Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

How to Combat Money Laundering in Europe

How to Combat Money Laundering in Europe

Good luck finding a major bank in Europe that hasn’t breached money laundering regulations.

In Denmark, the two largest banks, Danske Bank and Nordea, are both currently subject to criminal investigations. BNP Paribas received the highest-ever fine in 2014, when it settled with U.S. authorities and had to pay $9 billion for sanctions violations. Many others — from HSBC and Standard Chartered in the U.K. to Deutsche Bank and UBS and Credit Suisse — have had to answer for offenses.

These cases show that living up to money laundering regulations is difficult, but not doing so is one of the biggest risks to a bank’s reputation. Banks and authorities share the same goal — to stop the bad guys — but both are struggling to find a way forward. While the European Union has proposed establishing a dedicated authority on the crime, company expenses to combat laundering are ballooning.

Research we conducted at the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority suggests a less expensive solution: Improve the technology for monitoring and reporting suspicious bank activity. Doing so could significantly cut down on money laundering, though it would also raise questions about privacy that would need to be addressed.

Banks are generally required to do three things to combat laundering: Know their customers and their expected patterns of transactions; monitor transactions and examine those that seem atypical; and report suspect behavior to the government.

These steps may sound simple, but the quantity and complexity of transactions make them anything but. In a small country like Denmark, the central payments systems process the equivalent of 80 billion euros ($97 billion) a day. Such monitoring can also be a hassle for customers, who have little patience when trying to execute simple transactions.

This is where investment in tech can be useful, especially if it improves cooperation between regulators and banks. I see six ways for authorities to help banks better identify and investigate high-risk activity while sparing most ordinary customers inconvenience.

Create (or enhance) national electronic IDs to verify customer identity. This data could ease the onboarding of most customers, as banks would no longer need copies of passports and other documents to set up accounts. Reducing costs and hassle for the many would free up resources for monitoring transactions of higher-risk customers.

Build digital data registers to verify business identity. Registers should be able to provide high-quality information (e.g. certified by lawyers) that banks can use in onboarding uncomplicated businesses. This would make it easier for companies too, since they can then maintain most of their data in one place. Again, this would free up bank resources to focus on higher-risk accounts.

Encourage banks to build shared Know Your Customers utilities. The banking sector would greatly benefit from a centralized database of customer information that can also be linked to public registers. There is no economic sense in banks gathering the same information separately, which is the current practice. Establishing such utilities may require supervisory guidance, however.

Allow banks to share data on risk flags. Money launderers often use multiple banks, making it difficult for any one company to identify problematic transactions. Being able to share data will give everyone a fuller picture of a customer’s banking activity. That would prevent those who get barred from one bank for suspicious activity from simply moving to another lender.

Make it easier to screen for politically exposed people. Governments generally have information on individuals — and close relations — who’ve been entrusted with a prominent public function and are therefore at greater risk of corruption. Right now most authorities don’t share this data with banks, making it hard to identify potentially risky accounts. (For example, it’d be easy for a bank to identify me as a politically exposed person, but given my common name, it’d be harder to identify my children living at another address.) Making this information available for bank queries would vastly improve their screening process.

Give banks access to other select data. Public authorities hold all kinds of information that could be useful for lenders trying to prevent laundering. For instance, governments have a better view of businesses that have the same owners or are connected in other ways. Sharing this data would give banks a better perspective on a particular business’s activities. Another option is for police to share what they know about how criminals behave to help banks identify dubious transactions.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Hungary Ranked Among the World’s Safest Travel Destinations for 2025
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Man Convicted of Fraud After Booking Over 120 Free Flights Posing as Flight Attendant
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Beata Thunberg Rebrands as Beata Ernman Amidst Sister's Activism Controversy
Hungarian Parliament Approves Citizenship Suspension Law
Prime Minister Orbán Criticizes EU's Ukraine Accession Plans
Hungarian Delicacies Introduced to Japanese Market
Hungary's Industrial Output Rises Amid Battery Sector Slump
President Sulyok Celebrates 15 Years of Hungarian Unity Efforts
Hungary's Szeleczki Shines at World Judo Championships
Visegrád Construction Trends Diverge as Hungary Lags
Hungary Hosts National Quantum Technology Workshop
Hungarian Animation Featured at Annecy Festival
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
UK and EU Reach New Economic Agreement
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
UK and EU Reach Agreement on Gibraltar's Schengen Integration
Israeli Finance Minister Imposes Banking Penalties on Palestinians
U.S. Inflation Rises to 2.4% in May Amid Trade Tensions
Trump's Policies Prompt Decline in Chinese Student Enrollment in U.S.
Global Oceans Near Record Temperatures as CO₂ Levels Climb
Trump Announces U.S.-China Trade Deal Covering Rare Earths
Smuggled U.S. Fuel Funds Mexican Cartels Amid Crackdown
Austrian School Shooting Leaves Nine Dead in Graz
Bezos's Lavish Venice Wedding Sparks Local Protests
Europe Prepares for Historic Lunar Rover Landing
Italian Parents Seek Therapy Amid Lengthy School Holidays
British Fishing Vessel Seized by France Fined €30,000
Dutch Government Collapses Amid Migration Policy Dispute
UK Commits to 3.5% GDP Defence Spending Under NATO Pressure
Germany Moves to Expedite Migrant Deportations
US Urges UK to Raise Defence Spending to 5% of GDP
Israeli Forces Intercept Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg
IMF Warns of Severe Global Trade War Impacts on Emerging Markets
Low Turnout Jeopardizes Italy's Citizenship Reform Referendum
Transatlantic Interest Rate Divergence Widens as Trump Pressures Powell
EU Lawmaker Calls for Broader Exemptions in Supply Chain Legislation
France's Defense Spending Plans Threatened by High National Debt
European Small-Cap Stocks Outperform U.S. Rivals Amid Growth Revival
Switzerland Proposes $26 Billion Capital Increase for UBS
×