Hello Wednesday! It’s December 11, and we’re tracking today’s top stories: Klarna Bank fined $46M in Sweden money laundering probe, Biden admin quietly renewed controversial $10B Iran sanctions waiver two days after election, ex-CCP officials funneled millions to U.S. universities, TD Bank faces calls to ID executives responsible for AML breaches, and much more… 

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🎯 Klarna Bank fined $46M in Sweden money laundering probe. Klarna had “significant deficiencies” in its general risk assessment, failing to assess how the bank’s products and services could be used for money laundering or terrorist financing. AFP

Top Stories

🌎 Biden admin quietly renewed controversial $10B Iran sanctions waiver two days after Election Day NYP 

🌎 Ex-CCP Officials Funneled Millions to U.S. Universities, Nonprofits To Promote Green Energy Free Beacon

🌎 TD Bank Faces Calls to Identify Executives Responsible for Money-Laundering Breaches WSJ

🎙️Illicit Edge Originals: The TD Bank Disaster and How to Fix It Designated

🌎 U.S. sanctions Chinese cyber firm for compromising thousands of firewalls in 2020 Record

🌎 Adidas headquarters raided in years-long tax investigation CNBC

🌎 Two U.S. lawmakers push for Syria sanctions relief after Assad's fall Reuters

🌎 US Considers New Russia Oil Sanctions to Weaken Putin Ahead of Trump Bloomberg

🌎 Debanking hurts everyone. It’s time to end it once and for all. Fortune

🌎 UAE Finalizes Pact to Boost Trade With Nations Including Russia Bloomberg

🌎 To Fight Forced Labor, Shein and Patagonia Dig Into the Atomic Makeup of Their Clothes WSJ

Russia

🇷🇺 Russian Lawmaker Proposes Creating Strategic Bitcoin Reserve CoinDesk 

🇷🇺 Manager of U.S. Freight Forwarding Company Indicted for Circumventing Export Controls DOJ

🇷🇺 Britain will provide intel to Cyprus to help fight Russia’s sanctions evasion AP

China

🇨🇳 U.S. imposes trade restrictions on two Chinese firms over human rights Reuters

🇨🇳 China Targets Morocco to Control the Mediterranean – And Global Trade Newsweek 

🇨🇳 HMRC accused of ignoring ‘industrial’ levels of tax evasion by Chinese firms Times

🇨🇳 China's top chip design tool maker cedes control to state-owned firm after US blacklisting SCMP

🇨🇳 China is limiting the sale of key components used to build Ukraine's drones BI

Corruption & Financial Crime

💸 Manhattan DA says Trump’s criminal and civil cases in New York should not be dismissed CNN

💸 Adani Ends US Tie-Up on Colombo Port Meant to Counter China Bloomberg

💸 Morgan Stanley Fined $15 Million by SEC Over Adviser Theft AP 

💸 2 ex-CEOs of Washington biotech company face 20 years after fraud convictions UPI

Crypto & Cyber

🔐 The ‘Ghost Gun’ Linked to Luigi Mangione Shows Just How Far 3D-Printed Weapons Have Come Wired

🔐 Binance Partners With Circle to Push USDC Stablecoin Adoption Across the Globe CoinDesk 

🔐 HSBC Raised Fraud Alarm Leading to Collapse of Fintech Stenn Bloomberg

Trafficking

🚚 Syria regime topple affects global migration and drug trafficking Semafor

🚚 Tren de Aragua spreads to one of America’s most remote states after member of brutal gang is busted there NYP

🚚 Over 20 people arrested in Brazil-Italy cocaine smuggling probe Reuters

🚚 Organized crime gangs expanded into a third of cities in Brazil’s Amazon AP

“Sometimes I am two people. Johnny is the nice one. Cash causes all the trouble.” —Johnny Cash

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