The Top 10  Most Difficult Countries for Identity Verification

The Top 10  Most Difficult Countries for Identity Verification

Download Report

    n-img-roi-cross

    Before You Go, Schedule Your Free Demo Today

    Valid Invalid number


    Note: Fields marked with an asterisk(*) are mandatory.

    n-exit-img-roi-cross

    Thank you for your demo request

    We appreciate your interest and look forward to discussing how our solution can meet your needs. Expect to hear from us shortly with scheduling details.

    Close

    FinTech and FinCrime – The Global Regulatory Landscape

    FinTech-AML

    Also known as financial technology, FinTech is now among the fastest-growing industries. This sector’s ability to reduce costs and increase the efficiency of the business activities makes it an attraction for everyone. China is currently the biggest player in the FinTech market with a transaction value of USD 2,496 billion in 2020. 

    Due to the recent developments, regulators are now challenged to keep pace with technological developments and assess the accuracy of the regulatory framework of the industry. So, RegTech emerged and today, both sectors are closely related. In this context, new risks have evolved for banks and other financial institutions, especially for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing. Regulatory bodies like the Financial Actions Task Force (FATF) have shared certain recommendations that are likely to assist the FinTech sector. Let’s have a look at the risks and regulatory initiatives that have been taken over the last few years for the FinTech sector.

    infographic

    FinTech and AML Regulations – From 2014 to Date

    FinTech is only a decade old and regulatory bodies came into action in 2014. Ever since law enforcement agencies have been imposing enhanced rules and regulations to control the substantial rise in FinCrime. Here is a glimpse of the journey of regulatory bodies in FinTech from 2014 to date.

    Suggested: Brexit to Change Sanction and Money Laundering Regulations in 2021

    2014 – Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)

    The FCA was the first regulatory authority to offer authorisation and regulatory sandbox regimes in the United Kingdom. Last year, the FCA amended some of the regulations to meet the new anti-money laundering directive and incorporate the FATF’s international requirements. As per the amendments, some additional information is required from high-risk entities and monitoring in some cases as well.

    2015/16 – BaFin

    For German FinTechs, there are no relieving conditions and BaFin published notes in October 2015. These notes have six different business models along with supervisory information. As compared to other European regulators, BaFin’s conditions for AML/CFT were stricter making it difficult for businesses to grow. Hence, there was a need for unified regulations in European Region.

    2017 – Financial Actions Task Force (FATF)

    The first-ever FATF conference for FinTech and RegTech was held in February 2017 and the sole purpose of this summit was to unify the AML and CFT laws. As of today, FATF focuses on different rules that apply in various regions of the world for digital identity verification and customer due diligence protocols. 

    Recommended: | 40 recommendations of FATF – Shaping the future of your business

    2018 – European Central Bank

    The ECB published two guidelines in March 2018 regarding the evaluation of license applications and credit applications of FinTechs.The latter guideline outlines the requirements for a license application for the bank business models that offer technology-based services. The purpose of ECB is to ensure that FinTech banks are authorised properly and have risk controlling equipment that can assist them in mitigating risks within their field of operation. As per the ECB, FinTechs must be treated by the same standards as other credit institutions. 

    2020 – BSA and FinCEN

    Financial Crime Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is the regulatory body of the United States and as per FinCEN, money laundering and terrorist financing have significantly changed over time. The regulatory authority has taken recommendations from the AML Effectiveness Working Group and its most recent amendment in the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) is the implementation of beneficial ownership and customer due diligence requirements. Now, FinTech companies of the region have to obtain beneficial ownership information and report to FinCEN. 

    The Current State of FinCrime in FinTech

    Currently, money laundering and terror financing cases are increasing rapidly. A few weeks back, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) narrowed down its attention to Wirex, a crypto and fiat currency payment provider. The company was accused of money laundering as per an investigation by Fintech Futures. In response to this allegation, the legal team of the company said, 

    “The article in question contains a number of false, defamatory and misleading statements, including the allegations that money is being laundered through the company, and Wirex is currently considering its legal options to have the article removed immediately.”

    Initially, the concerns were raised in February 2019 when employees of Wirex independently reached out to FCA and complained about the customers’ money being laundered through the firm. One of the senior compliance officers also pointed out crypto trade that didn’t belong to Wirex. 

    Wirex was found to be violating the Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive (5AMLD) that was effective in January 2020. Furthermore, Wirecard (former payment processor of Wirex) has activities seized in the United Kingdom since last June when €1.9bn errors were identified on its balance sheet. 

    Many other cases have been reported over the past few years and so, the regulations on FinTech firms has significantly increased. Without rigid regulations, the cases like Wirex will increase at a faster pace making it difficult to control them later. 

    To Sum Up…

    The FinTech industry is growing rapidly and its growth is a goldmine for financial criminals. To combat money laundering and terror financing, FinTech firms have to follow certain laws from FinCEN, FCA and other regulatory authorities. Non-compliance with these regulations results in hefty penalties and after 2020’s record-breaking fines, the year 2021 can expect a rise in these penalties. Criminals have become more sophisticated in their illicit activities and without rigid regulations in the FinTech sector, it will not be easier to combat FinCrime. 

    Shufti AML compliance solution deploys thousands of AI models that can verify the identities and check backgrounds in seconds along with 98.67% accurate results. You can onboard legitimate customers only, comply with regulations and keep your FinTech company secure from fines. 

    To know more about AML in the FinTech sector, talk to our experts right away!

    Related Posts

    Artificial Intelligence, Blog, Identity & KYC

    How Biometric Technology is Shaping Up for 2020

    The verification of individuals for security measures has become remarkably important for organiz...

    How Biometric Technology is Shaping Up for 2020 Explore More

    Blog

    Anti Money Laundering – What is AML compliance and why is it important?

    Anti-money laundering compliance is vital for obliged entities and being conversant with AML comp...

    Anti Money Laundering – What is AML compliance and why is it important? Explore More

    Blog

    Video KYC – Ultimate Solution for Financial Institutions

    With social distancing becoming the necessity during the pandemic, more and more companies began ...

    Video KYC – Ultimate Solution for Financial Institutions Explore More

    Blog

    GDPR Compliance vs BlockChain Debate – Things you must know

    GDPR Compliance is here to stay and it is going to be binding on every business and online enterp...

    GDPR Compliance vs BlockChain Debate – Things you must know Explore More

    Blog

    Blockchain Technology and KYC for Crypto Exchanges – How Shufti Can Help

    KYC compliance is the backbone of the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) measures implemented by any fin...

    Blockchain Technology and KYC for Crypto Exchanges – How Shufti Can Help Explore More

    Blog

    The Truth Around DeFi Compliance – Bridging the Transparency Gap

    Financial markets around the world have seen increased popularity with the advent of decentralise...

    The Truth Around DeFi Compliance – Bridging the Transparency Gap Explore More

    Blog

    Why Do Freelancing Platforms Need KYC?

    Technological advancements came with several betterments for humans. Where every industry is bene...

    Why Do Freelancing Platforms Need KYC? Explore More

    Blog

    Top Cryptocurrency Trends to Look Out for in 2022

    2021 has been a remarkable year for cryptocurrency as because of COVID-19 outbreak crypto industr...

    Top Cryptocurrency Trends to Look Out for in 2022 Explore More

    Blog

    GDPR Checklist – Practices to adopt as Business Norms

    It’s been a little over eight months since the GDPR came into effect on 25 May 2018. From that po...

    GDPR Checklist – Practices to adopt as Business Norms Explore More

    Blog

    Evolution of Digital Payments and Prevailing Crimes – How Shufti’s AML Screening Can Help

    With emerging technologies, the digital payments trend is rising, and users are executing frictio...

    Evolution of Digital Payments and Prevailing Crimes – How Shufti’s AML Screening Can Help Explore More

    Blog

    Age Verification: Data Privacy and User Protection

    In recent years, there’s been a lot of speculation surrounding the issue of whether or not ...

    Age Verification: Data Privacy and User Protection Explore More

    Blog, Financial Crime / AML

    Secure Crypto Wallets with e-KYC & AML Screening

    Payment and funds’ transfer has taken a more digital turn in recent years, with the onset of Cryp...

    Secure Crypto Wallets with e-KYC & AML Screening Explore More

    Blog

    The Benefits and Best Practices of Deploying Facial Recognition in the Workplace

    With the rapid shift towards digitisation, keeping track of the most recent technological develop...

    The Benefits and Best Practices of Deploying Facial Recognition in the Workplace Explore More

    Blog

    40 Surprising Facts and Statistics About Money Laundering [2021 Update]

    Combatting money laundering is one of the top-tier challenges when it comes to the regulatory reg...

    40 Surprising Facts and Statistics About Money Laundering [2021 Update] Explore More

    Blog

    ID verification Services – Why Paper IDs are inferior to Digital Cards?

    ID verification services are at the forefront of making online marketplace transparent and ensuri...

    ID verification Services – Why Paper IDs are inferior to Digital Cards? Explore More

    Blog, Financial Crime / AML, Identity & KYC

    5AMLD: Implications for Cryptocurrency

    What is 5AMLD? As part of the Action Plan against terrorism, the 5th Anti-Money Laundering Direct...

    5AMLD: Implications for Cryptocurrency Explore More

    Blog

    DSAR Under GDPR and CCPA – Understanding the Key Differences

    Data protection is one of the key concerns of organisations these days. For the same reason, data...

    DSAR Under GDPR and CCPA – Understanding the Key Differences Explore More

    Blog

    Cross-Border KYC Compliance | Understanding and Overcoming the Challenges

    To handle money laundering incidents and rising regulatory pressure, the banking industry benefit...

    Cross-Border KYC Compliance | Understanding and Overcoming the Challenges Explore More

    Blog

    10 High-Risk Jurisdictions for Money Laundering According to FATF

    Innovations like stablecoins and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) created quite the hype in the past ye...

    10 High-Risk Jurisdictions for Money Laundering According to FATF Explore More

    Blog

    Biometric Authentication is Smart but AI Makes it Smarter – Here is How

     In the ongoing digital age security is a top priority concern of any organization. Data is a maj...

    Biometric Authentication is Smart but AI Makes it Smarter – Here is How Explore More

    Blog

    China’s Data Protection and Privacy Laws | 2023 Update

    China has witnessed massive growth in the last few decades. However, the rise of the digital econ...

    China’s Data Protection and Privacy Laws | 2023 Update Explore More

    Blog

    5 Ways Facial Biometric Technology Elevates Customer Retention

    Today, biometric technology is known for its ease of use and reliability. Facial biometrics have ...

    5 Ways Facial Biometric Technology Elevates Customer Retention Explore More

    Blog

    The Ultimate KYC Checklist for 2023 to Ensure Regulatory Compliance

    Non-compliance cost businesses billions of dollars. Regulators have charged financial firms with ...

    The Ultimate KYC Checklist for 2023 to Ensure Regulatory Compliance Explore More

    Anti Money Laundering, Blog, Reg Tech

    RegTech facilitates effortless AML Compliance

      The latest report by Research and Markets states that RegTech industry is expected to grow...

    RegTech facilitates effortless AML Compliance Explore More

    Blog, Reg Tech

    How Identity Verification Services make Regulatory Compliance Easier?

    Financial institutions and banks have ended up in a loop of dumping billions of dollars because o...

    How Identity Verification Services make Regulatory Compliance Easier? Explore More

    Blog

    How Two-Factor Authentication Enhances the Security of Digital Business Platforms

    Considering the recent trends in fraudulent activities, it is evident that social engineering and...

    How Two-Factor Authentication Enhances the Security of Digital Business Platforms Explore More

    Blog

    The Path to CX Leadership – An Interview with Saroni Kundu

    From Code to Customer: How Saroni Kundu Found Her Passion in CX In our latest Beyond Borders podc...

    The Path to CX Leadership – An Interview with Saroni Kundu Explore More

    Blog

    AML Compliance – Global Watchlists that Businesses Need to Consider

    Coordinated sanctions after the Russian invasion of Ukraine have made the headlines due to their ...

    AML Compliance – Global Watchlists that Businesses Need to Consider Explore More

    Blog, Business Technology

    The demand for OCR Technology increasing for ID Verification

    ID verification is core to overall identity verification services that help business around the g...

    The demand for OCR Technology increasing for ID Verification Explore More

    Blog

    Phishing Attacks and the Role of Two-Factor Authentication

    In today’s digital world, almost everything we do is on the internet, be it for official purposes...

    Phishing Attacks and the Role of Two-Factor Authentication Explore More

    Blog

    DHSC’s Counter-fraud Strategy to Combat Healthcare Fraud

    Healthcare remains one of the most lucrative industries for criminals with nearly $272 billion lo...

    DHSC’s Counter-fraud Strategy to Combat Healthcare Fraud Explore More

    Blog

    AML Screening for Online Gambling Platforms – Placing the Bets on Regulatory Compliance

    With technology evolving every day, online gambling is one of the sectors that has revolutionized...

    AML Screening for Online Gambling Platforms – Placing the Bets on Regulatory Compliance Explore More

    Blog

    How AI is Transforming the Banking Sector

    Artificial Intelligence has extensive applications across several domains: from banking to health...

    How AI is Transforming the Banking Sector Explore More

    Blog

    An Insight into Money Laundering Through the UAE’s Gold Industry

    Since the beginning of time, gold has been considered a medium for payment and trading with its e...

    An Insight into Money Laundering Through the UAE’s Gold Industry Explore More

    Blog

    The Top 10 Benefits of the Know Your Customer Lifecycle

    In this digital age, where transactions occur remotely and identity theft is rising, establishing...

    The Top 10 Benefits of the Know Your Customer Lifecycle Explore More

    Blog

    6 industry experts explain the role of KYC in cybersecurity

    Cybersecurity is no more limited to firewalls and antiviruses. It is protecting your system, empl...

    6 industry experts explain the role of KYC in cybersecurity Explore More

    Blog

    Know Your Patient | Secure Patient Onboarding and Preventing Healthcare Fraud

    Technology advancement, automation, and digitisation have paved the way for unprecedented growth ...

    Know Your Patient | Secure Patient Onboarding and Preventing Healthcare Fraud Explore More

    Blog

    KYC Verification Process – 3 Steps to Know Your Customer Compliance

    Since the turn of the century, we’ve been propelled into a technological revolution. As digital i...

    KYC Verification Process – 3 Steps to Know Your Customer Compliance Explore More

    Blog, Financial Crime / AML, Fraud Prevention, Identity & KYC

    The FinTech Industry: A Snapshot

    What is FinTech? Financial technology, known more commonly as FinTech, is a term that refers to t...

    The FinTech Industry: A Snapshot Explore More

    Blog

    Anti-Money Laundering Screening | Securing Digital Economies from Financial Crimes

    The increased reliance on digital banking and the advent of virtual currencies in today’s d...

    Anti-Money Laundering Screening | Securing Digital Economies from Financial Crimes Explore More

    Blog

    Digital COVID Certificate Verification: Prevalent Problems and Viable Solutions

    Following the rollout of viable vaccines to combat COVID-19, the prospects of normalcy are on the...

    Digital COVID Certificate Verification: Prevalent Problems and Viable Solutions Explore More

    Blog

    Prevailing Crimes in Identity Verification – How Shufti’s Forensic Document Verification Can Help

    Identity fraud has become quite prevalent in digital businesses which is not only affecting opera...

    Prevailing Crimes in Identity Verification – How Shufti’s Forensic Document Verification Can Help Explore More

    Blog

    Securing Cryptocurrency Sector and Fighting Financial Crimes With Shufti’s AML Solution

    A decade ago, digital currencies were an academic concept, largely unknown to the world’s general...

    Securing Cryptocurrency Sector and Fighting Financial Crimes With Shufti’s AML Solution Explore More

    Blog

    Strengthening digital businesses with online age verification

    It is projected that by the end of 2021, 2.4 billion will buy products and services online, up 46...

    Strengthening digital businesses with online age verification Explore More

    Blog

    Top 5 Non-banking Industries in the Crosshairs of Financial Criminals

    The first half of 2021 saw significant disruption in the financial world as traditional criminal ...

    Top 5 Non-banking Industries in the Crosshairs of Financial Criminals Explore More

    Blog

    The 5 Pillars of Anti-money Laundering Compliance

    Imposters often “launder” money acquired through illegal activities, like drug trafficking, so th...

    The 5 Pillars of Anti-money Laundering Compliance Explore More

    Blog

    Elevated Business Security: A Comparative Analysis of Identity Proofing and Identity Verification

    In today’s digital age, businesses must have a robust identity verification system in place...

    Elevated Business Security: A Comparative Analysis of Identity Proofing and Identity Verification Explore More

    Blog

    A Go-To Guide to Proof of Address Verification in 2024

    Customer identity verification is significant in today’s digital world – from buying produc...

    A Go-To Guide to Proof of Address Verification in 2024 Explore More

    Blog

    Top 10 Identity Verification Trends to Look Out for in 2022

    Did you know identity fraud is growing at a faster than ever rate? Businesses across the globe ar...

    Top 10 Identity Verification Trends to Look Out for in 2022 Explore More

    Blog

    FATF’s Stance on Digitizing FIUs and Adopting A Risk-Based Approach for VAs

    The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is tirelessly working to guide Financial Intelligence Unit...

    FATF’s Stance on Digitizing FIUs and Adopting A Risk-Based Approach for VAs Explore More

    Blog, Identity & KYC

    Digital KYC Streamlines Customer On-boarding Process

    Shufti brings forth digital KYC verification services to perform identity verification proces...

    Digital KYC Streamlines Customer On-boarding Process Explore More

    Blog

    High-Risk Transactions – How Can Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) Help?

    In today’s continuously evolving world, businesses should not only focus on the revenue they gene...

    High-Risk Transactions – How Can Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) Help? Explore More

    Blog, Fraud Prevention

    4 Fraud prevention tips that you must follow this Holiday Season

    The holiday season is around the corner and it is the time of the year when online shopping and m...

    4 Fraud prevention tips that you must follow this Holiday Season Explore More

    Blog

    Healthcare Industry and Prevailing Crimes – What Shufti Can Offer

    Over the recent years, the medicare industry has completely transformed, and emerging innovations...

    Healthcare Industry and Prevailing Crimes – What Shufti Can Offer Explore More

    Blog

    6 in 10 Leaders Aren’t Ready for Deepfake Fraud Threats

    6 in 10 Leaders Aren’t Ready for Deepfake Fraud Threats Explore More

    Blog, Business Technology

    What Due Diligence Means for Your Business

    Due diligence is a process that helps banks and individuals to get to know in detail who they are...

    What Due Diligence Means for Your Business Explore More

    Blog

    Addressing the Challenge of Money Laundering Risks for Payment Service Providers (PSPs)

    During the last few decades, the financial industry has altogether revolutionized, and digital tr...

    Addressing the Challenge of Money Laundering Risks for Payment Service Providers (PSPs) Explore More

    Blog, Identity & KYC

    KYC and AML Compliance can help cryptocurrencies to earn legitimacy

    Cryptocurrencies are currently limited in use by virtual currency enthusiasts or by lottery bidde...

    KYC and AML Compliance can help cryptocurrencies to earn legitimacy Explore More

    Blog

    Top 5 Frequently Asked Questions about Biometric Verification

    Identity theft, data breaches, and other crimes are rising in this age of digitisation. A quick r...

    Top 5 Frequently Asked Questions about Biometric Verification Explore More

    Blog

    Employee Verification – First Line of Defence Against Corporate Fraud

    One day you wake up to the fact that the employee you’ve been trusting for years has been embezzl...

    Employee Verification – First Line of Defence Against Corporate Fraud Explore More

    Blog, Financial Crime / AML, Identity & KYC

    5AMLD: Implications for Cryptocurrency

    What is 5AMLD? As part of the Action Plan against terrorism, the 5th Anti-Money Laundering Direct...

    5AMLD: Implications for Cryptocurrency Explore More

    Blog

    The Crucial Role of Know Your Customer (KYC) in Gaming

    The gaming sector has grown exponentially since the first arcade games of the 70s. Surpassing mus...

    The Crucial Role of Know Your Customer (KYC) in Gaming Explore More

    Blog

    The Role of Biometrics in Combating Money Laundering and Identity Fraud

    The fast-paced growth of biometric technology and its widespread adoption in the financial and he...

    The Role of Biometrics in Combating Money Laundering and Identity Fraud Explore More

    Blog, Identity & KYC

    GDPR versus Identity Verification – Are you Ready?

    If you are an organisation that is based in the EU or are doing business with companies in the EU...

    GDPR versus Identity Verification – Are you Ready? Explore More

    Blog

    SEPA Instant Credit Transfer Schemes – Disrupting the Financial Sector in 2023

    There is no denying the fact that the financial industry has vital importance in the contemporary...

    SEPA Instant Credit Transfer Schemes – Disrupting the Financial Sector in 2023 Explore More

    Blog

    How can you prepare for AML Compliance – Ultimate AML Guidelines For Starters

    Anti Money Laundering Compliance, commonly known as AML Compliance, is something that banks and f...

    How can you prepare for AML Compliance – Ultimate AML Guidelines For Starters Explore More

    Blog, Financial Crime / AML

    Challenges of AML Compliance under FinCEN

    AML Compliance for US based Cryptocurrency companies has been tightened by Financial Crimes Enfor...

    Challenges of AML Compliance under FinCEN Explore More

    Blog

    Halloween Scams – Watching Out for Tricks, Identity Fraud, and Financial Crime

    Halloween is one of the most awaited and celebrated events in a large number of countries across ...

    Halloween Scams – Watching Out for Tricks, Identity Fraud, and Financial Crime Explore More

    Blog

    Identity Verification – Combating Fraud in the Telecommunication Sector

    Developing technology, rapid growth in digitization, and increased use of digital transactions ha...

    Identity Verification – Combating Fraud in the Telecommunication Sector Explore More

    Blog

    KYC Compliance Will Become Your Competitive Edge

    Businesses, particularly the financial services sector, have been observing Know Your Customer KY...

    KYC Compliance Will Become Your Competitive Edge Explore More

    Blog

    Rising Concerns of Money Laundering and the Role of Global Financial Sanctions

    Since 9/11, money laundering has become a global issue that has raised alarms for financial watch...

    Rising Concerns of Money Laundering and the Role of Global Financial Sanctions Explore More

    Blog

    Implementing Robust Anti-Money Laundering Checks for the Insurance Sector

    Insurance companies play a decisive role in the considerable growth of an economy. It turns accum...

    Implementing Robust Anti-Money Laundering Checks for the Insurance Sector Explore More

    Take the next steps to better security.

    Contact us

    Get in touch with our experts. We'll help you find the perfect solution for your compliance and security needs.

    Contact us

    Request demo

    Get free access to our platform and try our products today.

    Get started