Following a string of scandals that called into question the Vatican's financial oversight efforts and prompted regulatory reforms, the city-state's bank is again turning a net profit - $76 million, to be exact.
As Pope Francis nears the end of his first month as head of the Catholic Church, a distinctly administrative task is likely among his priorities: cleaning up the reputation of Vatican Bank.
Most laws meant to combat money laundering have proven counterproductive and have failed to address the fact that dirty money is often cleaned in otherwise legitimate businesses, says Andrew Haynes.
A mostly positive grade for Vatican City's anti-money laundering framework may do little to allay concerns about the tiny jurisdiction among compliance departments, say Bank Secrecy Act officers.
For a territory with a population of 829, many of whom are sworn to poverty, chastity, and obedience, the Vatican has always had more than its fair share of financial intrigue. But now the 110-acre city-state, capital of the 1.2 billion-member Roman Catholic Church, is trying to reform.
While U.S. regulators are pushing national banks to hire regional Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) officers, some smaller banks have yet to hire a single full-time compliance officer, the U.S. Treasury Department said this week.
An Italian anti-money laundering probe into the Vatican's only bank may have all the elements for sensational headlines, but when it comes to bank secrecy troubles, the jurisdiction is not alone.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said sanctions against Iran were likely as the Manhattan District Attorney's Office prepares to issue a large deferred prosecution agreement penalty against a foreign bank over its ties to the Persian country.