Impact on financial institutions of upcoming US beneficial ownership rule examined in new paper
Financial institutions have so far not been provided the relief from the burdens of onboarding and customer due diligence they had hoped for as a result of the final version of the beneficial ownership rule issued in September by the US treasury department’s Financial Crimes…
FinCEN analysis of Russian oligarchs’ funds flows highlights value of data from financial institutions
Russian oligarchs are increasingly purchasing high-value goods or property as they reroute their finances in response to their country’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent slew of international sanctions imposed on them, according to new analysis from the US treasury department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network…
FinCEN seeks comments from financial institutions and other stakeholders on proposed rule on access to beneficial ownership information
The US treasury department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is seeking comments on a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) published on 15 December 2022 that would implement provisions of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) that govern the access to and protection of beneficial ownership information….
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…
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…
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…
FinCEN issues first ever penalty for failing to comply with GTO order
The US treasury department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has for the first time ever fined a business in the Los Angeles Fashion District for failing to comply with a geographic targeting order (GTO). A&S World Trading, operating under the name Fine Fragrance (A&S), has…
Tough reporting obligations for art traders, but shell companies the root problem and art not a priority suggests US treasury report
Close outstanding gaps in the US anti-money laundering and counter financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regime, including those related to beneficial ownership and real estate, before focusing on the art trade the US treasury is told in a study examining money laundering (ML) and terrorist financing…
Crack down on TBML to battle the world’s kleptocrats says US senator
Action to prevent or stem trade-based money laundering (TBML) needs to be better coordinated to battle the world’s kleptocrats according to a comprehensive plan devised by a leading US senator. Sheldon Whitehouse has launched his plan in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which…
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…
