In a rare admonishment of a Group of Eight nation, the Financial Action Task Force said Friday that Japan has failed to address gaps in its illicit finance controls despite commitments to do so.
The Bank of Israel is set to fine two Israeli banks for AML problems, FinCEN and the SEC penalize a brokerage $50,000 and Japan introduces new sanctions against Iran, in this week's news roundup.
Japan's financial regulator ordered Citibank's Japanese arm to suspend its retail sales operations for a month over anti-money laundering deficiencies, marking the second high-profile enforcement action against the bank.
Japan will impose anti-money laundering requirements on credit card companies, real estate agencies and other nonfinancial industries beginning March 1 as a global watchdog prepares to evaluate the nation's AML regime.
The Financial Services Agency ordered Bank of Tokyo to improve its New York branchs policies for identifying politically exposed persons, correspondent accountholders and other high-risk customers, including those who conduct frequent wire transactions.
The Federal Reserve and New York State Banking Department entered into a written agreement with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. on Wednesday ordering its New York branch to improve Bank Secrecy Act compliance deficiencies a month after another Japanese bank was cited for risk management deficiencies.
U.S. regulators believe Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group branches in New York didn't properly report suspicious money transfers and account openings, according to a report.