Search Results for: Russian

The Swedish metal packaging sector is trying to maximise recyclability and circularity, particularly in aluminium, as the country works to heighten food security and anticipate future challenges, including the government bolstering food stocks through commitments made when joining NATO.

Sweden’s Krone SEK356 billion (USD33.8 billion) food and beverages market has reported strong growth over the past three years, growing by 6.6% in 2022 on the previous year, according to the latest figures from state-run Statistics Sweden (Statistiska centralbyrån) (1).…

Free trade zones (FTZ) have long been identified as having potential vulnerabilities for ML/TF/PF. And while they are not a key priority for FATF as it assesses the criteria for its fifth mutual evaluation round (MER5), given FTZs are still growing in number, international concern about their criminal money risks persists.…

The freezing of Russian assets since the government of President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022 has prompted western governments to consider seizing that money and property to fund reconstruction of a country ravaged by Moscow’s military aggression. Estimates of the value vary, but there is consensus that the value is at least USD300 billion, with the vast majority being assets from the central bank, the Bank of Russia.…

Vietnam’s clothing and textile industry may benefit from the accession to power of a former security minister, industry experts have told Just Style – although his closeness to Russia has raised concerns about weakening vital western trade links. To Lam was appointed President of Vietnam in April (2024) and general secretary of the ruling communist party earlier this month (August 3), the most powerful job in this south-east Asia sourcing hub.…

A UK High Court judge has condemned Emirati-Lebanese shipbuilder Privinvest over its role in the ‘tuna bond’ corruption scandal that landed Mozambique with USD2 billion in hidden debts, crashing its previously buoyant economy in 2016 when it defaulted on an IMF loan.…

The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has shut down a spoofing platform that enabled criminals to target 170,000 UK fraud victims and others worldwide through a phone handset and web app. Targets were defrauded of “tens of millions” of British pounds (GBP), said the NCA via this ‘Russian Coms’ system.…

Can usage and sales in Europe’s largest economy, Germany, are robust, indicating a positive outlook for metal packagers and fillers. Separate data from the Federal Statistical Office of Germany and Forum Getränkedose (FGD), an association representing can majors such as the Ardagh Group, Ball Beverage Packaging Europe Ltd and Crown Holdings Inc, show that the metal can was the only beer container to see growth in Germany in 2023, at 3.8%, compared to a 4.5% drop in overall beer sales (1). …

A lack of infrastructure, government support, foreign trade barriers and weak domestic demand have been hampering the development of the wool industry in central Asia. Limited business opportunities are forcing farmers to focus on breeding sheep for lamb and mutton meat production, especially in Kazakhstan, the region’s wool potential powerhouse, rather than on rearing merino for wool.…

A company helping ship North Korean military supplies into Russia has been sanctioned by the European Union (EU), after Moscow signed a defence deal with North Korea, the rogue one-party state subject to FATF’s harshest AML/CFT controls.

As Moscow continues its two-and-a-half-year long invasion of Ukraine, the EU Council of Ministers have banned any transactions with the company and frozen any EU assets of LLC Vostochnaya Stevedoring Co, which handles containers in Vostochny port, in Russia’s Pacific far east region Primorsky, near Vladivostok, just 180km from the Russian-North Korea border.…

The government of Ukraine, struggling against a Russian offensive near its second city Kharkiv, has joined the European Union’s (EU) Union Anti-Fraud Programme (UAFP), as it seeks to shore up EU support through anti-graft and financial crime efforts. Indeed, Ukraine is the first non-EU country to formalise participation in the European Commission-run scheme, which has a budget of EUR181 million and will run until 2027 (from 2021) (1).…