Zachary Kelman (Kelman Law) on the FATF, Bitcoin, and the International Order (EP.117)

Zachary Kelman, managing partner at Kelman Law PLLC, joins the show to shed light on the FATF – it's origins and its current mandate – the travel rule, and what the industry can expect from these developments. Covered in this episode: Zach's prior career in bank compliance and how he decided to focus on Bitcoin How Zach noticed the blurring of lines between stopping crime and politics for bank AML Why overseas payments in the correspondent bank system are expensive What the Travel Rule actually means Why Zach thinks Bitcoin compares favorably with the default correspondent banking system Why banks freeze out certain sectors even without a specific ban or prohibition How Coins.ph moved the needle for financial inclusion in the Philippines The history of the FATF and its original mandate and intent Why the FATF's recommendation could possibly bifurcate the bitcoin market How the end of the Cold War might have influenced the creation of the FATF What Fukuyama's End of History has to do with financial crimes enforcement Will the decline of the US-led international order mean organizations like the FATF will have a reduced ability to police global finance Zach's thesis that western Europe might end up being a haven for the crypto industry How the FATF recommendations actually get enforced at the local level How the FATF black and graylists change bank behavior Why NYDFS has so much control over global finance How bank behavior in the US is often more norm based than couched in law Why a rise of nationalism could advantage Bitcoin