Comment letters submitted to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network regarding its proposed beneficial ownership registry rule express concerns related to compliance costs, implementation timelines, and more.
AML
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
DOJ arrests in Bitfinex case highlight inner workings of crypto laundering scheme
The Department of Justice arrested two individuals over an alleged conspiracy to launder approximately $4.5 billion worth of cryptocurrency stolen in the 2016 hack of digital asset trading platform Bitfinex.
Posted inInternal Controls
Westpac combines risk, compliance leadership; hires Ryan Zanin as chief risk officer
Australian bank Westpac announced it will combine the leadership of its risk and compliance divisions into one position under Ryan Zanin, who joins after most recently serving as executive vice president, chief risk officer at Fannie Mae.
Posted inRisk Management
FinCEN readying rule for banks to prove AML/CFT programs ‘reasonably designed’
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network will likely require banks and other financial institutions to assess their anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism programs to ensure they are “effective and reasonably designed.”
Posted inAML
FinCEN seeking input on SARs-sharing program with foreign branches
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network is requesting comment on a pilot program that would allow financial institutions to share suspicious activity reports with foreign branches, subsidiaries, and affiliates.
Posted inEurope
Swedbank names Britta Hjorth-Larsen as chief compliance officer
Swedbank announced the appointment of Britta Hjorth-Larsen as its new chief compliance officer. She will take over her new duties by Aug. 1 at the latest and join the bank’s group executive committee.
Posted inAnti-Bribery
Report: Financial crime fines down in 2021; AML penalties drop 78 percent
Fines for corporate crimes last year fell by more than half to 8.7 billion euros (U.S. $9.9 billion) from 2020’s total of €20 billion (U.S. $22.6 billion), according to a report released by research firm AML Intelligence.
Posted inData Privacy
Report: Financial services fines drop 49 percent in 2021
The value of penalties against global financial services firms in 2021 dropped to half the total levied in 2020, according to research by compliance technology provider Fenergo.
Posted inEurope
Mishcon de Reya fined $316K for AML failings
The Solicitors Regulation Authority, the regulatory body for solicitors in England and Wales, announced British law firm Mishcon de Reya has agreed to pay a financial penalty of £232,500 (U.S. $316,000) for AML compliance violations.
Posted inRisk Management
Report: Cryptocurrency-related crime reaches record $14B in 2021
The amount of illicit cryptocurrency transactions reached an all-time high in 2021 at $14 billion, according to a Chainalysis study due out next month. The rise coincides with significant increases in the overall volume of crypto transactions.