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The 2021- 2023 Best Egmont Group Cases Award (BECA) Book: 24 cases demonstrating various ML/TF schemes, and predicate offenses worldwide

This collection provides valuable insights into the global fight against ML/TF by demonstrating the effectiveness of financial intelligence in tackling criminal activities…

FinCEN releases Outreach and Education toolkit for beneficial ownership (BO) reporting to familiarise small business owners with BO reporting requirements

This toolkit provides resources to help educate small business owners on new beneficial ownership reporting requirements under the bipartisan Corporate Transparency Act. It includes customizable templates and sample content for easy adaptation…

US Treasury takes coordinated actions against illicit Russian virtual currency exchanges and cybercrime facilitator

Order identifies PM2BTC—a Russian virtual currency exchanger associated with Russian individual Sergey Sergeevich Ivanov (Ivanov)—as being of “primary money laundering concern” in connection with Russian illicit finance. Concurrently, OFAC is sanctioning Ivanov and Cryptex—a virtual currency exchange registered in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and operating in Russia.

FinCEN withdraws its findings and notice of proposed rulemaking regarding ABLV Bank, AS

On February 16, 2018, FinCEN issued an NPRM that set forth FinCEN’s findings of money laundering concern regarding ABLV, a commercial bank located in Riga, Latvia, and proposed imposing special measure five under section 311, prohibiting covered financial institutions from opening or maintaining in the United States correspondent accounts for, or on behalf of, ABLV. This has now been withdrawn in recognition of improvements.

MAS and major retail banks are set to introduce Singpass Face Verification to further strength resilience against phishing scams

SFV will be triggered in higher risk scenarios to strengthen and complement existing authentication methods for DT setup. SFV uses a face scan to verify a customer’s identity against national records before the customer’s DT can be activated for use. This makes it more difficult for a scammer to take over a customer’s DT by setting it up on his own device using phished credentials such as an SMS, one-time passwords…

US DoJ and FBI seize more than $6m in alleged proceeds of a crypto-confidence scheme

Cryptocurrency confidence investment schemes begin by criminals contacting potential victims through seemingly misdirected text messages, dating applications, or professional meetup or investment groups. Next, using various means of manipulation, the criminal gains the victim’s affection and trust…

Europol and Eurojust dismantles an encrypted communication platform used for criminal activities like drug trafficking, corruption, and ML, leading to 50+ arrests and assets seizure

Due to servers being located in France, French authorities started investigations into the platform. The platform’s robust encryption made it ideal for criminal networks to use for their activities. It was mostly used for drug trafficking but also for other criminal activities, such as arms trading, homicide, robbery, kidnapping, and money laundering…

IMF publishes working paper analysing the impact of financial inclusion (FI) on various bank risk dimensions, including systemic risk

Findings reveal that contrary to developed countries, credit expansions are linked to lower commercial banking risks, underscoring the benefits of loan diversification in developing and emerging economies.

 

OPBAS 5th Report highlights the urgent need for reform in AML oversight within the UK legal and accountancy sector

While most Professional Body Supervisors (PBSs) are compliant with AML regulations, the effectiveness of their supervisory practices is inconsistent. The report highlights deficiencies in risk-based approaches, with many PBSs only applying these measures to high-risk populations, neglecting medium- and low-risk groups…

 

Eurojust launches the European Judicial Organised Crime Network (EJOCN) to effectively address serious offenses, including drug trafficking, ML, human trafficking, and cybercrime

The EJOCN will focus on horizontal issues that arise in the investigation and prosecution of high-risk criminal networks. It will allow prosecutors to tackle recurring legal challenges and identify new, practical opportunities to cooperate…

Egmont Group suspends FIU Colombia’s access to the Egmont Secure Web (ESW) due to an unauthorised disclosure of information

Such events highlight the importance of maintaining a firm position on protecting the security of the information of our members in the ESW. The autonomy and operational independence of FIUs, as well as the principles for data protection and confidentiality, are essential and our collective security and the integrity of information exchange rely on this commitment.

 

 

 

Intellinews: JPMorgan Chase and HSBC allegedly unknowingly processed payments for Wagner warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin

Leading Western banks JPMorgan Chase and HSBC unknowingly processed payments for companies linked to the Wagner Group leader. These transactions supported Wagner’s operations in Africa, which were profited from regimes by securing mining concessions. While the banks denied knowledge of Wagner’s involvement, the leaked documents highlight how the group blurred the lines between legitimate and illicit activities…