[wjnc]

The world is more complex than that. Things like sanctions and countries (not) fully implementing the sanctions create a world in which the transport of sanctioned ‘money’ (or money owned by sanctioned people) from place X to Y is only possible via constructions as the one hinted on here. Dirty money is not always cash. Even bank held funds can be dirty enough to require cleaning.

[bombcar]

Yep it may be entirely illegal for a foreign entity to buy fifty million dollars worth of brand new excavators, but entirely legal for them to invest fifty million in crappy startups that burn money buying weird things like excavators.

[triceratops]

Good point, thank you for helping me understand.