Flying Money 2018:Investigating Illicit Financial Flows in the City

Abstract

Amsterdam has a vibrant economic climate in which international businesses like to use the city as a base. Even though the international banking world seems to have overcome the financial crisis of 2008, there is still a lot of uncertainty as to how the banking world will survive. Nevertheless, the international economy is thriving and Amsterdam is one of its centres that contributes every day. Being a hub and a hotspot for many people from all over the world, also other new dynamics have entered the city in the last few years. Millions of euro’s pas through the city of which we do not know anymore whose money it is, where it comes from or where it goes. Also, the developing cryptocurrencies and parallel money cultures all contribute to the opaqueness of the future of the financial world.To better understand the current dynamics that will affect our financial future, Amsterdam has taken the initiative to organize an international conference with and for European cities: Flying Money – Investigating illicit financial flows in the city. Below first a description is given of the challenges a North European city like Amsterdam is facing today. Secondly the potential of recognizing and designing urban dynamics, which informed the design of the conference and the line-up of speakers, is sketched. In the last section results of the Flying Money conference are shared and a short description of the book is offered