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

    us

    216.73.216.68

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

    Mauritius

    Mauritius, which was previously known for being a tax haven, might be out of the FATF’s grey list this month, according to industry experts. 

    Global investors are predicting that following a week-long plenary meeting by the FATF on the analysis of Mauritius’ AML controls, the country may be out of the global financial watchdog’s grey list by the end of this month, shedding off its “money laundering haven” stigma.  

    In February 2020, Mauritius was named in the FATF’s grey list, blacklisted by the European Union soon after and had investment restrictions imposed by the Reserve Bank of India due to numerous AML red flags. Prior to this, international investors were known to opt for the country due to its tax advantage and low operational costs. 

    However, following a series of legal, regulatory, and operational changes in the last 20 months to combat money laundering and terrorism financing, the FATF is considering a re-rating of the country, stated Economic Times. According to three sources involved in the case, there is a high possibility that at the end of the week-long FATF plenary session, which began on October 17, Mauritius will be out of the grey list.

    Senior bankers, lawyers and officials of market intermediaries and service providers who are in touch with authorities backed this point of view and said that ‘white-listing of Mauritius’ is expected this month.

    “The inclusion of Mauritius would be a big plus for India-dedicated funds, especially those investing in Indian NBFCs… It would also help a number of investors who aren’t allowed to invest in a fund domiciled in a ‘FATF Grey List’ country,” said Anand Singh, member of a task force of Financial Services Commission. 

    Country’s that fail to have adequate anti-money laundering controls in place are named by the FATF under its grey list of high-risk jurisdictions. Once the FATF places a jurisdiction under increased monitoring, it means the country has committed to resolving swiftly the identified strategic deficiencies within agreed timeframes and is subject to increased monitoring. 

    According to an October 16 note from a senior compliance officer of a bank in Mauritius, the country was believed to be a few steps away from being delisted by the FATF. Once it steps out of the grey list, lesser scrutiny will be directed on the ‘beneficial ownership’ (BO) of Mauritius vehicles coming in as Foreign Portfolio Investor (FPI) and Foreign Direct Investor (FDI). 

    Suggested Read: A Brief Overview of 2021 AML Trends

    Related Posts

    News

    India and the United States Collaborate to Combat Financial Crime

    The US-India Dialogue on Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Terrorism Financing, jointly chaire...

    India and the United States Collaborate to Combat Financial Crime Explore More

    News

    WhatsApp accounts hacked to acquire bank card details

    Recently a new scam has emerged in Singapore where hackers are found to take-over WhatsApp accoun...

    WhatsApp accounts hacked to acquire bank card details Explore More

    News

    El Salvador’s Adoption of Bitcoin as Legal Tender Raises ML/TF Risks

    El Salvador has become the first country to accept Bitcoin as a legal tender.  On 8 June 2021, El...

    El Salvador’s Adoption of Bitcoin as Legal Tender Raises ML/TF Risks Explore More

    News

    U.K Accelerates New Plans to Crack Down on Foreign Money Laundering Activities

    The U.K plans to crack down on money laundering activities, legislate new laws to register foreig...

    U.K Accelerates New Plans to Crack Down on Foreign Money Laundering Activities Explore More

    News

    US Treasury Hits Bittrex with $53 Million Fine Over Sanctions Violations

    The US Treasury Department has imposed a $53 million fine on Bittrex for violating sanctions and ...

    US Treasury Hits Bittrex with $53 Million Fine Over Sanctions Violations Explore More

    News

    More than HK$8 Billion has been Laundered through Hong Kong Banks in 2020

    Victims of online, phone and investment scams have been conned out of more than HK$8 billion (1.0...

    More than HK$8 Billion has been Laundered through Hong Kong Banks in 2020 Explore More

    News

    West Midlands Lose Approximately £8 Million to Employee Fraud in 2022

    Business advisors RSM UK has revealed West Midlands as a hotspot for employee fraud. The region h...

    West Midlands Lose Approximately £8 Million to Employee Fraud in 2022 Explore More

    News

    Philippines Extends Registration Period for Amended AML Regulations

    The Anti-Money Laundering Council in the Philippines has revisited the guidelines of the Anti-mon...

    Philippines Extends Registration Period for Amended AML Regulations Explore More

    News

    Ghost Coin deployed as payment for vending machines in Hong Kong

    Ghost Coin, the privacy coin headed by John McAfee, can now be installed in vending machines in H...

    Ghost Coin deployed as payment for vending machines in Hong Kong Explore More

    News

    FEMA Confirms Seizure of 288 Crore Funds of Chinese-owned NBFC

    The FEMA has confirmed the seizure of 288 crores worth of funds of a “Chinese-owned” ...

    FEMA Confirms Seizure of 288 Crore Funds of Chinese-owned NBFC Explore More

    News

    Chinese regulators extend financial support to bring Hong Kong, Macau closer

    China’s financial regulators revealed an extensive plan to ease investments and cross-border tran...

    Chinese regulators extend financial support to bring Hong Kong, Macau closer Explore More

    News

    Argentina Proposes VASP Registry as Part of Updated AML Law

    Argentina is preparing to update its AML and CTF law and has proposed to include a registry for v...

    Argentina Proposes VASP Registry as Part of Updated AML Law Explore More

    News

    Cryptocurrencies Need Regulation to Prevent Money Laundering, Says Singapore Minister

    A panel of regulators and bankers at the World Economic Forum stated that cryptocurrency need to ...

    Cryptocurrencies Need Regulation to Prevent Money Laundering, Says Singapore Minister Explore More

    News

    Leading MSB Industry Associations Introduce Best Practices For Anti-Money Laundering

    The introduction of the best practices for anti-money laundering by leading MSB industry associat...

    Leading MSB Industry Associations Introduce Best Practices For Anti-Money Laundering Explore More

    News

    CBN Introduces Guidelines to Curb Money Laundering in the Financial Sector

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued guidelines on anti-money laundering and combating th...

    CBN Introduces Guidelines to Curb Money Laundering in the Financial Sector Explore More

    News

    AMLC Freezes Assets of 16 Groups Labeled as Terrorist Organizations

    The Anti-Money Laundering Council in the Philippines has frozen the accounts of 16 organizations ...

    AMLC Freezes Assets of 16 Groups Labeled as Terrorist Organizations Explore More

    News

    US Authorities Accuse Russian Oligarch of Money Laundering and Bank Fraud

    US authorities have accused Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg of conspiring to launder money and...

    US Authorities Accuse Russian Oligarch of Money Laundering and Bank Fraud Explore More

    News

    Oman’s OCCI Says ‘Money Laundering in Real Estate Needs Monitoring’

    Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) has called for a review of the legislation that gove...

    Oman’s OCCI Says ‘Money Laundering in Real Estate Needs Monitoring’ Explore More

    News

    HSBC Bank SMS Phishing Scam Targets UK Victims

    A new phishing scam, designed to lure victims into handing over their HSBC bank account details, ...

    HSBC Bank SMS Phishing Scam Targets UK Victims Explore More

    News

    US Financial Committee to Investigate Crypto to Combat Terrorist Financing

    The US House of Financial Service Committee (FSC)  is set to conduct an in-depth investigation of...

    US Financial Committee to Investigate Crypto to Combat Terrorist Financing Explore More

    News

    Binance to Strengthen KYC Measures & Sanctions Enforcement with New Partnerships

    The global crypto exchange Binance has announced that it will strengthen its KYC controls & s...

    Binance to Strengthen KYC Measures & Sanctions Enforcement with New Partnerships Explore More

    News

    Swedish Biggest Bank Hosts Active Account for PKK Terrorist Group

    According to a local media source, the most prominent Swedish bank, SEB (Skandinaviska Enskilda B...

    Swedish Biggest Bank Hosts Active Account for PKK Terrorist Group Explore More

    News

    Fintech Requires Tight Controls to Mitigate Data Privacy Risks, Treasury Report

    As per the new report by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Fintech requires tight controls to ...

    Fintech Requires Tight Controls to Mitigate Data Privacy Risks, Treasury Report Explore More

    News

    Nepal at Risk of ‘Graylisting’ for Allowing Money Laundering

    Nepal could be added to FATF’s greylist as the global AML watchdog has found a  number of deficie...

    Nepal at Risk of ‘Graylisting’ for Allowing Money Laundering Explore More

    News

    Macau to Introduce Digital Currency to Combat AML Threats in Casinos

    Macau is moving towards introducing digital currency to fight money laundering and tax evasion in...

    Macau to Introduce Digital Currency to Combat AML Threats in Casinos Explore More

    News

    UK Regulatory Authorities Warns Crypto Firms to Comply with Latest AML Obligations

    The UK regulatory department, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), has warned cryptocurrency platfo...

    UK Regulatory Authorities Warns Crypto Firms to Comply with Latest AML Obligations Explore More

    News

    FCA Fines ADM Investors for Violating Anti-Money Laundering Regulations

    The UK regulatory department Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) fined $7.9 million to the commodit...

    FCA Fines ADM Investors for Violating Anti-Money Laundering Regulations Explore More

    News

    AUSTRAC Made to Take Back Seat as Australia Defies Global AML Regulations

    Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre has taken Australia’s largest business to cons...

    AUSTRAC Made to Take Back Seat as Australia Defies Global AML Regulations Explore More

    News

    US Treasury Department Issues AML Study for the Art Market

    The US Treasury Department Issues anti-money laundering (AML) study for the art market, aiming to...

    US Treasury Department Issues AML Study for the Art Market Explore More

    News

    Lebanon Central Bank Denies Money Laundering Allegations and Embezzlement Charges

    The governor of the Lebanese central bank appeared in the first court hearing on the premise of s...

    Lebanon Central Bank Denies Money Laundering Allegations and Embezzlement Charges Explore More

    News

    $320 Million Worth of Cryptocurrency Stolen in Wormhole Hack

    A recent hack on one of the most popular blockchain bridges linking Ethereum and Solana led to th...

    $320 Million Worth of Cryptocurrency Stolen in Wormhole Hack Explore More

    News

    SFC Issues Warning on Unregulated Virtual Asset Platforms

    Binance has announced that stock tokens will no longer be available on its website for purchase a...

    SFC Issues Warning on Unregulated Virtual Asset Platforms Explore More

    News

    Sri Lankan AMLO Fines a Bank and Two Finance Firms for Non-Compliance

    Approximately two million rupees worth of fines were imposed on three financial institutions in S...

    Sri Lankan AMLO Fines a Bank and Two Finance Firms for Non-Compliance 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

    FinCEN Proposes Extension in Suspicious Activity Reporting Rules

    The US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM...

    FinCEN Proposes Extension in Suspicious Activity Reporting Rules Explore More

    News

    WhatsApp Introduces Fingerprint Authentication For Android

    WhatsApp has recently announced that its app can be locked with a fingerprint, now available on A...

    WhatsApp Introduces Fingerprint Authentication For Android Explore More

    News

    EU Regulators Say Crypto Exchange Licenses Should be Revoked for Money Laundering

    EU regulators have proposed that the licenses of crypto exchanges should be revoked in case of se...

    EU Regulators Say Crypto Exchange Licenses Should be Revoked for Money Laundering Explore More

    News

    White House Wants COVID Vaccine Passports to be Secure, Private, and Free

    According to the White House, the Federal Government should not be responsible for verifying that...

    White House Wants COVID Vaccine Passports to be Secure, Private, and Free Explore More

    News

    UK Exposed to Significant Trade-based Money Laundering Risks Post-Brexit

    Risks related to trade-based money laundering in the UK are expected in the upcoming years, accor...

    UK Exposed to Significant Trade-based Money Laundering Risks Post-Brexit Explore More

    News

    Blockchain officially becomes part of China’s tech strategy

    According to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China will use Blockchain to ...

    Blockchain officially becomes part of China’s tech strategy Explore More

    News

    Shufti picks up two business awards

    October has been an amazing month for Shufti. In September it was nominated for outstanding p...

    Shufti picks up two business awards Explore More

    News

    Compliance Institute of Nigeria (CIN) to Up its Game in Addressing AML/CTF Gaps

    With threats of financial fraud emerging across the globe, the Compliance Institute of Nigeria (C...

    Compliance Institute of Nigeria (CIN) to Up its Game in Addressing AML/CTF Gaps Explore More

    News

    The UK Introduces Beneficial Ownership Register for Overseas Entities

    The implementation of the UK government’s Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Bill has ...

    The UK Introduces Beneficial Ownership Register for Overseas Entities Explore More

    News

    Saudi’s SAMA Warns Clients of Upsurge in Financial Fraud

    SAMA urges clients to practice the highest degree of caution and prevents exposing any confidenti...

    Saudi’s SAMA Warns Clients of Upsurge in Financial Fraud Explore More

    News

    Online fraud attempts increase during COVID-19 catastrophe

    According to ACI Worldwide, the rate of fraud attempts have increased to 4.3% in April, slightly ...

    Online fraud attempts increase during COVID-19 catastrophe Explore More

    News

    IMF Joins Hands with Philippines on Wholesale CBDC Project

    IMF has announced the collaboration with BSP (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) for the development of...

    IMF Joins Hands with Philippines on Wholesale CBDC Project Explore More

    News

    Exchanges in Nigeria to Take Measures Against Crypto Scams

    Nigerian cryptocurrency industry is to take strong measures to guarantee a safe trading environme...

    Exchanges in Nigeria to Take Measures Against Crypto Scams Explore More

    News

    Two Bank Workers Banned by Central Bank in the Philippines for Wirecard Fraud

    Two bank workers, involved in issuing fake documents, have been banned by the Central Bank. The a...

    Two Bank Workers Banned by Central Bank in the Philippines for Wirecard Fraud Explore More

    News

    African Federal Government Urges Collaboration to Combat Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing

    The African Federal Government stressed the urgent teamwork needed to combat money laundering, te...

    African Federal Government Urges Collaboration to Combat Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Explore More

    News

    US drug agency failed to properly oversee crypto investigations

    It was published in the IG report, which is an audit of “income-generating, undercover operations...

    US drug agency failed to properly oversee crypto investigations Explore More

    News

    Cyprus Makes Strides in Restoring its Reputation by Dealing with AML Concerns

    According to the US Ambassador to Cyprus Judith Garber, Cyprus has shown progress in dealing with...

    Cyprus Makes Strides in Restoring its Reputation by Dealing with AML Concerns Explore More

    News

    Falklands and Gibraltar Still on Spanish ‘Tax Haven’ List, Says Report

    The official Spanish Gazette published a list which consists of Falklands/Malvinas and Gibraltar ...

    Falklands and Gibraltar Still on Spanish ‘Tax Haven’ List, Says Report 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

    Philippine Senator Files an Anti-Online Gambling Bill Aiming to Curb Financial Crimes

    Philippine Senator Joel Villanueva filed a bill imposing a ban on online gambling to prevent fina...

    Philippine Senator Files an Anti-Online Gambling Bill Aiming to Curb Financial Crimes Explore More

    News

    Bulgarian Prosecutors Investigate Crypto Lender Nexo for Alleged Illegal Activities

    Bulgarian officers have launched an investigation against Nexo as the crypto Lender was involved ...

    Bulgarian Prosecutors Investigate Crypto Lender Nexo for Alleged Illegal Activities 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

    Shufti Achieves iBeta Level 2 Compliance for Biometric Liveness Detection

    London, UK – May 9, 2025 – Shufti has successfully achieved iBeta Level 2 compliance for its biom...

    Shufti Achieves iBeta Level 2 Compliance for Biometric Liveness Detection Explore More

    News

    Crypto Scams Reach New Heights in 2020 With $24M Stolen So Far

    Whale Alert alleges that crypto scams are skyrocketing so far in 2020.  A report revealed,scammer...

    Crypto Scams Reach New Heights in 2020 With $24M Stolen So Far Explore More

    News

    U.S. Schools and Colleges Witness a Rise in Data Breaches

    Data breaches and cyberattacks continue to grow and now targeting the education sector. Amid the ...

    U.S. Schools and Colleges Witness a Rise in Data Breaches Explore More

    News

    Pakistan’s State Bank unveils new AML/CFT regulations for Forex Firms

    State Bank of Pakistan on Tuesday amended Anti-money laundering (AML) and Counter Financing of te...

    Pakistan’s State Bank unveils new AML/CFT regulations for Forex Firms Explore More

    News

    US Cybersecurity Head Fired by Trump for Discrediting the Voter Fraud.

    Trump has fired the head of cybersecurity, Christopher Kerbs, for beinhg unloyal to the claims of...

    US Cybersecurity Head Fired by Trump for Discrediting the Voter Fraud. Explore More

    News

    Philippines Directs Efforts & Demonstrates Progress in Resolving AML Concerns

    The Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) has raised the Philippines’ rating from pa...

    Philippines Directs Efforts & Demonstrates Progress in Resolving AML Concerns Explore More

    News

    Kazakhstan has Improved to Achieve the Lowest Risk Score for ML/TF

    According to the annual report of Basel Index 2020, among the 141 countries, Kazakhstan is at 73r...

    Kazakhstan has Improved to Achieve the Lowest Risk Score for ML/TF Explore More

    News

    Bermuda Monetary Authority Tightens AML Control as Threat of Money Laundering Increases

    Bermuda Island was rated high in the 2020 Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risk Assessmen...

    Bermuda Monetary Authority Tightens AML Control as Threat of Money Laundering Increases Explore More

    News

    US Treasury Holds Back AML Reforms Despite Money Laundering Through Art Industry

    The US Treasury Department has found the country’s art market to be vulnerable to financial crime...

    US Treasury Holds Back AML Reforms Despite Money Laundering Through Art Industry Explore More

    News

    Elon Musk proposes regulations on artificial intelligence

    ”Organizations developing artificial intelligence must be regulated”, says Elon Musk. This is not...

    Elon Musk proposes regulations on artificial intelligence Explore More

    News

    UAE Imposes Fines Exceeding Dh115 Million to Combat Money Laundering in Q1 of 2023

    The UAE has imposed a monetary penalty of Dh115 million ($31.3M) in the first quarter (Q1) of 202...

    UAE Imposes Fines Exceeding Dh115 Million to Combat Money Laundering in Q1 of 2023 Explore More

    News

    Lawyers in Malta Lag Behind in Complying with AML Measures

    Malta obliged the various sectors to comply with risk assessment measures. According to the Finan...

    Lawyers in Malta Lag Behind in Complying with AML Measures Explore More

    News

    Authorities Warn that the Current Crypto Landscape is Plagued with Scam

    According to the Connecticut State Police, the emerging virtual cryptocurrency market is prone to...

    Authorities Warn that the Current Crypto Landscape is Plagued with Scam Explore More

    News

    Client Sues Credit Suisse for Losing $607 Million in Fraud Scheme

    A Georgian billionaire, Bidzina Ivanishvili, has sued the Swiss bank, Credit Suisse over a Fraud ...

    Client Sues Credit Suisse for Losing $607 Million in Fraud Scheme Explore More

    News

    A Trust Company Penalised for Opening a Doorway to Money Laundering

    A team of accountants and economists have been fined by a court in Channel Island for neglecting ...

    A Trust Company Penalised for Opening a Doorway to Money Laundering Explore More

    News

    Brazil to Become a Part of OECD and Plans to Launch IPO for Its Digital Bank

    During a virtual event on Tuesday, Paulo Guedes, Brazil’s Minister of Economy, announced that the...

    Brazil to Become a Part of OECD and Plans to Launch IPO for Its Digital Bank 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