Events

September and October Events

Author
Lo Furneaux
Digital Content & Operations Coordinator

Our co-founder & CEO Aidan Larkin frequently travels the world to engage with industry leaders and participate in major industry gatherings, where he shares our vision for simpler, more effective and more impactful global asset management strategies.

In September and October, his focus has been on exploring opportunities in crypto asset recovery and how these insights can benefit traditional asset recovery at several key industry events

25-29 Sept 2023 - EU Global Facility Conference in Tunisia

Aidan first had the privilege of speaking about global asset recovery at the EU AML/CFT Global Facility regional conference on AML/TF and New Technologies: New Payment Methods, Virtual Assets, and Social Media. 

Organized by the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF), UNODC ROMENA, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, and the EU AMLCFT Global Facility, the event aims to promote better understanding and implementation of international AML/CFT regulation.

More than 100 financial crime experts gathered in Tunisia to address the specific challenges seen when addressing virtual assets (VA) and their service providers (VASPs) in jurisdictions that are yet to meet international standards. They were joined by representatives from law enforcement agencies, Financial Intelligence Units, and relevant bodies in the MENA Region and beyond. 

When asked, Aidan was honoured to be invited to speak at another EU Global Facility conference:

“It was wonderful to be invited back to work with these important organisations and share our experiences at Asset Reality in seizing & managing virtual assets. We had the opportunity to discuss supporting the Belgian Government, as it becomes one of the first users of our new seized asset management platform, plus sharing our views on the new Financial Action Task Force (FATF) focus on asset recovery. It was an even better experience to do it to so many familiar faces for my first visit to Tunisia and see public and private sector collaboration in full swing!”

‍

Photo Credit: EU Global Facility

24th - 25th Oct - Council of Europe Workshop in Strasbourg

Following this, Aidan headed to Strasbourg, France for a two-day workshop on preventing the abuse of virtual assets jointly organised by the Council of Europe's Economic Crime and Cooperation Division, alongside the CA TAEC, South Programme V and PECK projects.

Over 50 representatives from Ministries, Financial Intelligence Units, Central Banks, Prosecution, Anti-corruption Authorities, and other institutions across 12 jurisdictions, including Central Asia, Kosovo, and the Southern Mediterranean regions, shared practical experiences and case studies on criminals' use of virtual assets in economic crimes.

Discussions revolved around the practical implementation of international standards, alternative regulatory frameworks and the common risks for practitioners when freezing, seizing and recovering virtual assets like cryptocurrencies or non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Aidan was thrilled to be given multiple opportunities to discuss such a major cornerstone of impactful asset recovery. When asked, he was keen to stress the importance of asset forfeiture as a deterrent:

"I'm thrilled to have been invited by the Council of Europe to address global asset forfeiture on three separate occasions in just two days. This unique opportunity underscores our shared commitment to reclaim ill-gotten gains and uphold the principles of justice."
‍“Criminal seized assets being reinvested into the community is a cornerstone of effective and impactful asset recovery… it's clear that the money that is spent reduces crime, improves prospects for society and actually generates revenue.”

‍

Photo Credit: Council of Europe

26th - 27th Oct - Europol’s 7CRC in the Hague

After supporting the event virtually for the last 2 years, Aidan was thrilled to be able to attend the 7th Global Conference on Criminal Finances and Cryptocurrencies in person at Europol’s Headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands.

Co-hosted by Europol, the Basel Institute on Governance and the European Financial and Economic Crime Centre, the annual hybrid conference focuses on the latest key issues in the fight against financial crimes, particularly those involving evolving legal frameworks, public-private sector cooperation and emerging technologies like cryptocurrency.

This year, more than 1,300 participants from 100+ countries gathered to hear real-world insights from national investigators and discuss a fresh set of recommendations aimed at enhancing their collective ability to investigate and recover cryptoassets.

During his presentation, Aidan used high-profile case studies to highlight effective global practices in crypto asset recovery, providing valuable insights for addressing challenges in traditional asset recovery.

He was thankful to Europol and the Basel Institute on Governance for the invitation to speak about challenges and opportunities in the asset recovery sector:

‍“I’m delighted to be finally speaking at this event in person rather than as a giant floating head. I firmly believe that the asset recovery revolution has started with the art of the possible in digital asset recovery and we’re at the beginning of sweeping changes that will change the sector forever. The results for society, law enforcement and the impact on disrupting criminals will be incredible. We’re only scratching the surface at present.”

He went on to explain why these gatherings are crucial in the fight against financial crime:

“These kinds of events play a vital role in nurturing innovative ideas, fostering partnerships, sharing best practices, and forging valuable connections.”

This sentiment was echoed by Gretta Fenner, Managing Director of the Basel Institute on Governance, who said:

‍“Our Basel AML Index shows that countries struggle to address money laundering and terrorist financing risks related to virtual assets. Events like this are crucial to build capacity in law enforcement and maximise the opportunities of public-private and cross-border collaboration. We are proud to partner with Europol to organise the conference for the seventh year.”
Photo Credit: Europol

If you want to know more about our solution to streamline seized asset recovery & management, please contact press@assetreality.com or visit the Asset Reality website.

Want to learn more?

Contact us to learn how organizations in over 20 countries are using Asset Reality’s platform:

Government and Law Enforcement Agencies: make your seized asset management simpler, more effective and more impactful.

‍Lawyers, Investigators, and Insolvency Practitioners: secure assets, hold funds in escrow, and maximise returns for victims and creditors.

Get in touch