that have gateway industries a little on edge. The episodes cover how to identify and mitigate financial crime, how terrorist financing adapts with new technologies and how corporate financial crime often involves multiple parties, making it harder to track corruption, and much more.

Key themes across the season include:

• Identifying and mitigating financial crime risk across sectors traditionally outside the AML/CTF net.
• How terrorist financing evolves alongside emerging technologies, including cryptocurrency and digital payment systems.
• Corporate financial crime and multi-party corruption, and why these cases are notoriously difficult to prosecute.
• Trade-based money laundering (TBML), which experts estimate accounts for a significant share of global illicit financial flows.
• The role of data analytics and RegTech in enabling smarter, more targeted compliance.

Episode Spotlight: Environmental Crime and Trade-Based Money Laundering (Episode 3)

In episode three, environmental crime and law enforcement advisor, Davyth Stewart, talks about corporate crime and how trade-based money laundering contributes to a substantial portion of illicit financial flows, for example, how illegal logging – a multi-billion dollar criminal racket – became a growing problem in the industry. For businesses with any exposure to international trade or commodity supply chains, this episode is a must-listen.

Episode Spotlight: AUSTRAC's Regulatory Priorities (Episode 5)

In episode five AUSTRAC CEO, Brendan Thomas, touches on the impending AML/CTF reforms, AUSTRAC's focus on “reducing harm” and how regulators need to avoid "compliance for the sake of compliance”. He also highlights how data analytics and new technologies are key in keeping Australia’s financial integrity in place – a prompt to regulated businesses that investing in smart compliance tools isn't merely optional, it's strategic.

Why It’s Timely: Tranche 2 AML/CTF Reforms

Australia's AML/CTF reform program, commonly referred to as Tranche 2, represents the most significant expansion of the country's financial crime framework in decades. From 2026, thousands of businesses in previously unregulated professions will be required to implement AML/CTF programs, conduct Customer Due Diligence (CDD) and report suspicious matters (SMRs) to AUSTRAC for the first time.

For many of these businesses, financial crime compliance is entirely new territory, making the FIH podcast an indispensable resource for educating anyone affected by financial and regulatory compliance, and in fighting the good fight against criminals perpetrating financial crime.

The podcast is also a valuable resource for existing regulated entities looking to stay ahead of regulatory expectations, understand how AUSTRAC is approaching enforcement, and benchmark their compliance programs against industry best practice.

Who Should Listen?

The FIH podcast is relevant to a wide range of professionals, including:

• Compliance officers and financial crime specialists at banks, fintechs and financial institutions.
• Business owners and executives in Tranche 2 industries (legal, accounting, real estate, Trust or Company Service Provider).
• Risk and governance professionals navigating expanding regulatory obligations.
• Policymakers and regulators tracking the evolution of Australia's financial crime framework.
• Anyone who wants to understand the real-world mechanics of financial crime in Australia.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Financial Integrity Hub podcast?

‍The Financial Integrity Hub podcast is a series produced by Macquarie University that explores financial crime, AML/CTF compliance and regulatory developments in Australia. It features expert guests from government, industry and academia.

Who hosts the Financial Integrity Hub podcast?

‍The podcast is hosted and produced by the Financial Integrity Hub team at Macquarie University, with guest speakers including regulators, practitioners, lawyers and financial crime researchers.

Where can I listen to the Financial Integrity Hub podcast?

‍The podcast is available via the Macquarie University FIH website. Episodes are also available on major podcast platforms.

What are AUSTRAC's Tranche 2 reforms?

‍Tranche 2 refers to the second phase of Australia's AML/CTF reform program, which extends Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CTF) obligations to a range of previously unregulated professions including lawyers, accountants, real estate agents and trust and company service providers.

Start Listening

The Financial Integrity Hub team have been fighting financial crime for a long time, and the podcast is a great way to learn about a global problem that seems to get bigger every year. It addresses how financial crime proliferates through varied industries, not just financial institutions, and what gatekeeper professions need to be aware of to protect their business and the wider community. Whether you're a compliance veteran or a business owner getting your head around new regulatory obligations, it's one of the most informative and accessible resources in the Australian financial crime space.

To listen to the podcast, visit the Financial Integrity Hub.

Embed Modern Compliance Into Your Business

If you want to understand how to embed financial crime compliance into your business – from Customer Due Diligence through to monitoring and reporting – get in touch!

‍