Systems thinking about anti‐money laundering: considering the Greek case

Describes some aspects of money laundering through the lens of systems terminology. Claims that this approach can give insights beyond those of the conventional “linear” methodologies, and gives the American dominance of the Financial Action Task Force as an example. Sees money laundering and anti‐money laundering as coupled activities, subsystems each of which stimulates the other to expand its own powers within its particular domain, so that the harder that anti‐money laundering pushes, money laundering pushes back. Relates this to how the suspicious transaction reporting system works in the Greek context and recommends improvements. Argues that anti‐money laundering is not a “solution” to the “problem” of money laundering, and that there can be no solution: money laundering is as old as money itself.