“Human beings interpret change in different ways—some through logic and evidence, others through intuition, cycles, and symbols. What follows may not resonate with everyone, but for many, the transition from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius offers a compelling lens to understand what’s unfolding in finance, politics, and society. Whether literal or metaphorical, it helps explain why the systems that once felt solid are now crumbling—and why new paradigms, grounded in transparency, empowerment, and collaboration, are taking shape.”
If Britain wants to be the financial capital of the world, it must stop being the crime capital of the world.
For too long, Britain and its Overseas Territories have played host to the greatest financial injustice of our time. Behind the curtain of shell companies, secrecy laws, and offshore havens lies a corrupt infrastructure that robs the poorest and shields the powerful.
🧠I lead Asset Recovery Network (UK) Ltd., a private-sector response to a public-sector failure. We work with lawyers, intelligence agents, and forensic professionals to trace and recover stolen assets—assets that could fund hospitals, schools, and infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa, where capital is desperately needed.
🤝 At the same time, I support survivors of financial crime through GetSAFE, helping individuals devastated by pension scams and investment fraud reclaim their agency and rebuild their lives.
These two missions are not separate. They are two sides of the same coin.
A Shared Victim: The Global South and the Forgotten Citizen
- Over ÂŁ5.9 billion in suspicious funds has flowed into UK property through shell companies in British Overseas Territories.
- 92% of 237 major corruption cases over 30 years involved British Virgin Islands (BVI) entities. In total, these cases amount to ÂŁ250 billion worth of funds diverted by rigged procurement, bribery, embezzlement and the unlawful acquisition of state assets across 79 different countries.
- Only 26p in every ÂŁ100 is recovered from organised crime in the UK.
- Sub-Saharan Africa suffers brain drain, capital flight, and economic instability as funds that should build futures are stashed in British hands.
Meanwhile, the UK Government turns a blind eye. Parliament has mandated transparency. Yet deadlines pass, and the OTs remain opaque. The BVI, Bermuda, Cayman Islands and others defy the will of parliament with impunity. Promises of “legitimate interest” access are no substitute for full transparency.
This is complicity.
This is systemic deception.
This must end.
The New Age Is Upon Us
We are living through a moment of spiritual and structural upheaval. The infrastructure of secrecy is being exposed and dismantled—by technology, by movements, by citizens demanding justice.
As the Age of Aquarius rises, old Piscean power structures based on control, deception, and dependency crumble.
✨ Transparency replaces tactics
✨ Empowerment replaces exploitation
✨ Justice replaces convenience
✨ People replace profit
And I am here to be a catalyst for that transformation.
What Needs to Change:
- âś… Immediate enforcement of public beneficial ownership registers across all British Overseas Territories.
- âś… A UK government willing to use Orders in Council when Offshore Territories (OTs) defy mandates.
- âś… Support for grassroots and national asset recovery efforts, including funding for ethical private solutions.
- âś… Stronger collaboration with anti-corruption campaigners, journalists, and citizen investigators.
- ✅ Amplified voices of survivors—both individuals and nations—who have suffered under this rigged system.
⚖️ A Constitutional Crisis Over Corruption: UK vs Its Own Tax Havens
In a moment that could define the future of Britain’s global financial credibility, a constitutional showdown is brewing between the UK and its British Overseas Territories (BOTs)—longstanding havens for illicit wealth and corporate secrecy.
🔥 What Just Happened?
On 1 July 2025, a deadline passed. It was meant to be a turning point: a long-promised moment when five key BOTs—including the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and Bermuda—were supposed to introduce “legitimate interest” access registers. These would reveal who really owns the thousands of shell companies operating in their jurisdictions.
But four of the five territories failed—again—to meet the deadline.
This was the third missed commitment, following promises made under pressure from UK Parliament, public outrage over scandals like the Panama Papers, and mounting evidence of dirty money flowing into UK property and beyond.
🧱 Why This Matters
The UK Parliament, supported by cross-party MPs and global watchdogs like Transparency International, is demanding corporate transparency. Specifically, public—or at least journalist-accessible—registers of beneficial ownership. These measures are vital to:
- Curbing money laundering
- Tracing stolen assets
- Disrupting kleptocratic regimes
- Holding the UK’s own reputation accountable
Yet BOTs, especially the BVI, remain defiant—despite being warned, assisted, and incentivised over several years. Their stalling not only protects the corrupt, it actively harms Britain’s credibility, damages national security, and prolongs global poverty by concealing loot that rightfully belongs to struggling nations and communities.
92% of 237 major corruption cases over 30 years involved British Virgin Islands (BVI) entities. In total, these cases amount to ÂŁ250 billion worth of funds diverted by rigged procurement, bribery, embezzlement and the unlawful acquisition of state assets across 79 different countries.
âť– What is a Kleptocratic Regime?
A kleptocratic regime is a government where leaders use their power to steal national resources and enrich themselves, their families, and close allies—at the expense of the population.
The word comes from the Greek “kleptes” (thief) and “kratos” (power or rule)—literally meaning “rule by thieves.”
âť– Key Characteristics
- State Capture
Laws, policies, and institutions are manipulated to serve the ruling elite’s personal financial interests, not the public good. - Systemic Corruption
Bribery, embezzlement, and rigged contracts are not isolated incidents—they are standard operating procedures. - Wealth Extraction and Offshoring
National assets (oil, minerals, aid money, public contracts) are siphoned off and hidden in offshore bank accounts or shell companies—often in places like London, the British Virgin Islands, or Dubai. - Control of Law Enforcement and Judiciary
Courts, regulators, and police are often co-opted or threatened into complicity, making accountability nearly impossible from within. - Suppression of Dissent
Journalists, opposition leaders, and whistleblowers are intimidated, imprisoned, or worse.
âť– Real-World Examples
- Equatorial Guinea: Its president’s son owned luxury mansions and sports cars across the globe while citizens lacked basic healthcare.
- Nigeria (under various regimes): Billions lost to oil sector theft and phantom infrastructure projects.
- Russia: An oligarchic system where political loyalty grants access to national riches and protection from prosecution.
âť– Why It Matters
Kleptocratic regimes fuel global inequality, weaken democracies, and drive mass poverty in countries rich with natural wealth.
But kleptocracy doesn’t thrive in isolation. It requires:
- Western enablers: banks, law firms, property agents.
- Secrecy jurisdictions: like the BVI, Cayman Islands, and parts of the UK.
This is why the fight against kleptocracy is global. It’s why my work through ARNUK and GetSAFE is so vital—returning wealth to where it belongs, and holding systems to account.
🛑 The UK’s Options: Enter the Order in Council
With the BOTs refusing to comply, senior MPs are calling for the UK Government to override their autonomy using a rarely deployed but constitutionally powerful tool: the Order in Council.
This is:
- A decree issued by the King on the advice of the Privy Council
- Used previously to decriminalise homosexuality in five BOTs in 2000
- A nuclear option—but one still very much on the table
Andrew Mitchell MP put it bluntly: “Enough is enough.”
🕵️‍♀️ The BVI’s Smoke and Mirrors
The BVI government claims it’s implementing a “legitimate interest policy”, granting access only to those who can prove a justified reason. But civil society sees this as a stall tactic, not progress. Critically:
- Company owners are notified of information requests (undermining investigations)
- Owners can apply for exemptions from disclosure
- The system lacks independent oversight
Transparency International UK calls the proposal incompatible with global transparency standards. And the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) agrees—recently placing the BVI on its grey list for increased scrutiny over money laundering risks.
đź’¬ The Bigger Picture: Why This Is Personal
This is not just a geopolitical issue. This directly connects to:
- The suffering of GetSAFE victims, who’ve seen their retirement funds vanish into opaque offshore channels.
- The lack of capital in Sub-Saharan Africa, where banks can’t lend, and small businesses can’t grow—because the continent’s wealth is being stashed in UK property portfolios, purchased through anonymous companies registered in the BOTs.
- The fragile credibility of the UK, which risks becoming the enabler of a global kleptocracy.
I say:
“We must shine the light of transparency into the darkest corners of Britain’s financial empire. The time for diplomacy is over. The time for action is now.”
🧠In the New Age
This moment is not accidental. The infrastructure of deceit is crumbling. The world is entering a new paradigm:
- From secrecy to transparency
- From control to collaboration
- From complicity to consequence
I stand not just as a critic, but as a changemaker, building ethical infrastructure through:
- Asset Recovery Network UK, restoring stolen wealth to nations
- GetSAFE, supporting victims of financial crime
- The Academy of Life Planning, awakening individuals to reclaim autonomy
🌍 Why Transparency Must Trump Deregulation
Holding the UK’s Reputation to Account in the Pursuit of Growth
As the UK Government pushes for economic growth through deregulation, it risks doubling down on the very model that made the UK—and especially the City of London—the crime capital of the world.
âť– The False Trade-Off
Policymakers argue that relaxing financial rules will:
- Attract more global capital
- Boost the competitiveness of the City
- Secure London’s post-Brexit role as a leading financial hub
But this comes at a cost:
That same openness—without safeguards—has already made the UK a magnet for dirty money, kleptocrats, and financial crime.
âť– Why This Matters Now
- Economic Growth Built on Corruption Is Fragile
Illicit flows distort markets, fuel asset bubbles (especially in housing), and crowd out legitimate investment in SMEs and real productivity. - Reputation Is Capital (Spiritual Capital)
The UK can’t be the trusted financial centre of the world while turning a blind eye to criminal wealth.
Without credibility, we lose the long-term trust of global investors, responsible nations, and multilateral partners. - Being a Beacon, Not a Black Hole
The UK has a chance to lead the world in financial transparency—setting the global standard, not dragging it down. - International Pressure Is Mounting
From FATF grey-listings to EU trade considerations and US diplomatic concerns, tolerance for opacity is collapsing. Delay is no longer an option. - Deregulation Without Integrity = Disaster
History teaches us this. Think 2008. Think Wirecard (See below). Think the Pandora and Panama Papers.
⚠️ Lessons from Wirecard: When Deregulation Breeds Deception
One of the most glaring examples of what happens when financial systems chase growth without integrity is the Wirecard scandal—a corporate fraud that shook Europe to its core.
Wirecard was once hailed as a fintech darling of the German stock exchange—a rising star offering digital payment solutions across the globe. It became a symbol of modern innovation. But behind the polished PR, a €1.9 billion black hole sat at the heart of its balance sheet.
When the truth came out in 2020, it wasn’t just a corporate scandal—it was a systemic failure:
- Regulators failed to act on early warnings.
- Auditors signed off on falsified accounts.
- Whistleblowers and investigative journalists were silenced or ignored.
- Investors, pension savers, and the public paid the price.
Even as concerns mounted, the German regulator BaFin dismissed critics, prioritising the defence of a national champion over due diligence. Instead of probing the company, they pursued journalists and short-sellers.
This wasn’t just a case of corporate misconduct—it was a failure of oversight, accountability, and ethics at every level. Wirecard operated with impunity for years, protected by opacity and emboldened by a system more focused on competitiveness than compliance.
Today, Wirecard stands as a cautionary tale:
Growth without transparency is not strength—it’s rot disguised as progress.
In our own context—where the UK seeks to position the City as the world’s financial capital through deregulation—we must ask: Are we setting the stage for our own Wirecard?
If Britain wants to lead in finance, it must also lead in ethics, transparency, and accountability. Otherwise, we risk becoming a beacon not for opportunity, but for organised crime, corruption, and kleptocracy.
✊ Why This Initiative Is Critical
- It’s about restoring integrity to our financial system.
- It’s about aligning growth with justice, not corruption.
- It’s about ensuring that the UK is a source of solutions, not a sanctuary for stolen wealth.
If Britain wants to be the financial capital of the world, it must stop being the crime capital of the world.
Transparency isn’t anti-growth. It’s the only sustainable growth strategy left.
Steve Conley
CEO, Asset Recovery Network (UK) Ltd
Founder, GetSAFE | Academy of Life Planning | M-POWER Movement
Transparency Task Force Advisory Group
đź“Ł “Britain must no longer be the crime capital of the world. It’s time to turn the light on. It’s time to heal—globally and personally.”
Your Money or Your Life
Unmask the highway robbers – Enjoy wealth in every area of your life!
By Steve Conley. Available on Amazon. Visit www.steve.conley.co.uk to find out more.
Academy of Life Planning 