Spotlight from Vegas Roundtable: Why Financial Crimes Should Be on Everyone’s Radar

Blog

Merchant Risk Council

Mar 21, 2025

Blog

At a recent industry roundtable held during the Vegas conference, leaders across payments, risk, and compliance came together to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing the ecosystem today. One standout topic was the growing threat of financial crimes—particularly scams, fraud, and money laundering—and why they should matter to everyone, not just compliance teams.

Why Should We Care?

The conversation made one thing clear: financial crime isn’t just a regulatory concern—it’s a business, customer trust, and brand reputation issue. As scams become more sophisticated and digital transactions more complex, bad actors are finding new ways to exploit gaps in the system. The tactics continue to evolve from romance scams and task-based cons to laundering through seemingly legitimate purchases.

It’s Not Always Obvious

Many businesses aren’t immediately impacted by traditional loss signals like chargebacks, which can make financial crime harder to detect or deprioritized internally. But the downstream effects—damaged brand reputation, customer victimization, and long-term regulatory risks—can be just as costly.

Looking Ahead

The roundtable also touched on the role of emerging technologies, like AI, in both enabling and preventing fraud and the growing need for platforms to share intelligence and build stronger partnerships across the ecosystem.

As one attendee said, “We all play a role in this.” The fight against financial crime is ongoing—but with shared insight, proactive strategies, and a unified front, the industry can make meaningful progress.

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going - Financial crime impacts all of us—collaboration is key to staying ahead of the threats. Join our Law Enforcement Community to continue the discussion.

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