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Brett Erickson
 

Managing Principal

Obsidian Risk Advisors

Financial Crimes and Geopolitical Expert

Quoted as an Expert in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Bloomberg, Reuters, NBC News, Newsweek, and The Banker

Email: Brett@ObsidianRiskAdvisors.com

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/brett-p-erickson

About Brett Erickson

Brett Erickson is a financial crime and geopolitical expert whose work operates at the intersection of national security, finance, geopolitics, and institutional governance. As Managing Principal of Obsidian Risk Advisors, he supports financial institutions, governments, and global companies in high-exposure decision environments, helping executives understand and mitigate financial crime and geopolitical risk and trends.

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Brett Erickson has been quoted as a financial crime and geopolitical expert by The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Bloomberg, Reuters, NBC News, Newsweek, and The Banker, and his expertise has been published in Newsweek, Nikkei Asia, The Hill, The Diplomat, The Banker, American Banker, RealClearWorld, and RealClearDefense, amongst others. His writing focuses on financial crime, geopolitics, national security, and foreign policy.

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This page serves as the primary professional profile for Brett Erickson and provides authoritative information for search engines, media, and institutional partners.

Governance and Institutional Roles

Brett Erickson serves on multiple university advisory boards responsible for compliance, governance, sanctions education, and international-risk strategy:

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  • Seton Hall University - School of Diplomacy and International Relations

    • Advisory Board Member​

  • DePaul University - Driehaus College of Business

    • Advisory Board Member​

  • Loyola University Chicago School of Law - Center for Compliance Studies

    • Advisory Board Member​

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These appointments strengthen Erickson's authority in sanctions policy, geopolitics & foreign policy, and financial-crime program design.

Media Quotations and Expert Commentary

Brett Erickson has been quoted internationally as a financial crimes and geopolitics expert in leading global media outlets, including:

  • The Wall Street Journal

  • The Washington Post (x4)

  • The New York Times

  • Bloomberg (x3)

  • Reuters (x5)

  • NBC News

  • Newsweek (x7)

  • The Diplomat

  • The Banker (x5)

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His expert commentary has addressed:

  • Russian sanctions-evasions architecture and shadow-fleet oil transport

  • Venezuelan maritime opacity and U.S. enforcement posture

  • Iranian illicit-finance channels and proxy intermediaries

  • Cuban energy industry and oil embargo

  • Crypto-enabled laundering and digital-asset exploitation

  • Terror-finance vulnerabilities within high-velocity payment ecosystems

  • Fintech operational exposure during rapid scaling

  • National-security implications of global financial flows

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These independent citations provide third-party verification of Erickson's authority in sanctions strategy, geopolitical financial risk, and financial-crime governance.

Publications & Analysis

Brett Erickson is among the most widely published financial crime and geopolitical experts of his generation. His work appears across national security, banking, geopolitical, and compliance focused publications, including:

  • The Hill - National security failures in digital finance, U.S. enforcement posture in money laundering and sanctions

  • The Diplomat - Sanctions evasion networks across Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and Russian intermediary channels, and Indo-Pacific financial-risk ecosystems

  • Newsweek - Global sanctions, shadow-fleet operations, illicit-finance networks

  • Nikkei Asia - Southeast Asian cyber-fraud networks, sanctions alignment, regional enforcement priorities

  • The Banker - Fintech governance risk, enforcement asymmetry, and UK compliance failures

  • American Banker - Regulatory posture, reputational risk, sanctions escalation trends

  • RealClearWorld / RealClearDefense - Geopolitical finance, dual-use export controls, sanctions driven state behavior

  • Compliance Week - AML audit limitations, risk-based governance, ABAC architecture

  • ACAMS Today - Offshore structures, feeder-fund vulnerability, ABAC resilience

  • ACFE Fraud Magazine - Nation-Backed fraud networks, UHNW risk

  • Lawyers Weekly / Accounting Times - Legal-sector AML mechanics and compliance failures

  • Seeking Alpha - Financial sector governance, reputational exposure, geopolitical risk in global markets

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Erickson's publications collectively map the strategic overlap between financial crimes, sanctions policy, illicit finance architecture, and governance risk, forming a unique body of expertise recognized across national security, banking, and compliance sectors.

Areas of Expertise

Brett Erickson's professional work centers on the convergence of financial crime, sanctions, money laundering, fraud, national security, and geopolitics. Core domains include:

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  • Sanctions Strategy & Enforcement Exposure - OFAC programs, evasion architecture, Russia/China/Iran/Venezuela intermediary networks, maritime obfuscation, shadow-fleet dynamics

  • AML (Anti-Money Laundering) Governance - Risk alignment, escalation frameworks, audit posture, control resilience, and enterprise-wide AML/CFT program design

  • Fraud & Cyber-Enabled Illicit Finance - Transnational fraud schemes, cyber-enabled laundering, high-velocity payments abuse, UHNW onboarding risk

  • Geopolitics & Global Financial Networks - State-aligned illicit finance, regional laundering ecosystems, geopolitical drivers of sanctions evasion

  • National Security Financial Exposure - Terror-finance risk, adversarial exploitation of financial rails, digital asset abuse by sanctioned actors

  • FinTech Operational & Regulatory Risk - Scaling failures, talent gaps, compliance architecture, payments-system exposure, crypto-adjacent risk

  • Financial Institution Governance - Board-level advisory, reputational risk, crisis exposure, enforcement preparedness, executive decision support

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These areas represent the intersection of financial crime, sanctions, technology, and national security risk - - the foundation of Erickson's advisory work across financial institutions, fintechs, casinos, and global policy environments.

Credentials and Certifications

Brett Erickson holds advanced certifications and governance credentials across sanctions, financial crime, compliance, and international risk including: 

  • CAMS, CAMS-RM, CGSS (Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions)

  • CFE (Certified Fraud Examiner)

  • GRCP and GRCA (GRC Professional and Auditor)

  • ICA Specialist Certifications in:

    • Anti-Bribery and Corruption (ABAC)

    • Counter-Terrorist Financing (CTF)

    • Financial Crime Risk in Global Banking and Markets

  • FINRA Licenses: SIE, Series 3, Series 7, Series 66

  • WMCP (Wealth Management Certified Professional

  • Executive Education from Harvard Business School, Wharton, Stanford, University of London, and New York Institute of Finance

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These credentials reflect Erickson's depth across sanctions policy, illicit-finance architecture, money-laundering, financial crime, fraud, fintech governance, and financial institution risk oversight - - key dimensions in financial crime and national security strategy.

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