The U.K.'s national economic crime unit will launch a new assault on money laundering in what it sees as an essential fight to protect the country's reputation as a financial center, a top official in the agency said, in an interview with ACAMS moneylaundering.com.
The global banking sector has yet to adequately make use of the anti-money laundering data it collects from clients and transactions, experts at a summit in the United Kingdom said Thursday.
A decision by the United Kingdom's financial regulator to disclose which banks it is investigating for potential infractions could lead to a slew of legal problems for the agency, say attorneys.
As the U.K.'s Financial Conduct Authority navigates its first week of existence, the agency's newly released business plan promises a tough approach on fighting financial crime with a focus on complex cases.
The U.K.'s planned new regulator of banks and other financial institutions would impose tougher oversight than its predecessor, a series of proposals for the agency's forthcoming operations handbook show.
A recent spate of compliance fines and U.S. investigations has imposed renewed pressure on British banks to improve their anti-money laundering and sanctions programs, say industry sources.
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.
Amendments to the United Kingdoms anti-money laundering rules set to take effect next month will likely result in more pressure on individual bankers even as they broadly relieve regulatory burden.
A plan by the United Kingdom's Parliament to make it obligatory for non-U.K. financial institutions to disclose data about their British clients is likely to face stiff resistance from the banking sector, say sources.
An Iranian bank's legal challenge to British and EU sanctions is an issue of "public importance" meriting the consideration of additional justices, the U.K. Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
The United Kingdom could begin using a powerful prosecutorial tool as early as next year in investigations of financial institutions suspected of facilitating money laundering and sanctions violations.
The United Kingdom's banking regulator Tuesday penalized a Zurich-based financial institution and its former anti-money laundering officer a combined 540,000 pounds for broad failures in risk-ranking and enhanced due diligence procedures.
A report by the United Kingdom's chief financial regulator on the anti-bribery compliance efforts of investment banks likely signals coming enforcement actions, and greater scrutiny of depository institutions, say former officials.
The private bank that serves Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and other wealthy individuals was fined 8.75 million pounds sterling by the United Kingdom's bank regulator for anti-money laundering deficiencies.
A planned regulatory overhaul, economic sanctions against Iran and the enforcement of anti-bribery rules will be among the biggest issues British financial institutions contend with in 2012, say experts.
The U.K.'s latest economic sanctions against Iran will likely cost banks proceeds from dropped trade finance deals in addition to new compliance expenses, according to attorneys and officials at British financial institutions.
An appellate court decision rejecting a Zimbabwean couple's demand to know the names of HSBC employees who identified them in a suspicious transaction report could also establish new compliance requirements for British banks.
The United Kingdom outlined Monday its plans for a new regulatory agency that will oversee consumer protection regulations and anti-money laundering compliance programs at banks.
A new British bank regulator that will assume the Financial Services Authority's oversight duties is unlikely to tighten anti-money laundering compliance regulation for financial institutions, say consultants.