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

    FINMA, SFC, and MAS Fine Multiple Financial Institutions Over $1.5 Billion For Money Laundering Activities

    Blog Article Image 5

    FINMA, SFC, and MAS fined multiple financial institutions over $1.5 billion for not complying with AML and CFT regulations.

    Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA has alleged HSBC (Suisse) SA  Private Bank for anti-money laundering failings. This resulted from enforcement proceedings conducted by the watchdog in December 2021, which focused on the bank’s relationship with anonymous Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs).

    “HSBC Private Bank (Suisse) SA operated two high-risk business relationships where it failed to carry out an adequate check of either the origins, purpose or background of the assets involved,” FINMA said in the release. “In addition, several high-risk transactions were insufficiently clarified and documented, making it impossible to establish the legitimate nature of these transactions.”

    These suspicious transactions amounted to more than $300 million and were conducted between 2002 and 2015. They involved funds originating from government institutions, which were carried out from Switzerland to Lebanon and routed back to Lebanon. According to the BSBC statement to PYMNTS, the bank plans to appeal the decision.

    “We acknowledge the matters raised by FINMA, which are historic,” the statement said. “HSBC takes its Anti-Money Laundering [AML] obligations very seriously, including complying with all laws and regulations in every market we operate. As we plan to appeal the decision, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”

    The regulatory authority stated in its press release that the Bank is obliged not to form new business relationships with PEPs until they review its AML in-house controls associated with building relationships with high-risk or PEPs, checks related to categorization of risks presented by customers, and all these factors are being confirmed by an audit agent.

    In addition, the bank is mandated to share details about the board of directors and executive management responsibilities and the criteria for assigning those details to FINMA.

    Like FINMA, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) of Hong Kong has also taken more strict measures against fraudsters linked to crimes such as insider trading, market manipulation, and corporate fraud. 

    Over the last 12 months, SFC has conducted 183 investigations and alleged more than 50 criminal charges against 20+ fraudsters. “We take proactive and resolute enforcement actions to protect investors, punish wrongdoers, and safeguard the reputation and integrity of our markets. Our strategic focus on high-impact cases helps us address key risks in financial markets and send strong deterrent messages,” SFC commented in the report.

    To enhance the surveillance measures, the watchdog has issued more than 4,000 requests for trading and account records from trading brokers while posting an alert for investors to make them aware of highly concentrated ownerships associated with trading stocks.

    “By leveraging our surveillance capabilities combined with data analytics, resources can now be directed towards cases of high impact and high strategic value that will have the desired deterrence effect,” the SFC said. The watchdog also states that its new investor verification system launched in 2023 has significantly impacted SFC’s ability to identify suspicious trading activities and patterns in real-time.

    “The achievements we made and valuable experience gained over the years will stand us in good stead to steer Hong Kong’s capital markets,” said the SFC’s Chairman Tim Lui. “To this end, we remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring market integrity and resilience in the face of emerging trends and new challenges at the local, regional, and global levels.”

    Singapore has also taken strict measures to restrict criminals from manipulating the country’s banking system. Regulatory authorities have seized more than $1 billion from multiple accounts linked to 10 alleged individuals and 17 suspects in laundering illicit gains. The confiscated assets include cash, digital currencies, real estate, and other luxury items.

    This case has highlighted the significant loopholes within the country’s financial system, making it an eye-opener for the regulatory authorities to enhance regulations on hedge funds and family offices. In addition, Singapore’s financial watchdogs have increased the closure of dormant organizations as a part of drives to fight money laundering activities.

    The country is striving to curb money laundering from its financial system. Yet, it needs help to enhance its protection against crimes due to money laundering from crimes committed outside the country. Banks are identified as the most vulnerable sectors due to the widespread digital financial services offering electronic transfers.

    Despite this alarming situation, Singapore’s Monetary Authority (MAS) has significantly changed the Payment Services Act, broadening the scope to cover Digital Payment Tokens (DPTs) while bolstering user protection. Furthermore, this amendment also empowers MAS to enforce AML and CFT laws on DPT service providers.

    Suggested Read:

    https://shuftipro.com/news/nigeria-myanmar-and-turkiye-take-effective-steps-to-meet-fatf-recommendations/

    https://shuftipro.com/news/regulatory-authorities-fines-td-bank-adelaide-casino-and-sbi-over-dollar-500-million-for-aml-failings/

    https://shuftipro.com/news/mfsa-sec-along-with-fca-introduces-new-aml-guidelines-for-money-laundering-officers-and-virtual-asset-service-providers/

    Related Posts

    News

    UAE Freezes Assets of Irish Crime Syndicate for Laundering Money Through Dubai

    The UAE has frozen the assets of Ireland’s Kinahan Crime Syndicate, mounting the pressure on an o...

    UAE Freezes Assets of Irish Crime Syndicate for Laundering Money Through Dubai Explore More

    News

    Central Bank of UAE Issues Updated Guidance For Licensed Financial Institutions

    CBUAE issues updated guidance for licenced financial institutions on growing risks of money laund...

    Central Bank of UAE Issues Updated Guidance For Licensed Financial Institutions Explore More

    News

    Money Laundering & VAT Fraud Acquisition Against Lycamobile

    A trial for money laundering and value-added tax (VAT) fraud between 2014 and 2016 started on Jun...

    Money Laundering & VAT Fraud Acquisition Against Lycamobile Explore More

    News

    Louisiana Approves First Regulation Requiring Age Verification to Access Pornography Sites

    Louisiana’s House of Representatives passed the bill against age verification in the porn industr...

    Louisiana Approves First Regulation Requiring Age Verification to Access Pornography Sites Explore More

    News

    US Senators Push Congress to Regulate Crypto Amid FTX Turmoil

    US senators have urged Congress to regulate cryptocurrencies under current financial regulations ...

    US Senators Push Congress to Regulate Crypto Amid FTX Turmoil Explore More

    News

    G20 regulator warns countries to alleviate risks of Libra-like stablecoins

    The Financial Stability Board (FSB) has alerted national regulators to gauge standards and tackle...

    G20 regulator warns countries to alleviate risks of Libra-like stablecoins Explore More

    News

    Estonian Cryptocurrency Exchange charged for concealing hack

    Crex24, an Estonian cryptocurrency exchange, is accused of hiding a hack from its customers after...

    Estonian Cryptocurrency Exchange charged for concealing hack Explore More

    News

    The Commodity Futures Trading Commission to Regulate the Crypto Market with “Full Oversight Capabilities”

    The chairman of the CFTC discussed that his agency would regulate the crypto market.  Digital Com...

    The Commodity Futures Trading Commission to Regulate the Crypto Market with “Full Oversight Capabilities” Explore More

    News

    Cyber Crime Spreads in Australia as COVID-19 Pushes More People Online

    The Australian Cyber Security Center (ACSC) revealed that they received one cybercrime report eve...

    Cyber Crime Spreads in Australia as COVID-19 Pushes More People Online Explore More

    News

    Growing List of Countries are Introducing Regulations on Crypto

    Ukraine’s Parliament officially adopted the Draft Law On Virtual Assets. Prior to this, cryptocur...

    Growing List of Countries are Introducing Regulations on Crypto Explore More

    News

    Digital Currency ‘Sand Dollar’ Launched by the Bahamas

    The Central Bank of the Bahamas (CBOB) has introduced a digital version of the Bahamian dollar, s...

    Digital Currency ‘Sand Dollar’ Launched by the Bahamas Explore More

    News

    FinCEN Extends the Comment Period of Virtual Currency Regulations

    FinCEN– Financial Crimes Enforcement has finally agreed to reopen the comment period of reg...

    FinCEN Extends the Comment Period of Virtual Currency Regulations Explore More

    News

    EU Plans for New Anti-Money Laundering Agency

    European Union’s anti-money laundering agency plans are being developed in detail. A memo dated M...

    EU Plans for New Anti-Money Laundering Agency Explore More

    News

    CBN Issues AML/CFT/CPF Guidelines for Licencing Banks and other Financial Institutions

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued guidelines to assist promoters of banks and other fi...

    CBN Issues AML/CFT/CPF Guidelines for Licencing Banks and other Financial Institutions Explore More

    News

    Ledger Owners Scammed worth 1.1 Million XRP

    Earlier this year Legsdger customers faced a leak of email and personal information. Now they are...

    Ledger Owners Scammed worth 1.1 Million XRP Explore More

    News

    Artist Sues AI Generators for Alleged Industrial-Level Identity Theft

    Artist, Karla Ortiz, has sued two artificial intelligence firms for generating images that mimic ...

    Artist Sues AI Generators for Alleged Industrial-Level Identity Theft Explore More

    News

    UAE’s AML Body Adopts Regulatory Framework for Virtual Assets

    The new rule for virtual assets has been devised in accordance with the crypto travel rule issued...

    UAE’s AML Body Adopts Regulatory Framework for Virtual Assets Explore More

    News

    Cybercriminals Targeting Bitcoin ATMs to Launder Money – Says FBI

    The Federal Investigation Bureau (FBI) revealed gaps in financial regulations as money laundering...

    Cybercriminals Targeting Bitcoin ATMs to Launder Money – Says FBI Explore More

    News

    NYDFS Reminds BitLicense Holders to Follow Rules

    NYDFS (New York Department of Financial Service) has restated custody and disclosure requirements...

    NYDFS Reminds BitLicense Holders to Follow Rules Explore More

    News

    Canada’s Federal Agencies to Consult on Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Measures

    The Canadian government has launched a public consultation to strengthen the country’s anti...

    Canada’s Federal Agencies to Consult on Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Measures Explore More

    News

    UAE Extends the Deadline for DNFBPs to Register for AML Regulations

    The Ministry of Economy (MoE) in Abu Dhabi has announced the deadline extension for the registrat...

    UAE Extends the Deadline for DNFBPs to Register for AML Regulations Explore More

    News

    FCA Fines Santander and Metro Bank for AML Compliance Gaps

    The financial market regulator FCA has found compliance gaps in Anti Money Laundering (AML) syste...

    FCA Fines Santander and Metro Bank for AML Compliance Gaps Explore More

    News

    Hong Kong regulators looking into possible overcharging by brokers

    HONG KONG – Hong Kong’s financial regulators announced on Monday that they would analyze th...

    Hong Kong regulators looking into possible overcharging by brokers Explore More

    News

    Singaporean Banks Enhance Security to Combat Financial Crime

    The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) stated that the country’s banks are enhancing security ...

    Singaporean Banks Enhance Security to Combat Financial Crime Explore More

    News

    Botswana Passes New Cryptocurrency Bill, Aiming to Curb Money Laundering

    Another African country, Botswana has taken a significant step towards regulating cryptocurrency ...

    Botswana Passes New Cryptocurrency Bill, Aiming to Curb Money Laundering Explore More

    News

    Australian Federal Police Issues Warning on Valentine’s Day Financial Scams

    Australian authorities have warned the public of new Valentine’s Day scams aimed at singles...

    Australian Federal Police Issues Warning on Valentine’s Day Financial Scams Explore More

    News

    UAE Confiscates Dh4.73 Bn Worth of Assets in Fight Against Financial Crimes

    In the past 12 months, the United Arab Emirates has seized assets worth Dh4.73 billion ($1.29bn) ...

    UAE Confiscates Dh4.73 Bn Worth of Assets in Fight Against Financial Crimes Explore More

    News

    Chinese Watchdog Taking Action Against Many in the Massive Bank Fraud

    The biggest bank fraud in China pushed the government to arrest hundreds of suspects. Regulators ...

    Chinese Watchdog Taking Action Against Many in the Massive Bank Fraud Explore More

    News

    Shufti Nominated for Yalla Fintech 2020 Award

    Shufti, an identity verification service provider offering KYC verification and AML screening...

    Shufti Nominated for Yalla Fintech 2020 Award Explore More

    News

    Egypt to Enact Updated AML Legislations and Develop Action Mechanisms to Curb Financial Crimes

    Egyptian Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Combating Unit (EMLCU) is all set to enact revi...

    Egypt to Enact Updated AML Legislations and Develop Action Mechanisms to Curb Financial Crimes Explore More

    News

    Hong Kong’s SFC Plans to Regulate Digital Asset Trading Platforms

    Hong Kong’s Securities and Future Commission has proposed strict rules for digital asset exchange...

    Hong Kong’s SFC Plans to Regulate Digital Asset Trading Platforms Explore More

    News

    EU and British Financial Watchdogs to Investigate Digital Stock Tokens

    The German and British regulators are reportedly investigating the stock token trading, recently ...

    EU and British Financial Watchdogs to Investigate Digital Stock Tokens Explore More

    News

    Latin America’s Private Investment Funds at Risk of Money Laundering

    Private investment funds are exposed to money laundering as they contain a number of structural r...

    Latin America’s Private Investment Funds at Risk of Money Laundering Explore More

    News

    Russian Financial Authorities Reach Consensus on Crypto Mining Regulation

    Russian financial authorities have adopted a common ground on cryptocurrency mining regulation. T...

    Russian Financial Authorities Reach Consensus on Crypto Mining Regulation Explore More

    News

    Florida Man Charged $784 Million in Massive Healthcare Fraud

    Creaghan Harry, a man from Florida was indicted of $784 million for committing healthcare fraud a...

    Florida Man Charged $784 Million in Massive Healthcare Fraud Explore More

    News

    AMLC Demands Rigid Security Measures for Non-Compliant Businesses in the Philippines

    The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) is pushing for more strict due diligence measures on del...

    AMLC Demands Rigid Security Measures for Non-Compliant Businesses in the Philippines Explore More

    News

    France Ranked Among Countries with Effective Measures to Tackle Financial Fraud

    The latest FATF report ranks France among countries that have effective measures in combating fin...

    France Ranked Among Countries with Effective Measures to Tackle Financial Fraud Explore More

    News

    South Africa Earmarked R265 Million to Get Off FATF’s Greylist

    Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced on Tuesday that allocating R265 Million is one of sev...

    South Africa Earmarked R265 Million to Get Off FATF’s Greylist Explore More

    News

    Fake Vaccination Certificates Becoming a Full-blown Industry in 29 Countries

    Thousands of fake vaccination certificates are being sold on the dark web, and through the messag...

    Fake Vaccination Certificates Becoming a Full-blown Industry in 29 Countries Explore More

    News

    MAS Finalises New Data-sharing Platforms for the Banking Sector

    MAS has developed a new platform that will allow banks to securely share information and warn eac...

    MAS Finalises New Data-sharing Platforms for the Banking Sector Explore More

    News

    UK court orders crypto exchange to shut down after clients lose $2M

    In a recent statement, the U.K. government stated that 108 of their clients had lost a total of a...

    UK court orders crypto exchange to shut down after clients lose $2M Explore More

    News

    Swiss Prosecutors Scrutinize Lebanon’s Central Bank for Money Laundering

    Prosecutors in Switzerland are carrying out investigations from the British Virgin Islands to Gen...

    Swiss Prosecutors Scrutinize Lebanon’s Central Bank for Money Laundering Explore More

    News

    Philippine Plans to Introduce New Regulations on Beneficial Ownership

    The Securities and Exchange Commission in Philippine has laid out new regulations that require tr...

    Philippine Plans to Introduce New Regulations on Beneficial Ownership Explore More

    News

    UAE to Revolutionize the Financial Regulatory Requirements

    A new set of measures are being taken by the Ministry of Justice in the UAE to curb the money lau...

    UAE to Revolutionize the Financial Regulatory Requirements Explore More

    News

    FIAU Fines Crypto Firm €460,000 for Anti-Money Laundering Violations

    FIAU (Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit) charged a crypto exchange and broker with a €463,235 ...

    FIAU Fines Crypto Firm €460,000 for Anti-Money Laundering Violations Explore More

    News

    FCA Fines Nigeria’s Guaranty Trust Bank Over AML Control Failures

    The (FCA) Financial Conduct Authority has charged 7.6 million pounds ($9.3 million) to the UK sub...

    FCA Fines Nigeria’s Guaranty Trust Bank Over AML Control Failures Explore More

    News

    U.S. Takes the Lead in Combating Illegal Financial Activities Through Updated AML Timelines

    The Biden Administration released a new fact sheet highlighting the administration’s progre...

    U.S. Takes the Lead in Combating Illegal Financial Activities Through Updated AML Timelines Explore More

    News

    New York Federal Reserve Sued by Puerto Rican Bank For Blocking Service in Venezuela

    A Puerto Rican bank has sued the New York Federal Reserve on 25th July for suspending their acces...

    New York Federal Reserve Sued by Puerto Rican Bank For Blocking Service in Venezuela Explore More

    News

    Philippines to Exit FATF Gray List Next Year, Says Governor BSP

    Felipe M. Medalla, the governor of BSP, says that the Philippines have one year to exit the FATF ...

    Philippines to Exit FATF Gray List Next Year, Says Governor BSP Explore More

    News

    Visa: CBDC is the most important trend in payments

    According to Visa’s Head of Crypto, Central Bank Digital Currencies, or CBDC, seems to be one of ...

    Visa: CBDC is the most important trend in payments Explore More

    News

    Internet fraud complaints went up by 30% last year

    As per Economic Affairs Minister Nathalie Muylle, Belgium’s Economic Inspection Unit received 29%...

    Internet fraud complaints went up by 30% last year Explore More

    News

    AUSTRAC Hits Military Bank with Enforcement Action to Ensure AML Compliance

    The financial regulator in Australia has hit the Australian Military Bank with implementation act...

    AUSTRAC Hits Military Bank with Enforcement Action to Ensure AML Compliance Explore More

    News

    Mauritius to Step Out of FATF Gray List Following Key Regulatory Changes

    Mauritius, which was previously known for being a tax haven, might be out of the FATF’s grey list...

    Mauritius to Step Out of FATF Gray List Following Key Regulatory Changes Explore More

    News

    TSB Fined $3.5M on Account of Four AML Breaches

    New Zealand’s High Court has fined Trustee Savings Bank (TSB) Ltd NZD 3.5 million following the b...

    TSB Fined $3.5M on Account of Four AML Breaches Explore More

    News

    SA Government Passes New Legislation to Avoid FATF Gray list

    South African government has passed two crucial legislations to prevent potential greylisting by ...

    SA Government Passes New Legislation to Avoid FATF Gray list Explore More

    News

    California to Reopen its Economy with COVID Vaccine and Testing Requirements

    After more than a year of COVID-19 restrictions, the State of California to finally reopen its ec...

    California to Reopen its Economy with COVID Vaccine and Testing Requirements Explore More

    News

    Amendments in Thailand’s Money Laundering Act to Include New Offenses

    A proposed amendment in Thailand’s Money Laundering Act was approved by the cabinet to include ad...

    Amendments in Thailand’s Money Laundering Act to Include New Offenses Explore More

    News

    Fake NFT Sold for £244k from Artist “Banksy’s” Website

    A fake link directed bidders to an online auction for Banksy’s NFT, which was posted on the now-d...

    Fake NFT Sold for £244k from Artist “Banksy’s” Website Explore More

    News

    Crypto Under Threat – UK Banks are Blocking Payments

    Due to rising financial crimes related to cryptos, banks in the UK are blocking payments to crypt...

    Crypto Under Threat – UK Banks are Blocking Payments Explore More

    News

    FATF Updates on South Africa’s AML Compliance Progress

    A report on South Africa’s progress in implementing AML procedures to prevent money launder...

    FATF Updates on South Africa’s AML Compliance Progress Explore More

    News

    $8.6bn Lost to Cryptocurrency-based Money Laundering in 2021

    ‘The 2022 Crypto Crime Report’ by Chainalysis has revealed that a total of $8.6 billion was lost ...

    $8.6bn Lost to Cryptocurrency-based Money Laundering in 2021 Explore More

    News

    Banks warned against profiteering from UK coronavirus crisis

    British institutions, including banks, have been urged to avoid profiteering from the Coronavirus...

    Banks warned against profiteering from UK coronavirus crisis Explore More

    News

    OFAC Sanctions Cryptocurrency Mixing Service for Allegedly Sourcing Money Laundering

    OFAC has imposed economic sanctions on cryptocurrency mixing service Tornado Cash for allowing cu...

    OFAC Sanctions Cryptocurrency Mixing Service for Allegedly Sourcing Money Laundering Explore More

    News

    KYC/AML and Sanctions fines reach $5.6 billion mid-year for global financial institutions

    The leading provider of digital transformation and client lifecycle management (CLM) solution, Fe...

    KYC/AML and Sanctions fines reach $5.6 billion mid-year for global financial institutions Explore More

    News

    Danske to face $2 billion fine for money laundering

    According to Jyske Bank, Danske will probably be fined around 13.5 billion kroner (around $2 bill...

    Danske to face $2 billion fine for money laundering Explore More

    News

    Seychelles Prosecutes First Money Laundering Case Against Elites from Pandora Papers

    Seychelles, known for being a tax haven, was recently removed from the EU’s blacklist and is purs...

    Seychelles Prosecutes First Money Laundering Case Against Elites from Pandora Papers Explore More

    News

    The Philippines Introduces Crypto Guidelines Against Financial Crimes

    The Philippines Monetary Board (MB) has approved the guidelines regarding the virtual assets serv...

    The Philippines Introduces Crypto Guidelines Against Financial Crimes Explore More

    News

    London’s Bank Sees Rise in Crypto Scams Supposedly Backed By Celebrities

    An alarming surge in reports on crypto scams backed by celebrities is being seen by a major finan...

    London’s Bank Sees Rise in Crypto Scams Supposedly Backed By Celebrities Explore More

    News

    US Takes Steps to Regulate Digital Currency Amid Russian Sanction

    President Biden signed an executive order on Wednesday wherein the federal government was urged t...

    US Takes Steps to Regulate Digital Currency Amid Russian Sanction Explore More

    News

    UK Fines Dixons Carphone for Massive Breach

    Dixons Carphone is one of the largest electronics and phone retailers in the UK. Recently British...

    UK Fines Dixons Carphone for Massive Breach Explore More

    News

    UAE Confiscates Dh4.73 Bn Worth of Assets in Fight Against Financial Crimes

    In the past 12 months, the United Arab Emirates has seized assets worth Dh4.73 billion ($1.29bn) ...

    UAE Confiscates Dh4.73 Bn Worth of Assets in Fight Against Financial Crimes Explore More

    News

    WhatsApp Receives Fine Worth $267m for Breaching EU’s Data Privacy Law

    Ireland’s Data Protection Commission has stated that WhatsApp failed to inform EU citizens suffic...

    WhatsApp Receives Fine Worth $267m for Breaching EU’s Data Privacy Law 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