ReleaseWire

AML compliance is increasingly becoming a priority for North American companies, from well-established institutions to some of the most innovative start-ups. In fact, while there are concerns in other parts of the world that the newest businesses are those with the least protection in place, that's not the case in the US and Canada. A new report from Sumsub has identified that more than half of crypto currency firms are planning to increase their identity verification budgets this year, with AML compliance software at the top of the must-purchase list. 200 companies took part in the survey, which also found that 80% of crypto businesses currently use automated AML solutions.

Global supply chains have become a complex place over the past year with an ever-expanding web of export bans and restrictions on a number of individuals and entities making things even more complicated. Navigating this landscape better, in order to mitigate risk and generate paths to growth, means tapping into all available tools. AML transaction monitoring is most traditionally tied to the way that financial institutions ensure their resources are free from laundered profits. However, it is now becoming an increasingly vital tool with respect to sanctions compliance too, which makes AML transaction monitoring critical for global businesses focused on risk mitigation in international supply chains. Why has this become so essential? Well, AML transaction monitoring has such a big role to play when it comes to sanctions against Russia, for example, because it can be difficult to identify who actually has an interest in a financial transaction. This is due to the use of extended payment chains, anonymous legal entities, and shell companies with less than transparent ownership. Where AML transaction monitoring is in place, any changes in customer behaviour will trigger a closer inspection - and it can also be used to look for specific Russian typologies. In both cases, AML transaction monitoring will help to reveal both sanctioned activities, as well as sanctioned actors, better mitigating risk right along the supply chain.

The sanctions that the US has put in place against Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine have been well publicized. However, it seems that many companies and institutions have failed to comply with them and, as usual, those who are looking to avoid the sanctions have managed to find ways around. As a result, the US Treasury is now looking at whether AML obligations should be imposed on investment advisors, increasing the penalties for a less comprehensive approach to compliance risk. The reasoning behind this is the use of certain advisors by Russian elites to try and hide assets.

Iceland Innovation Week took place in June this year, highlighting some of the most exciting Nordic startups in the region today. Lucinity AML compliance software was included as one of the Top 10 unicorns contributing to the local economy, job creation and driving towards global expansion. Iceland's technology sector is alive with innovation in 2022 and the 10 companies that made it into the list are a great illustration of just how forward-focused and creative industry is here. As well as Lucinity, some of the others to make the list included Oculis, which is focused on breakthrough therapies for addressing important unmet medical needs in the eye, improving eye care and saving sight and Controlant, which has developed an innovative and industry-trusted system, to help facilitate visibility on cold chain temperatures throughout supply chains.

In June 2020, a pilot project was launched in Sweden designed to make it easier to fight financial crime, such as money laundering. This collaboration between Nordic banks and the Swedish police - known as Swedish Anti Money Laundering Initiative (SAMLIT) now looks likely to move from being a pilot project to a regular collaboration, according to most of the banks involved. SAMLIT has many different aspects to it, including the ability for the banks to share with the police information on suspicious transaction patterns etc. This kind of AML transaction monitoring has a key role to play in helping to improve the response to money laundering and strengthen AML regimes. It's vital that schemes like this have the support of the banking sector. So far, SAMLIT has been backed by major Nordic banks including Danske Bank A/S, Nordea Bank Abp, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB, Svenska Handelsbanken AB and Swedbank AB.

A report released in June this year revealed that Nordic bank Nordea and Norway's DNB banks have been the conduit for billions of euros of suspicious origin - at least €3.9bn -, creating yet another new money laundering scandal for the region. Information obtained by a Finnish broadcasting company showed that at least a part of the money that has been funneled through these banks is related to money laundering. The information comes from internal investigation reports at the banks - which have been leaked - and which show a number of problematic money transfers connected to branches in locations such as Latvia and Lithuania. The internal reports also indicate that bank employees may also have been involved in money laundering.

William Hill's online gambling subsidiary Mr Green fell foul of Sweden's Money Laundering Act in 2021, as well as certain sections of the Gambling Act. As a result, it was issued with two separate warnings, as well as penalties of $3.1 million. The company sought to appeal the penalties but, earlier this year, the appeal was dismissed by Sweden's Administrative Court in Linköping. A statement was made by the Swedish Gambling Authority in which it made clear that Mr Green's appeal was to be dismissed "in its entirety." The Authority went on to highlight the issues that existed in terms of William Hill's AML protection and the problematic level of compliance risk at the business.

The Cullen Commission report - the final report of the Commission of Inquiry into Money Laundering in British Columbia - has been released and promptly welcomed by the Canadian government. Canada's federal government released a statement saying that it takes the issues of money laundering and financial terrorist financing very seriously and will continue to review Canada's Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing (AML/ATF) Regime in the light of the Cullen Commission report. The government also responded to many of the recommendations in the report, including with respect to strengthening the existing regime. More than $48.8 million has been invested in the federal regime since 2019, including with respect to information sharing and data resources. AML software is highly likely to play a key role in creating a more robust structure going forward. The additional review to be undertaken by the government in response to the report from the Cullen Commission will look for places where the current regime, and previous investments, fall short. In particular, this will investigate how the authorities detect, deter, and investigate financial crimes. A new legislative review has also been announced, which will focus on the digitisation of money, including cryptocurrencies and stablecoins.

Just as the world was finally starting to breathe a sigh of relief at the easing of the pandemic, the situation in Ukraine flared up, bringing with it an unsettling new wave of deaths, sadness and anger. I believe that nature has given us the necessary resources to coexist on this planet all together - there is enough space and food for everyone and yet greed drives us to destroy each other. That makes me angry. Perhaps it makes you angry too.

The global hydraulic fracturing market is projected to reach USD 50.2 billion by 2026 from an estimated USD 34.8 billion in 2021, at a CAGR of 7.6% during the forecast period. The global hydraulic fracturing market is driven by the maturing conventional oil and gas reserves, the need for substitute resources, which could efficiently meet the rising energy demand, is growing. The discovery of shale oil and gas has proved helpful in meeting the requirements for clean and efficient energy sources.

Report categorizes the risk analytics market based on components, deployment mode, organization size, risk type, vertical, and regions.

report categorizes the Traffic Management to forecast revenue and analyze trends by component, system, region

Savory Snack Products Market by Product (Potato Chips, Extruded Snacks, Popcorn, Nuts & Seeds, Puffed Snacks, Tortillas), Flavor (Barbeque, Spice, Salty, Plain/Unflavored), Distribution Channel and Region – Global Forecast to 2027

The global synchronous condenser market is projected to reach USD 811 million by 2030 from an estimated USD 661 million in 2022, at a CAGR of 2.6% during the forecast period.

Automotive Lighting Market for ICE & EV by Technology (Halogen, LED, Xenon/HID), Position & Application (Head, Side, Tail, Fog, DRL, CHMSL, Dashboard, Glovebox, Reading, Dome, Rear View Mirror), Adaptive Lighting and Region

Leaders in Finance has announced an international AML Europe event that is intended to help improve the way that anti-money laundering is handled in the region. The event is due to take place in September in Brussels and follows on from a former event in the Netherlands last year. Leaders in Finance has repeatedly emphasised how anti-money laundering provisions don't stop at the border and expanding these events into new countries is a key part of reinforcing this message. Where there is a robust anti-money laundering regime in place there is far more protection for the businesses and individuals in that country - and it is much more likely that the proceeds of criminal transactions will be channeled overseas instead of undermining domestic society.

The web of regulation around crypto transactions is gradually tightening, as this innovative area of finance starts to get more structure. A big part of this is ensuring that cryptocurrency doesn't leave loopholes that could be exploited for money laundering purposes. A new EU proposal sets out the requirements for banks to collect data on both senders and recipients in a transaction to help achieve this. Called the 'travel rule,' it will require that cryptocurrency firms start collecting this data for every transaction, even those that are just a couple of euros. It will also require that every transaction that comes in at above EUR1,000 be reported to the financial authorities. This will essentially remove the threshold for reporting and could be a big win in anti-money laundering terms.

Combating money laundering across the EU has been a key priority for the European Union for many years. And in July last year it received a major boost with plans presented by the European Commission to create a central EU authority to help fight money laundering across the region. The Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) won't take over responsibility for the fight against money laundering - that will remain with individual member states. However, AMLA will fulfill the function of coordinating and supporting the application of EU regulations across Europe. It will also be given a number of significant powers that are going to have an impact when it comes to compliance risk, among them these two critical functions:

An encrypted connection is created using a VPN option between the client, which is often implemented as computer software on a worker's workstation, and a VPN gateway inside the workplace network.

The security screening market was valued at USD 7.5 billion in 2021; it is expected to reach USD 10.1billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 6.3% from 2021 to 2026. The growth of the security screening market is primarily driven by the increasing criminal activities, growing need for large-scale surveillance at public places, and increasing demand in the private sector.

The global Smart Elevator Market size is expected to grow from USD 9.7 billion in 2021 to USD 12.6 billion by 2026, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5.4% from 2021 to 2026. The growth of the smart elevator market is majorly driven by the enhanced spending capabilities of customers in emerging markets.