Takeaways from the Singapore FinTech Festival 2025

Takeaways from the Singapore FinTech Festival 2025

What’s next for crypto, payments, and fintech in Asia? In this episode, Rachel Wolcott and Niece Prayoonrat unpack the biggest trends and insights from the Singapore FinTech Festival 2025—from stablecoin regulation and TradFi–DeFi partnerships to cutting-edge cross-border payment systems and anti-scam measures. Tune in for the key takeaways shaping the global financial landscape. Niece talks about crypto’s victory lap at SFF and key players in attendance, BIS’s Nexus Project demo, Singapore’s new anti-scam framework and China’s influencer licensing regime. Links Global regulators target ‘cultural’ fragmentation in digital assets [https://www.compliancecorylated.com/news/global-regulators-target-cultural-fragmentation-in-digital-assets/] Crypto giants are in love with US GENIUS Act [https://www.compliancecorylated.com/news/crypto-giants-are-in-love-with-us-genius-act/] TradFi players seek to become ‘banks for banks’ for crypto firms [https://www.compliancecorylated.com/news/tradfi-players-seek-to-become-banks-for-banks-for-crypto-firms/] Circle: quality of stablecoins drives ‘true’ adoption [https://www.compliancecorylated.com/news/circle-quality-of-stablecoins-drives-true-adoption/] Contact us editorial@corylated.com [editorial@corylated.com] www.compliancecorylated.com [http://www.compliancecorylated.com/] www.corlytics.com [http://www.corlytics.com/]

Trade Secret, enablers of the illicit trade in polar bears

In this episode, founding editors Rachel Wolcott and Lindsey Rogerson sit down with Adam Cruise, a South African investigative journalist whose work exposes realities of wildlife trade and conservation policy. Adam shares insights from the acclaimed documentary Trade Secret, which uncovers how legal wildlife trade often fuels illegal trafficking, with devastating consequences for species like polar bears, lions, and rhinos. The conversation explores the complex web of international agreements, including CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), and the troubling role of euphemistic language such as “sustainable utilization” and “conservation hunting.” Adam reveals how these policies, supported by influential NGOs, blur the lines between protection and exploitation, creating loopholes that organized crime syndicates exploit. Listeners will also learn about the financial crime dimension—how wildlife trafficking intersects with money laundering and poly-criminal networks—and what red flags compliance professionals should watch for. From shocking scenes in Canadian and Norwegian warehouses to the global demand for exotic pets, this episode challenges assumptions about conservation. Links Trade Secret [https://www.tradesecretfilm.com/] Adam Cruise [https://www.endangeredwildlifeinvestigations.com/about] Polycriminality and pangolins: following wildlife crimes’ tracks in financial services [https://www.compliancecorylated.com/news/polycriminality-and-pangolins-following-wildlife-crimes-tracks-in-financial-services/] Glass eel trafficking connects €3bn money laundering networks [https://www.compliancecorylated.com/news/glass-eel-trafficking-connects-e3bn-money-laundering-networks/] Contact us editorial@corylated.com [editorial@corylated.com] www.compliancecorylated.com [http://www.compliancecorylated.com/] www.corlytics.com [http://www.corlytics.com/]

Can carbon credits overcome their chequered past & save the planet?

In this week’s Corylated podcast Lindsey and Rachel discuss carbon markets. They begin with the ongoing UN climate conference (COP30) in Brazil and a recap of the current state of CO2 emissions and rollback on sustainable finance rules underway in the European Union. Next, they discuss the alleged $100 million fraud at Cookstove and how it adds to a chequered history of carbon credits. They then move on to outline the financial crime and fraud vulnerabilities of these instruments, as first set out in a 2013 report by INTERPOL and now being explored by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). Lindsey then explains the potential behind carbon market initiatives including Carbon Impact X and Carbonplace before the pair discuss how compliance professionals can help mitigate these financial crime risks.  Links Global Carbon Budget | GCB 2025 [https://globalcarbonbudget.org/gcb-2025/] Southern District of New York | U.S. Attorney Announces Criminal Charges In Multi-Year Fraud Scheme In The Market For Carbon Credits | United States Department of Justice [https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/us-attorney-announces-criminal-charges-multi-year-fraud-scheme-market-carbon-credits] Scoping Corruption in Voluntary Carbon Markets [https://static.rusi.org/scoping-corruption-in-voluntary-carbon-markets-july-2025_1.pdf] Contact us editorial@corylated.com www.compliancecorylated.com www.corlytics.com

No sense of urgency in UK fraud response

The UK still lacks a new fraud strategy, leaving consumers and businesses exposed to escalating threats. In this episode, Lindsey and Rachel unpack why the lack of government action and explore the blame game between tech giants, financial services and policymakers. Meta faces criticism for enabling fraud through its platforms—but Meta points the finger back at payments providers. Meanwhile, identity fraud is becoming a jigsaw puzzle of stolen data, weak controls, and fragmented accountability. Amid the chaos, Starling Bank stands out as a bright spot with its innovative fraud intelligence tool, proving that thoughtful measures may make a real difference. Links Starling Bank scam detector tool prompts questions for Ofcom, Meta [https://www.compliancecorylated.com/news/starling-bank-scam-detector-tool-prompts-questions-for-ofcom-meta/] New rules proposed to combat SMS scams in UK [https://www.compliancecorylated.com/news/new-rules-proposed-to-combat-sms-scams-in-uk/] UK fraud and fincrime information sharing deemed ineffective, clubby  [https://www.compliancecorylated.com/news/uk-fraud-and-fincrime-information-sharing-deemed-ineffective-clubby/] Serious abuse of the UK corporate register continues despite reforms  [https://www.compliancecorylated.com/news/serious-abuse-of-the-uk-corporate-register-continues-despite-reforms/] Tech firms must be held to account for role in proliferating fraud, incidents surge 17% [https://www.compliancecorylated.com/news/tech-firms-must-be-held-to-account-for-role-in-proliferating-fraud-incidents-surge-17/] Contact us editorial@corylated.com [editorial@corylated.com] www.compliancecorylated.com [http://www.compliancecorylated.com/] www.corlytics.com [http://www.corlytics.com/]

Will Britcard be panacea for reducing fraud?

In this episode Lindsey Rogerson, founding editor and Elizabeth Lumley, special correspondent, discuss the newly announced plan for a digital ID – or Britcard -- in the UK. Elizabeth highlights the lack of detail in what the government has announced, and they discuss the politicisation of announcement.  The conversation then turns to the digital IDs that already exit in the UK as well as the merits of the numerous examples of introductions of digital IDs by governments in countries including India, Singapore, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates and Estonia. Elizabeth and Lindsey then discuss the bank-led digital IDs initiatives in Norway and Sweden and how a digital ID could help financially excluded individuals to be accepted for banking services. Finally, the pair discuss what the advent of digital IDs has meant for the reduction and prevention of financial crime and fraud.  Links  Plans around BritCard in the UK are unclear and may be redundant - Compliance Corylated [https://www.compliancecorylated.com/news/plans-around-britcard-in-the-uk-are-unclear-and-may-be-redundant/] Contact us editorial@corylated.com www.compliancecorylated.com www.corlytics.com