Anti Money Laundering
Local regulators do not hesitate to impose huge fines and mandatory corrective measures. Negligence towards the fight against money laundering also poses a great risk in terms of security.
What is Money Laundering?
Money laundering is a process in which illegal proceeds are transformed to make them look as if they were obtained from a legitimate source. Globally, it's considered the third largest criminal industry, worth an estimated $800 billion to $2 trillion annually.Money laundering is a complicated and often misunderstood process. The term is used to describe the act of taking the proceeds of crime and transforming or disguising them so they can be used without attracting suspicion.
Please refer to the European Commission AML dedicated web section to keep your business aware of the latest anti-money laundering updates and regulatory changes.
How is money laundered?
Criminals frequently "launder" obtained illegal funds via illicit activities, such as drug trafficking. One technique most frequently used in business transactions is the use of legitimate cash-based companies to comingle illicit revenues with legal ones.Money launderers also have the possibility to sneak cash into foreign countries to reduce suspicion or use illicit cash to buy various currencies. Occasionally, they may make use of dishonest brokerages looking to obtain large commissions whilst ignoring the law.
AML impact : Terrorism financing definition
Financing of terrorism is the distribution or collection of funds, in any way, directly or indirectly, with the purpose of or knowledge that these funds will be used in full or in part by a terrorist or a terrorist organization.What is the European AML Legal Regulatory framework?
Anti-money laundering efforts rose in 1989 when a coalition of countries formed the Financial Action Task Force.
The EU introduced AMLl aws in 1990 to stop the concealement and flow of money from suspicious or criminal activities. The EU has continuously reformed their legislation to cover the evolving fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Initially, they developed 91/308/EEC in 1991, which was later revised with 2001/97/EC in 2001, and then the EU Directive 2005/60/EC in 2005. This legislation expanded with the Directive 2006/70/EC.
In 2015. The 4th AML Directive 2015/849 (AMLD4) took into account the 2012 recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and tackled a number of issues to promote the highest standards. The 5th Anti-Money Directive 2018/843 (AMLD5) was published in June 2018 and was transposed by the Member States in 10 January 2020.
On November 12, 2018, the European Parliament issued new rules to strengthen the fight against money laundering through the 6th EU Money Laundering Directive 2018/1673 (AMLD6). Member States have until 3 December 2020 to transpose the 6th AML Directive and bring into force the laws, regulations, and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive.
What are AML regulatory origins?
To further capture the evolution of the implementation of the anti-money laundering and Know Your Customer regulations, more details are available in the infographic on the historical evolution of the FATFAML Risk assessment
Risk assessment is a critical part in AML compliance and a crucial first step in forming an effective AML program.No two organizations have an equal number of AML vulnerabilities and your program should take into account factors and services such as your products or services offered as well as the typologies of your clients. A one-size-fits-all solution does not cover the inherent challenges in their financial geography. Individual institutions may require a solution that works on their risk profile.
Your approach to AML risk mitigation should conform to the specific needs of your company. Ideally, your plan should help reduce the administrative burdens of regulatory compliance and the potential legal risks of non-compliance.
At Pideeco, we accompany the client along the way of KYC & AML obligations and we provide insights, operational assistance, and business solutions to implement robust customer (individuals and companies) due diligence processes and framework.
How does AML affect financial institutions?
Financial institutions are subject to stringent requirements regarding the effectiveness of their money laundering detection procedures.
The establishment of a robust customer identification, verification (and acceptance) process that meets regulatory requirements for risk assessment and control is their first risk control obligation.
These obligations outline the first step in the due diligence process for the customer profile and business relationship. To ensure effective security of financial market abuse against money laundering and terrorist financing, customer risk control and monitoring of the business relationship must be ensured throughout the relationship. Transaction monitoring, change surveillance and reporting obligations are part of the ongoing due diligence obligations.
Banks and other financial institutions are, as reporting entities, legally required to comply with the regulations set forth in the Europen AML Directives or local regulations. Failure to do so can result in huge fines and reputational damage.
Organizations that were unaware of AML obligations faced heavy administrative fines. In 2020, AML penalties towards organizations that violated federal law amounted to $2.2 billion dollars globally, while inn the first half of 2021, $994 million in fines have been given out.
Financial institutions that fail to comply with anti-money laundering regulations also risk reputational damage and loss of customers. The institution's reputation is damaged when it is associated with corrupt individuals or businesses.
To help them deal with this onerous task, traditional financial institutions are beginning to turn to recent innovations that deploy machine learning algorithms trained to identify suspicious transactions, notify regulators when necessary, and create alerts for high risk accounts.
AML impact : Technology and expertise
As risk profiles and criminal threats evolve, financial institutions must adapt their vigilance approach. Although technology can facilitate CDD processes, human vigilance remains crucial in spotting and dealing with new risks. Effective CDD and KYC measures ultimately build on a combination of technology and expertise.AML Officers
AML officers must have adequate experience and leverage within their institution to be able to perform their duties effectively. AML officers must be experts in local regulatory requirements. Oversight of AML activities is the responsibility of the Money Laundering Reporting Officer. The AML officer's expertise must extend beyond regulatory procedures to determine the details and methodologies of the financial crimes he or she is responsible for detecting and reporting.
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