The fight against financial crime in the Americas reached an ever-higher pitch in 2018, with new and innovative methods of sanctions evasion sprouting as quickly as enforcement agencies could cut them off. Against this background, virtual currency continued to see-saw in value and legality without ever quite tipping over into mainstream acceptance, despite something approaching a coherent regulatory regime emerging in many jurisdictions. And ongoing themes continued to gather pace: more countries turned their attention to the possibilities of open banking, cybersecurity issues plagued the financial sector, and fintechs carried on chipping away at banks’ battlements.