Money Laundering Research Network - MLRN
Our Mission
Money Laundering Research Network (MLRN) aims to foster exchange of views, data and knowledge across ML/AML scholars globally. The network is established by academic researchers from various disciplines, active in the study of money laundering (ML) practices and anti-money laundering (AML) policies.
Our purpose is to increase collective knowledge about:
- how ML works and evolves (the threat);
- what facilitates it (vulnerabilities);
- what its impact is on the economy and society (consequences);
- whether and how AML policies are effective in preventing it/mitigating its impact (effectiveness).
What we do
Webinars and Conferences
We organize regular conferences and webinars on ML/AML topics
Publications and Papers
We promote the exchange of studies among members, stakeholders and general public
Data Creation, Collection, Exchange
We support the creation, collection and exchange of data among our members
Scholars and Students Exchange
We foster the exchange of scholars and students active in ML/AML area among institutions globally
Who we are
The MLRN network was created by the initiative of a few researchers, who are listed below, and currently bear the organization of MLRN events. But MLRN is open to all academic researchers and practitioners interested in ML and AML research, and foster . Participation in MLRN webinars is free of charge
Recent News
April, 2025
April MLRN Webinar
Information available soon
March 13, 2025
March MLRN Webinar
"Not a dog. Not a wolf. All he knows is what he's not”. The webinar presented a study on buffer companies used in complex fiscal fraud and financial crime schemes, and a preliminary composite indicator to detect them. Speakers: Marco De Simoni and Antonio Pellegrini (UIF - Italian Financial Intelligence Unit).
February 13, 2025
February MLRN Webinar
The webinar featured Mirko Nazzari (University of Sassari) and Peter Reuter (University of Maryland) - presenting on "How Well does the Money Laundering Control System Work?". Mark Nance (North Carolina State University) as discussant.
December 12, 2024
December MLRN Webinar
The webinar (h. 5pm CET) featured Irene Tello Arista (Central European University), Mihály Fazekas (Central European University, Government Transparency Institute) and Antonina Volkotrub (Anti-Corruption Action Centre) presenting on "Using beneficial ownership data for large-scale risk assessment in public procurement". Andres Knobel (Tax Justice Network) as discussant. Paper available here.
November 21, 2024
November MLRN Webinar
The webinar (h. 5pm CET) featured Lorenzo Crippa (University of Glasgow) and Nikhil Kalyanpur (London School of Economics) presenting on "American Economic Coercion and Elite Re-Globalization". Miroslav Palansky as discussant.
October 17, 2024
October MLRN Webinar
The webinar (h. 5pm CET) featured Miles Kellerman - Leiden University (Netherlands) - presenting on "Licensed Detection Agents: The Case for Financial Crime Bounty Hunters". Mark Turkington as discussant.
Junly 18, 2024
Call for Papers
The Money Laundering Research Network invites submissions of working papers and published research (or even unpublished drafts of finalised research) for presentation in the 2024-2025 academic year. We are interested in work related to all aspects of money laundering: the nature and evolution of this threat, its impacts on the economy and society, and the impact and effectiveness of domestic and multilateral attempts to govern this policy space.
Practitioners and academics at all stages, including PhD candidates, are invited to submit working papers for consideration by 6 September 2024. Selected participants will have the opportunity to present their research in the monthly MLRN seminar.
Contact form below.
June 20, 2024
June MLRN Webinar
The webinar featured Daniel Haberly - University of Sussex - presenting the paper "The Regulation of Illicit Financial Flows (RIFF) dataset: A new world map of 30-years of financial secrecy and anti-money laundering reforms". Previous edition of the paper available here.
May 9, 2024
May MLRN Webinar
The webinar featured Lucia Sommerer -University of Halle (Germany) and Yale Law School (USA) - and Lena Leffer - University of Halle (Germany) - who presented on "AML and Artificial Intelligence: Potential and Limitations".
March 7, 2024
March MLRN Webinar
Rajeev Gundur presented his paper on "Financial risk management strategies of small to medium illicit drug enterprises: considering low-level money laundering".
February 8, 2024
February MLRN Webinar
Mirko Nazzari presented the paper "From payday to payoff: Exploring the money laundering strategies of cybercriminals". The paper is available here.
January 25, 2024
The MLRN is growing fast!
Just two months after the launch of the Money Laundering Research Network, 2023 ended with more than 130 MLRN members.
December 14, 2023
December MLRN webinar
Eleni Tsingou presented the paper “Outsourcing authority in global policy: legitimating the AML regime through professionalization” (available here).
November 9, 2023
October MLRN Webinar
Joras Ferwerda presented the paper ‘Do Banks Profit from Failing to Control Money Laundering? An Empirical Study’.
October 26, 2023
MLRN website is online
You will find news about next meetings and initiatives of the MLRN network, and have the chance to subscribe to the MLRN network.
A selection of past webinars
Subscribe or Contact us
The MLRN is hosted by Transcrime - Joint Research Centre on Innovation and Crime of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (www.transcrime.it). If you want to become a member of MLRN please subscribe by filling this form. By subscribing to MLRN, you will receive (a) details on how to participate to MLRN webinars and (b) news about future MLRN initiatives and events.
Email: info@moneylaunderingresearch.com
Transcrime contacts:
Phone: +39 02 7234 3715
Largo Gemelli 1, 20123, Milano (Italy)