In February 2020, Uganda made a high-level political commitment to work with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG) to strengthen the effectiveness of its anti-money laundering (AML) regime. Among other commitments, Uganda undertook to demonstrate that law enforcement agencies and judicial authorities apply the money laundering offence consistent with the identified risks. 

This quick guide explains the role of national risk assessments in addressing money laundering and terrorist financing (ML/TF) risks.

It explains how national risk assessments are conducted, challenges in terms of methodology and data availability, and how well countries are doing at performing them.

NRAs are a critical element of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards on ML/TF. They also provide data in special reports of the Basel AML Index.

These seven Recommendations emerge from the 5th Global Conference on Criminal Finances and Cryptocurrencies, held virtually on 7-8 December 2021.

The annual conference is organised by the Working Group on Criminal Finances and Cryptocurrencies, a tripartite initiative of the Basel Institute on Governance, INTERPOL and Europol that dates back to 2014 and was formally established in 2016.

The 5th Global Conference on Criminal Finances and Cryptocurrencies on 7-8 December 2021, co-organised by the Basel Institute on Governance, INTERPOL and Europol, saw several thousand participants from the public and private sectors gathering to exchange knowledge on virtual assets-based money laundering and related risks in the crypto sphere.

The so-called “tuna bond” corruption scandal in Mozambique has drawn international attention. Twenty people are facing corruption and money laundering charges in the country. Swiss bank Credit Suisse has agreed to pay USD 475 million in fines and write off USD 200 million in debt owed by Mozambique as part of a series of settlements with regulators in the US, UK and Switzerland for its role in the affair.

Registration is now open for the 5th Global Conference on Criminal Finances and Cryptocurrencies on 7–8 December 2021. The virtual conference explores trends, strategies and tactics in tackling crimes involving virtual assets.

A joint initiative of the Basel Institute on Governance, INTERPOL and Europol, the annual event now draws hundreds of experts and interested parties from around the world.