Banks and financial regulators wasting time on AML compliance should consider AI techniques
A new policy brief published by the Brookings Centre on Regulation and Markets has a clear focus on anti-money laundering (AML) compliance and suggests that banks, regulators, and law enforcement authorities are spending time and money chasing down potential leads but not really curbing illicit…
EU-UN study suggests sanctions for Eastern European banks for SARs and customer identification failures
Illicit financial flows (IFFs) in the EU’s Eastern Partnership (EaP) region, can be estimated at around €29 billion (US$31 billion) every year according to a new study released by the EU and the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute. One of its recommendations to…
NFTs are a new way of TBML says top Dutch financial crime investigator
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs), the financial securities consisting of digital data stored in a blockchain, can be used in trade-based money laundering (TBML) operations according to Niels Obbink, chief and general director of the Fiscal Information and Investigation Service, the Dutch government agency responsible for investigating…
US government lost US$640 billion in a year through trade-based tax evasion and money laundering
Trade-based tax evasion and money laundering cost the US government more than US$640 billion in taxable income during 2021 according to a new report commissioned by Sēk Strategies, a Washington-based consultancy firm focused on transparency, accountability, human rights and the environment. The report is based…
TradeSun launches real-time offering to tackle dual-use goods and Russia sanctions
TradeSun, an artificial intelligence (AI) platform for financial crime prevention and compliance in trade, has launched a real-time offering to detect and intercept financial transactions involving dual-use goods from Russia and Belarus, as well as vessels entering sanctioned areas amid the Russia-Ukraine crisis. The solution…
Undervalued exports of gold and cocoa from Ghana in 2011-17 amounted to US$8.8 billion
Mispricing of gold and cocoa exports from Ghana has contributed to significant tax base erosion from one of Africa’s most resource rich countries according to a new paper based on an innovative methodology for measuring abnormal pricing. Instead of using aggregate trade statistics to measure…
Financial institutions’ critical role in combatting wildlife trafficking outlined in new FinCEN report
The US treasury department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has released a Financial Threat Analysis on wildlife trafficking threat patterns and trend information identified in Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) data. The report aims to further inform efforts to combat wildlife trafficking and the associated movement…
US$1.6 trillion lost in potential trade misinvoicing in 2018 amongst developing and advanced countries says GFI report
An estimated US$1.6 trillion in potential trade misinvoicing among 134 developing countries has been identified in 2018 according to a new report published by Global Financial Integrity (GFI). Trade-related Illicit Financial Flows in 134 Developing Countries 2009-2018 says that of that US$1.6 million, US$835 billion occurred between the…
Accuity survey reveals differences in trade compliance processes at banks, corporates and NBFIs
Accuity has conducted a survey on trade compliance and the specific challenges facing the industry. More than 120 compliance professionals from banks, insurance and fintech firms around the world participated in the survey. The results reveal differences in how global banks, corporates and non-banking financial…
