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…
Financial institutions urged to lead voluntary efforts to break connections between environmental crimes and finance
Financial institutions are being urged by a new report to take leadership in advancing voluntary measures in efforts to break the connection between environmental crimes and finance. The report, Breaking the Environmental Crimes-Finance Connection, presents Finance for Biodiversity’s (F4B’s) analysis and recommendations on how to…
HSBC fined nearly US$64 million for failings in AML systems
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has fined HSBC Bank £63.9 million (US$84.4 million) for failings in its anti-money laundering (AML) processes. Despite the bank’s use of automated processes to monitor hundreds of millions of transactions a month to identify possible financial crime, the FCA…
Wholesale banking, retail banking and wealth management sectors pose greatest money laundering risk
The wholesale banking, retail banking and wealth management sectors in the UK remain vulnerable to financial crime and pose the greatest money laundering risk based on sector risk assessments by the country’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). According to the UK treasury’s Anti-money laundering and counterterrorist…
Assessing the impact of Covid-19 on trade-based financial crime
In the two years since the first cases of Covid-19 were reported several experts and authorities have endeavoured to establish the impact of the pandemic on trade-based financial crime (TBFC). But while it is relatively easy to establish increased vulnerabilities in the supply chains fractured…
UK central to US$483 billion annual losses due to tax abuse by multinational companies and wealthy individuals
Tax abuse by multinationals and ultra-wealthy individuals causes annual tax losses of US$483 billion worldwide according to a new report by the Global Alliance for Tax Justice, Public Services International and the Tax Justice Network. The largest share of tax losses of US$312 billion is…
UAE publicises improvements in AML/CFT systems
One of the UAE’s most prominent political figures has put his name to an extensive article outlining what appear to be substantial changes to the emirates’ anti-money laundering and counter financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) systems. In 2020 the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) warned the…
Pandora Papers leak sharpens focus on art and antiquities trade, fortifies case for worldwide beneficial ownership transparency
The Pandora Papers leak of almost 12 million documents revealing hidden wealth and tax avoidance by some of the world’s rich and powerful also underlines the apparent ease with which the trade in art and antiquities has been used to launder the proceeds of stolen…
UK and UAE launch Partnership to Tackle Illicit Financial
A new Partnership to Tackle Illicit Financial Flows (PTIFF) has been launched by the UK and the UAE. The partnership will focus on targeting organised crime and those financing terrorism.
Trade finance banks not doing enough to detect fraud and crime say UK regulators
British regulators have written an unusually blunt letter to the CEOs of the UK’s largest banks ordering them to conduct a full financial crime risk assessment of their processes to detect money laundering, sanctions evasion, terrorist financing and fraud among their clients. The Bank of…
