I step into my new role as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Financial Crime and the Journal of Money Laundering Control with great pride and enthusiasm. I want to begin by acknowledging the immense contributions of my predecessors, Professor Barry Rider, Professor Li Hong Xing and Angela Futter, whose dedication and expertise have shaped the journals to become leading forums on all matters of financial crime research. I owe a great deal to Professor Barry Rider and the late Professor William Tupman (my doctoral examiner) – the founding editors of these journals – and Professor Louis de Koker, whose guidance and support have been instrumental throughout my academic career. Their leadership, along with the work of the past editorial board, has built a strong foundation for rigorous academic and policy debate, and one that I am eager to build upon.
As financial crime continues to evolve, so too must our research and editorial approach. Technological advancements and globalisation have come to define the nature of financial crime and money laundering. How we respond to the threat of financial crime has, not only, been shaped by past financial scandals, but also by recent economic instability and geopolitical conflicts. Moussa et al. (2025) investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russian–Ukrainian war on the volatility of cryptocurrency markets and highlighted the “interconnectedness” of the global financial system. Meanwhile, the study by Maletova et al. (2025) stressed the need to adapt existing financial monitoring mechanisms to wartime challenges. These studies underscore the importance of relevant and impactful research in addressing many of our modern turmoil.
We are seeing new threats emerge, including crypto-based frauds, online romance scams and increasingly sophisticated and organised money-laundering schemes. In late 2024, I had the pleasure of contributing to a workshop as part of International Anti-Corruption Day at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in London, where I heard from experts about their research. I learnt from Professor Oliver Buckley of Loughborough University about how criminals are training artificial intelligence to create highly realistic “deep fake” audio narratives to defraud victims. I also heard from Graham Burrow of The Dark Money Files and Risk Alert 247 Ltd concerning the thousands of nefarious overseas companies being registered in the UK every day, despite new Companies House reforms being announced. Financial crime continues to present a growing challenge for society as technology and criminal methods adapt to ongoing enforcement efforts and new laws or regulations. Yet, innovative technology and techniques can also be harnessed to solve many of these challenges. Singh (2025) explored how “Generative Artificial Intelligence” can help UK financial institutions to address the risk of financial crime and cyber threats. Likewise, Naz and Khan (2025) revealed how forensic accounting techniques can have a positive impact on detecting organisational fraud – especially important for businesses in emerging economies, such as Pakistan. These insights help academics and practitioners to appreciate the benefits of applying new tactics in the fight against financial crime.
I am committed to maintaining the high academic standards and legacy set by my predecessors, while broadening the journals’ reach and impact. Of course, the journals would not be successful if it were not for the support and contributions of our international authors and peer reviewers. Peer reviewers are integral to upholding the high standards of the submissions that we receive daily, and your contributions in ensuring timely, constructive and expert judgements are truly appreciated.
You may note that both journals have new “Aims and Scope” and “Author Guidelines”. These changes hopefully differentiate and clarify the focus areas for the Journal of Financial Crime and the Journal of Money Laundering Control. While the journals embrace interdisciplinary perspectives from economics, accounting, cybercrime and law, they remain firmly rooted within criminology and the social sciences. Therefore, all contributions should advance criminological debates, theories or methodologies. Articles should be between 5,000 and 8,000 words in length. This includes all text, for example, the structured abstract, references, all text in tables, and figures and appendices. Submissions must adhere to the Author Guidelines in terms of structure and the use of Harvard referencing.
I invite researchers from around the world to contribute to these journals and help shape the future of financial crime scholarship. I encourage submissions that push the boundaries of financial crime research, while still offering important implications for policy, prevention or enforcement. I particularly welcome contributions from scholars in underrepresented regions, where financial crime remains a critical issue. As we continue to research important topics, we should reflect on the contributions that have been made to the fields of financial crime and anti-money laundering. Our research should support many of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. As such, our journals remain important platforms promoting a more secure, just and accountable society.
