05
October 2018
Past Event
Countering Russian Money Laundering: Lessons from Latvia

Countering Russian Money Laundering: Lessons from Latvia

Past Event
Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C. Headquarters
October 05, 2018
05
October 2018
Past Event

1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 400
Washington, DC 20004

Speakers:
Charles Davidson

Former Executive Director, Kleptocracy Initiative

Joshua Kirschenbaum

Joshua Kirschenbaum is a Senior Fellow at German Marshall Fund’s Alliance for Securing Democracy [@joshkirschGMF]

Andris Teikmanis

Andris Teikmanis is Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia to the United States [@teikmanis]

Nicolas Veron

Nicolas Veron is a Senior Fellow at Bruegel and the Peterson Institute for International Economics [@nicolas_veron]

Ilze Znotiņa

Ilza Znotiņa is Head of Latvia’s Financial Intelligence Unit

On October 5, Hudson Institute’s Kleptocracy Initiative hosted Ilze Znotina, Head of Latvia’s Financial Intelligence Unit, for a keynote speech on recent efforts to strengthen her country’s anti-money laundering regime. Her remarks will be followed by an expert panel discussion on safeguarding the European banking system against illicit financial flows from Russia and the former Soviet Union.

A spate of recent investigations across the globe highlights the alarming proliferation of financial corruption. Latvia’s ABLV Bank recently collapsed amid U.S. accusations of facilitating Russian money laundering, sanctions evasion, and bribing public officials. Latvia moved swiftly to address weaknesses in financial sector oversight, but the episode illustrates a wider vulnerability to the corrosive effects of illicit finance within the European banking sector.

In the past month alone, Denmark’s Danske Bank has been placed under investigation after $234 billion in potentially suspicious transactions passed through its tiny Estonian branch; the Netherlands’ ING agreed to pay $900 million for failing to prevent money laundering through its accounts; and Switzerland’s Credit Suisse was formally reprimanded over anti-corruption failures.

The event was co-sponsored by the German Marshall Fund’s Alliance for Securing Democracy.

Related Events
28
April 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Domestic Politics, the US-Japan Alliance, and Tokyo’s Global Role: Bipartisan Views from the Diet
Featured Speakers:
Koichiro Gemba
Itsunori Onodera
Shinjiro Koizumi
Kimi Onoda
Moderator:
Kenneth R. Weinstein
Getty Images
28
April 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Domestic Politics, the US-Japan Alliance, and Tokyo’s Global Role: Bipartisan Views from the Diet

A panel of experts will discuss how the Japanese government should approach domestic political questions, its partnership with America, and Japan’s role in the world.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Koichiro Gemba
Itsunori Onodera
Shinjiro Koizumi
Kimi Onoda
Moderator:
Kenneth R. Weinstein
30
April 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Rebuilding America’s Maritime Industrial Base with Senators Mark Kelly and Todd Young
Featured Speakers:
Senator Todd Young
Senator Mark Kelly
Michael Roberts
Bryan Clark
Fast-attack submarine USS North Carolina (SSN 777) enters Dry Dock 1 at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Hawaii, on September 4, 2024. (US Navy photo by Justice Vannatta)
30
April 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Rebuilding America’s Maritime Industrial Base with Senators Mark Kelly and Todd Young

Hudson will welcome Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Todd Young (R-IN) to discuss their proposal to restore America’s shipping and shipbuilding industries to help deter Chinese aggression.

Fast-attack submarine USS North Carolina (SSN 777) enters Dry Dock 1 at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Hawaii, on September 4, 2024. (US Navy photo by Justice Vannatta)
Featured Speakers:
Senator Todd Young
Senator Mark Kelly
Michael Roberts
Bryan Clark
25
April 2025
Past Event
Ambassador François Zimeray on the Arbitrary Detention of Boualem Sansal
Featured Speakers:
Ambassador François Zimeray
Zineb Riboua
Getty Images
25
April 2025
Past Event
Ambassador François Zimeray on the Arbitrary Detention of Boualem Sansal

With Research Fellow Zineb Riboua, Ambassador Zimeray will examine the legal, political, and strategic implications of Sansal’s detention and what it reveals about freedom of expression under authoritarian regimes.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Ambassador François Zimeray
Zineb Riboua
25
April 2025
Past Event
Building a Force that Wins: A Conversation with Major General Mark Mitchum
Featured Speakers:
Major General Mark Mitchum
Timothy A. Walton
An F-35 AF-01 executes a flight science mission over the Mojave Desert on November 26, 2024. (DVIDS)
25
April 2025
Past Event
Building a Force that Wins: A Conversation with Major General Mark Mitchum

Major General Mark Mitchum will discuss the Air Force’s nascent Integrated Capabilities Command.

An F-35 AF-01 executes a flight science mission over the Mojave Desert on November 26, 2024. (DVIDS)
Featured Speakers:
Major General Mark Mitchum
Timothy A. Walton