People on the Move: W2 Global Data
U.K.-based W2 Global Data, a provider of regulatory, KYC/AML and fraud prevention solutions, has welcomed three new hires, including Alex Lafferty, Richard Evans and Kerry Cleary.
Anti-Money Laundering/AML
Compliance Titans: Jeff Ross, Green Dot Corp.
Nearly a decade after jumping from the public to the private sector, Green Dot’s Jeff Ross remains as enthused as ever by the new challenges and complexities he faces every day as compliance head for one of the biggest players in an industry with a constantly shifting regulatory landscape and technology that’s advancing at a breakneck pace.
Sterling Bank and Trust signs for iFinancial BankWare core system
Sterling Bank and Trust, a new bank in the Bahamas, has selected the BankWare core system from UK-based International Financial Systems’ (iFinancial). The bank will be using the multi-currency accounting, exposure management, current accounts, deposits, loans, payments, and Swift modules from the BankWare portfolio of retail and wholesale banking solutions. The bank is part of […]
People on the Move: A.J. Koehn, Urban FT
A.J. Koehn has joined Urban FT Inc., a digital payments platform provider and 2017 Pay Awards winner for Startup of the Year, as its new senior vice president of compliance and program management.
Compliance Titans: Jani Gode, Payoneer
Jani Gode’s knowledge of payments compliance reaches to parts of the globe that are about as far away from the small Minnesota farm where she grew up as you can get. Gode leads the global compliance program as chief compliance officer at Payoneer, an online payments company founded in 2005 that enables businesses to send and receive cross-border payments.
Former MoneyGram Compliance Chief to Pay $250,000 Fine
A former MoneyGram compliance head will pay a $250,000 fine and be barred from performing a compliance function for a money transmitter for the next three years after agreeing to a settlement over alleged AML and fraud prevention failures that took place at the company under his watch.
Conference overview: “literally everything” from FinovateSpring 2017
Wished you were at FinovateSpring in San Jose but missed it? No worries – we’ve got it covered. A comprehensive overview of the two-day conference – session by session.
Allied Irish Banks hit with €2.3m fine for AML fails
Allied Irish Banks (AIB) has been fined €2.3 million by Ireland’s central bank for compliance failures over anti-money laundering (AML) and terrorist financing laws. AIB was reprimanded for six breaches of the law – which occurred between July 2010 and July 2014. It has admitted to these breaches. The central bank says AIB failed to […]
A vaccination for financial crime
ransaction monitoring is emerging as one of the top priorities for banks and other financial institutions. Some now employ up to three per cent of their workforce to track financial crime. But, as leadership teams look to increase the effectiveness of their processes in the face of regulatory scrutiny and reduce costs, are there lessons to be learnt from health industry and its battle against infectious diseases?
Proposed M-Wallet Rules Don’t Hinder Samsung Pay Launch
While the Indian government works toward a digital economy, the Reserve Bank of India is soliciting feedback through March 31 on guidelines for prepaid payment instruments that could adversely affect issuers of prepaid products, including mobile wallets.
DTCC sells Clarient Global and Avox to Thomson Reuters
The Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC) has agreed to sell its Clarient Global and Avox businesses to Thomson Reuters.
Top fintech stories this week – 3 February 2017
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place!
U.K. Slaps Deutsche Bank with $200 Million Penalty over Money Laundering Case
The U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority has fined Deutsche Bank £163 million (US$204.7 million) for failing to maintain adequate anti-money laundering controls between Jan. 1, 2012, and Dec. 31, 2015, according to Paybefore sister publication Banking Technology.
Deutsche Bank fined record £163m for AML control fails
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has fined Deutsche Bank £163 million for failing to maintain an adequate anti-money laundering (AML) control framework during the period between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2015. This is the largest financial penalty for AML controls failings ever imposed by the FCA, or its predecessor the Financial Services […]
BNP Paribas Securities Services invests in fintech start-up Fortia
BNP Paribas Securities Services has acquired a minority stake in an Fortia Financial Solutions. This deal helps Fortia, a start-up that provides compliance software to the financial services industry, cement the relationship it formed with the bank during the inaugural session of the fintech accelerator by L’Atelier BNP Paribas.
CIBanco deploys Swift’s compliance services suite
Mexico-based CIBanco has signed for a compliance services suite from Swift, which comprises compliance analytics and sanctions screening tools and KYC Registry.
Western Union to pay $586m fine for money transfer fraud
Western Union has admitted turning a blind eye as criminals used its money transfer services to launder money and commit fraud. It has agreed to pay a $586 million fine to the US authorities.
Money rolls
Our new series of thrillers – produced and directed by CustomerXPs and Banking Technology – narrate the tales of the fight between the forces of good (the Clari5 analytics and anti-fraud software) and the forces of evil. Based on real events and guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat!
RBI investigates blockchain for financial applications in India
The Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT), set up by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has recently issued a whitepaper, “Applications of Blockchain Technology to Banking and Financial Sector in India”. We summarise the report and highlight the key findings.
Deutsche Bank bans texting and messaging apps on work phones
No more texting or using messaging apps such as WhatsApp on company issued phones, Deutsche Bank tells its employees. According to a memo issued by COO Kim Hammonds and chief regulatory officer Sylvie Matherat, the functionality will be switched off this quarter.
Global Fidelity Bank implements AMLtrac from iFinancial
UK-based core banking and anti-money laundering (AML) software vendor International Financial Systems (iFinancial) is implementing its AMLtrac solution at Global Fidelity Bank.
E-book: Regulatory compliance for banks – using data to unblock the road ahead
Your bank faces more competitive pressures than ever before. Regulations nowadays regularly cost financial institutions billions. You know this. What may be unclear is how IT can help, not hinder, your competitive position. As data becomes the roadblock for compliance, so too it can become your competitive advantage. The latest techniques for handling compliance processes […]
Dassault Systemes unveils seven finalists for KYC/AML start-up challenge
French software firm Dassault Systemes has named the seven finalists for its “3D FinTech Challenge” 2016 to address anti-money laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) issues. This is its fourth annual accelerator programme in collaboration with senior finance executives, regulators and “influencers”. As Banking Technology reported in August, Dassault Systemes invited start-ups to apply. […]
Top fintech stories this week – 14 October 2016
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place! MasterCard to buy French payment firm Stet? EXCLUSIVE. Payments processor could be a target. Brooks Macdonald puts IT revamp with Third Financial on hold EXCLUSIVE. All freeze for wealth management firm. Banks behaving badly in Singapore Monetary Authority […]
UK’s Financial Conduct Authority fines Sonali Bank for AML fails
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has fined Sonali Bank UK £3.25 million for “serious” anti-money laundering (AML) systems failings. It has imposed a restriction, preventing it from accepting deposits from new customers for 168 days, and fined the bank’s former money laundering reporting officer (MLRO), Steven Smith, £17,900 and prohibited him from performing the […]
Banks behaving badly in Singapore
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is withdrawing the merchant bank status of Falcon Private Bank’s Singapore branch for “serious failures” in anti-money laundering (AML) controls and “improper conduct” by senior management at the head office in Switzerland as well as the Singapore branch. MAS is also imposing financial penalties on DBS Bank and UBS’s […]
IBM Watson learns compliance in Promontory purchase
IBM plans to acquire Promontory Financial Group, a risk management and regulatory compliance consulting firm, to boost IBM Watson’s cognitive technology. Upon close of the deal, Promontory’s employees will train Watson, which will learn by “continuously ingesting regulatory information as it is created and through interaction in real-world applications”. Bridget van Kralingen, senior vice-president, IBM […]
Dassault Systemes launches KYC/AML challenge for start-ups
French software firm Dassault Systemes is inviting start-ups to apply to its “3D Fintech Challenge” to address anti-money laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) issues. As part of its overall 3DExperience Lab initiative, the seven-week programme will identify and help nurture six start-ups that can provide systemic warnings and a 360-degree view of customer/support […]
Money Router the troubleshooter for London crime
UK-based Route Trading is to unveil Money Router – a solution designed to tackle the problem of “illicit money transfers taking place” in London. Launching on 27 September, Route Trading says the new software enables banks to reduce the risks involved in home remittance. The firm says the solution can “strengthen the safety of global […]
HSBC dodges US money laundering charges
HSBC has escaped charges of money laundering by US officials due to fears by the Department of Justice (DOJ) it might create a “global financial disaster”. A US Congressional report shows that UK officials, including Chancellor George Osborne, used their clout to warn the US it could lead to market unrest. According to the BBC, […]
Will regulation be a blessing or a blow for Bitcoin?
The European Commission (EC) wants to update the fourth Anti-Money Laundering directive so that it also covers virtual currencies, such as Bitcoin. In the UK, the Treasury has followed suit by announcing plans to subject virtual currency exchanges to the same regulations as banks. This isn’t surprising. Gunnar Nordseth, CEO and co-founder of Signicat, muses over the possible […]
2016: An EMEA regulatory view
If 2015 was all about how the financial sector continued its post 2008 crisis transformation, 2016 looks set to promise even more developments in the same vein across the EMEA region. The ongoing change continues to be remarkable in its depth and scope impacting financial institutions and technology firms like Wolters Kluwer Financial Services who exist to enable banks and others to navigate risk and regulatory complexity
Enhancing global real-time payments: tackling fraud and AML
Quick business successes can be built on the UK’s payment system that will play a key role in encouraging the efforts required to ensure that it achieves the “world class” status the industry is aiming for.
Correspondent banking faces ‘existential crisis’ warns PwC
De-risking, motivated by short-term risk-reward calculations, should not be allowed to kill off one of the cornerstones of the global financial system. Rather than abandon correspondent banking relationships, banks should be thinking about investing in and automating their risk controls, according to a new whitepaper by PwC.
SIBOS Interview: Chrisol Correia, Head of Global Anti-Money Laundering Solutions, LexisNexis Risk Solutions
Chrisol Correia, Head of Global Anti-Money Laundering Solutions, LexisNexis Risk Solutions
The emerging threat of trade-based money laundering in trade finance
Money laundering is a global phenomenon, evident in many parts of the world. Techniques have ranged from simple bulk cash movements across borders to more sophisticated techniques hidden in trade transactions. As trade between the Middle East and the rest of the world continues to grow, the threat of trade based money laundering becomes more […]
Europol: cash is still king – for criminals
More than 30% of all suspicious transaction reports in the European Union are triggered by the use of cash, according to Europol, with the €500 note – not widely used for payments – still in demand.
National velocity checking: the answer to MSB money laundering?
Anti-money laundering legislation cuts through the Gordian knot of bringing cases against companies at a stroke – it doesn’t require a ‘controlling mind’. In fact, it almost demands the opposite. A UK-wide system of velocity checking would go further in combating crime and protecting Money Services Businesses.
Italian Financial Police round up money-laundering gang
The Italian Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza), supported by Europol, arrested 10 members of a transnational criminal group yesterday. The criminals, mainly Nigerian citizens, were involved in laundering the proceeds of online fraud, amounting to more than €2.5 million.
‘Right to a bank account’ poses challenge for EU banks
The European Parliament’s Payment Accounts Directive creates a right to a basic bank account, which must be enshrined in national law across Europe by September 2016. But the rules represent a challenge to banks’ ability to manage their business – one that speaks to the heart of the current regulatory debate, according to delegates at the Payments International conference in London this week.
