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Financial Action Task Force Updated List of Jurisdictions with AML/CFT Deficiencies

Terri Luttrell, CAMS-Audit, CFCS
November 6, 2019
Read Time: 0 min

On October 18, 2019, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) issued a publication updating its list of jurisdictions with anti-money laundering and combatting the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) deficiencies. Financial institutions (FIs) should consider these changes when reviewing their overall BSA/AML programs and risk-based policies, procedures and practices.

The FATF is charged with monitoring jurisdictions for compliance to their global AML/CTF standards, and reporting countries with strategic deficiencies. Their publication to improve global compliance efforts is published quarterly.

What changed on the FATF list?

What, if any, countries should your financial institution add to your list of areas of concern?

The FATF has found the following countries are currently deficient in their programs:

  • Iceland
  • Mongolia
  • Zimbabwe

These countries may be making progress and are committed to a strong AML/CFT regime, but the FATF still sees them as an area of concern.

What, if any, countries should your financial institution remove from your list of areas of concern?

The FATF welcomes the significant progress these countries have made in improving their AML/CFT regime and in addressing related technical deficiencies to meet the commitments in their action plans. The following jurisdictions have been removed from the FATF list:

  • Ethiopia
  • Sri Lanka
  • Tunisia

Financial institutions should still conduct their own analysis of these countries to determine if they are no longer areas of concern for the risk profile of each institution. Political unrest, human rights violations, and/or other financial crimes may be reasons to keep a jurisdiction on your internal list of monitoring even if AML/CFT progress has been made.

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What has not changed in the recent FATF update?

The call for countermeasures or enhanced due diligence for the following jurisdictions remains strong:

1) Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is subject to counter-measures due to significant deficiencies in its anti-money laundering and combating terrorism regime and the serious threats they pose to the integrity of the international financial system.

2) Iran is subject to enhanced due diligence measures proportionate to the risks arising from the jurisdiction. While the FATF acknowledges progress with Iran passing the Anti-Money Laundering Act, the action plan remains outstanding. With this outstanding, the FATF remains concerned with terrorist financing, and it calls for enhanced due diligence efforts.

Since these are not new designations and are also on the OFAC list with robust sanctions programs, these jurisdictions should already be on each institution’s higher risk radar.

FinCEN guidance around FATF updates

FinCEN guidance gives a strong reminder of USA PATRIOT ACT Section 312 obligations. The regulations require that covered financial institutions ensure their enhanced due diligence programs include steps to:

  • Conduct enhanced scrutiny of correspondent accounts to guard against money laundering and to identify and report any suspicious transactions in accordance with applicable law and regulation;
  • Determine whether the foreign bank for which the correspondent account is established in turn maintains correspondent accounts for other foreign banks. If so, take reasonable steps to obtain information relevant to assess and mitigate money laundering risks associated with the foreign banks;
  • Determine the identity of each owner of the foreign bank and the nature and extent of each owner’s ownership interest.

FATF generally updates their list of non-compliant jurisdictions on a quarterly basis. Financial institutions should review these updates and adjust their AML programs accordingly. It is important to remember that if a jurisdiction is removed from this list, each institution should still review their risk profile to determine if it continues to be an area of concern for them.

About the Author

Terri Luttrell, CAMS-Audit, CFCS

Compliance and Engagement Director
Terri Luttrell is a seasoned AML professional and former director and AML/OFAC officer with over 20 years in the banking industry, working both in medium and large community and commercial banks ranging from $2 billion to $330 billion in asset size.

Full Bio

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