Determining the true owner of a company might become more difficult after Europe’s top court ruled automatic access to registers of beneficial ownership conflicted with the right to privacy.
AML
Posted inAML
South Africa edges toward FATF watchlist
South Africa could be designated by the Financial Action Task Force as a jurisdiction with anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism risks subject to increased monitoring should a November review not meet the organization’s standards.
Posted inEurope
Danske Bank projects $2.1B settlement for Estonia money laundering probes
Danske Bank expects to pay a total of 15.5 billion Danish kroner (U.S. $2.1 billion) to U.S. and Danish authorities to settle allegations it overlooked more than $200 billion in dirty money laundered through its former Estonia branch.
Posted inRisk Management
Automation can improve AML compliance but won’t replace human touch
While automation has the potential to transform anti-money laundering compliance, it will not replace the human practitioners relied upon to get investigations to the finish line, experts discussed at the ACAMS annual conference in Las Vegas.
Posted inAML
Former JPMorgan compliance exec settles with bank over SOX whistleblower suit
Shaquala Williams, a compliance executive who sued JPMorgan Chase after she said she was fired for blowing the whistle on deficiencies in the bank’s anti-money laundering compliance program, agreed to settle her case.
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
ICICI Bank cited by OCC for BSA/AML compliance failures
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ordered the New York branch of ICICI Bank to implement sweeping changes to its anti-money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act compliance programs but will not fine the bank if the improvements are completed.
Posted inRisk Management
FATF classifies Myanmar as high risk for money laundering, terrorist financing
The Financial Action Task Force designated Myanmar as a high-risk jurisdiction with “significant strategic deficiencies” regarding its anti-money laundering, countering the financing of terrorism, and financing of proliferation prevention efforts.
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
Australia’s Star casino fined record $62M over money laundering scandal
The Star Entertainment Group, operator of Australia’s second largest casino, was penalized a record AUD$100 million (U.S. $62 million) by the country’s casino regulator for failures to prevent money laundering at its Sydney location.
Posted inEurope
Gatehouse Bank fined $1.77M for inadequate customer due diligence
Gatehouse Bank was fined £1.58 million (U.S. $1.77 million) by the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority for failing to address “significant weakness” in AML checks the bank conducted on customers who posed a higher risk of committing financial crime.
Posted inAnti-Bribery
U.S., U.K. improve anti-corruption coordination with data access agreement
A new agreement will allow law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom and United States to gain better access to data held by tech and telecommunications firms from the other’s country as part of evidence gathering for complex white-collar crimes.