Research exposes industrial-scale abuse of UK LLPs for financial crime
More than one in ten of all Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) ever incorporated in Britain bear the hallmarks of shell companies used for serious financial crimes, according to a new report published today by Transparency International UK (TI). The independent anti-corruption organisation now wants to…
Misinvoicing amongst TBML typologies used to cover up environmental crime
Allowing environmental, conservation, and anti-corruption organisations to access export invoices and trade data to identify misinvoicing could help curb environmental crime, including illegal mining, logging, fishing, and wildlife trafficking, according to a virtual convention on environmental crime related illicit financial flows. Transparent beneficial ownership information,…
Stakeholders respond to the FATF consultation on transparency and beneficial ownership draft amendments
Several stakeholders have commented on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) draft amendments to its Recommendation 25 (R25) on the transparency and beneficial ownership of legal arrangements (Trade-based Financial Crime, 29 June 2022). Financial institutions are amongst those stakeholders the FATF is seeking views from…
FinCEN head issues reminder on Russia-related alerts, warns of lack of funds for new AML legislation
The head of the US treasury department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has issued a reminder in a congressional committee of two alerts related to recent sanctions imposed on Russia that provide financial institutions with information about red flags and typologies that include several trade-based…
Clamp down expected on UK registered shell companies favoured by Russia and other ex-Soviet actors
The UK government has published its proposals to clamp down on the use of anonymous or fraudulent shell companies and partnerships that provide criminals with a veneer of legitimacy to help commit a range of crimes, from money laundering and grand corruption to fraud and…
FACT Coalition “applauds” proposals for revised US beneficial ownership reporting
A non-partisan alliance of more than 100 US and international organisations working toward a fair tax system has “applauded” the proposal by the US treasury department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) for revised rules on beneficial ownership information reporting requirements (Trade-based Financial Crime, 30 December 2021)….
FinCEN issues proposed rule on beneficial ownership information reporting requirements
The US treasury department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has issued a proposed rule on beneficial ownership information reporting requirements that would implement key provisions of the Corporate Transparency Act, which was enacted earlier this year as part of the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020….
More information sharing and collaboration needed to combat TBML says major new US government report
Better information sharing and collaboration is needed to combat trade-based money laundering (TBML) according to a substantial report released on Monday by the US Government Accountability Office (GAOs). Countering Illicit Finance and Trade concluded that TBML is one of the primary mechanisms criminal organisations and…
TBML links in major national security and corruption threats presented by opaque US private investment firms
The US$11 trillion US private investment industry presents major national security and corruption threats and represents a gaping hole in the country’s anti-money laundering (AML) framework according to a joint report released yesterday by the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition, Global Financial Integrity…
FATF seeks views on combatting corruption through shell companies
In response to the Pandora Papers, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is asking for views on proposed rules for a new strategy for combatting corruption through shell companies or other anonymous entities Countries would be required to establish registries listing who actually owns a…
