1st Edition

Trade-Based Money Laundering Compliance and the Law

By Mariola Marzouk, Branislav Hock Copyright 2026
176 Pages 6 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

176 Pages 6 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

This book exposes how illicit finance hides in plain sight within legitimate global trade. Drawing on real-world cases, empirical interviews, and policy analysis, the book reveals how Trade-Based Money Laundering (TBML) exploits regulatory gaps, dynamic supply chains, and the ambiguities of modern commerce. It uncovers the systemic incentives that sustain symbolic compliance—where audit trails,... Read more

1. Introduction; 2. The Trade-Based Money Laundering Concept; 3. Counter TBML Law and Policy; 4. Public Policing and Counter-TBML Enforcement; 5. Private Policing and Public-Private Partnerships; 6. Typology of TBML Cases; 7. Policing TBML in Practice; 8. Conclusions and Recommendations

Biography

Mariola Marzouk is a regulatory technology industry practitioner based in the United Kingdom.

Branislav Hock is Associate Professor in Economic Crime & Compliance, University of Portsmouth, UK.

'A stimulating, critical examination of TBML and how it is combatted (or not). The authors cogently argue that the true danger of TBML is not its invisibility, but our belief that rigorous compliance frameworks equal control, when in fact, the illusion of control allows illicit finance to flourish.'

Michael Levi, Cardiff University, UK

'TBML is arguably the largest and most consequential money laundering methodology today, yet simultaneously the least understood, recognized, and enforced. This timely and valuable book provides fresh insights. I applaud its focus on how both policymakers and practitioners often prioritize symbolic responses over meaningful and substantive countermeasures.'

John Cassara, former U.S. Treasury Special Agent (retired); Author of Trade-Based Money Laundering: The Next Frontier in International Money Laundering Enforcement