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Missile sirens in Bahrain, Trump dancing on a Malaysian tarmac, and sanctions lists that can quietly kill your business model — geopolitics has officially become a compliance problem.

In this in-house MoonCast deep dive, co-hosts Sanad Karkar and Razin Nizar unpack how global sanctions and counter‑terrorism laws are reshaping payments, fintech, and digital assets — and what founders, compliance teams, and executives need to do about it.

🎧 Tune in to hear:

• From 9/11 to now: How terrorism laws evolved from domestic and reactive to a global web of sanctions and FATF standards
• Blacklist vs. grey list: What FATF labels really mean for banks, fintechs, and ordinary citizens — and why de‑listing is so hard
• Sanctions on the ground: Bahrain’s missile scare, banking challenges for sanctioned nationalities, and “collective punishment” in practice
• Blockchain as solution: Why crypto can help fight terrorism financing, from traceability to travel rule and wallet‑level sanctions
• Compliance realities: Updating lists in hours, avoiding “check-the-box” screening, and how one sanctioned customer can trigger massive fines
• Arbitration vs. public policy: How sanctions collide with international arbitration, and why public policy can override carefully drafted clauses
• Future of risk: Fragmenting sanctions regimes, politically motivated extremism, and why global awareness is now a core compliance control

⚠️ Disclaimer

This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or professional advice. Always consult qualified professionals before making decisions about sanctions, counter‑terrorism laws, digital assets, or regulatory compliance.

Support the show

Sanad Karkar, JD, LL.M, is a business and legal strategy consultant and the founder of Moonrock Consultancy Consultancy, with expertise in Business, Technology and international law. Legal Consultant at LPO&Law specialising in Web3, Digital Assets and offshore jurisdictions.

Razin Nizar (Associate - AICB, ACRC, ACAML, CAML) is the founder of Pragmax Consulting, specializing in risk and compliance.

Bridging Technology, Compliance and Law

This series will focus on highlighting the latest developments in regulatory compliance, legal frameworks, and the technological advancements shaping the blockchain industry. It brings together two former college friends from Bond University —Razin Nizar and Sanad Karkar—who, after diverging into different professional paths continents apart, have reunited at the forefront of digital assets more than 14 years later. As experts in risk management, compliance, business, and legal strategy, our collaboration is dedicated to exploring how the intersection of law, technology, and compliance can address the challen...