The United Kingdom's measures to combat money laundering and terrorist financing

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Language

English

Country

United Kingdom

Mutual Evaluation Report of the United Kingdom - 2018

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MER-United-Kingdom-2018.pdf
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4 MB
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application/pdf
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Paris, 7 December 2018 – The United Kingdom has a well-developed and robust regime to effectively combat money laundering and terrorist financing. However, it needs to strengthen its supervision, and increase the resources of its financial intelligence unit. 

The FATF has conducted an assessment of the United Kingdom’s anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing (AML/CFT) system. The assessment is a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of the UK’s measures and their level of compliance with the FATF Recommendations.

The UK is the largest financial services provider in the world. As a result of the exceptionally large volume of funds that flows through its financial sector, the country also faces a significant risk that some of these funds have links to crime and terrorism.  This is reflected in the country’s strong understanding of these risks, as well as national AML/CFT policies, strategies and proactive initiatives to address them.

The UK aggressively pursues money laundering and terrorist financing investigations and prosecutions, achieving 1400 convictions each year for money laundering. UK law enforcement authorities have powerful tools to obtain beneficial ownership and other information, including through effective public-private partnerships, and make good use of this information in their investigations. However, the UK financial intelligence unit needs a substantial increase in its resources and the suspicious activity reporting regime needs to be modernised and reformed.

The country is a global leader in promoting corporate transparency and it is using the results of its risk assessment to further strengthen the reporting and registration of corporate structures. Financial institutions as well as all designated non-financial businesses and professions such as lawyers, accountants and real estate agents are subject to comprehensive AML/CFT requirements. Strong features of the system include the outreach activities conducted by supervisors and the measures to prevent criminals or their associates from being professionally accredited or controlling a financial institution. However, the intensity of supervision is not consistent across all of these sectors and UK needs to ensure that supervision of all entities is fully in line with the significant risks the UK faces.

The UK has been highly effective in investigating, prosecuting and convicting a range of terrorist financing activity and has taken a leading role in designating terrorists at the UN and EU level.  The UK is also promoting global implementation of proliferation-related targeted financial sanctions, as well as achieving a high level of effectiveness in implementing targeted financial sanctions domestically

The UK’s overall AML/CFT regime is effective in many respects. It needs to address certain areas of weakness, such as supervision and the reporting and investigation of suspicious transactions.  However, the country has demonstrated a robust level of understanding of its risks, a range of proactive measures and initiatives to counter the significant risks identified and plays a leading role in promoting global effective implementation of AML/CFT measures.

FATF adopted this report at its Plenary meeting in October 2018.

Outcomes FATF Plenary, 17-19 October 2018

Mutual Evaluation Report, United Kingdom 2018 - Executive Summary

More information:  

The FATF Recommendations

FATF Methodology for assessing compliance with the FATF Recommendations and the effectiveness of AML/CFT systems

Consolidated assessment ratings - an overview of ratings that assessed countries obtained for effectiveness and technical compliance.

 

 

 

Technical Compliance

Ratings which reflect the extent to which a country has implemented the technical requirements of the FATF Recommendations.

United Kingdom Mutual Evaluation - 2018

R.1 - Assessing risk & applying risk-based approach
LC
R.2 - National cooperation and coordination
C
R.3 - Money laundering offence
C
R.4 - Confiscation and provisional measures
C
R.5 - Terrorist financing offence
C
R.6 - Targeted financial sanctions related to terrorism & terrorist financing
LC
R.7 - Targeted financial sanctions related to proliferation
LC
R.8 - Non-profit organisations
C
R.9 - Financial institution secrecy laws
C
R.10 - Customer due diligence
LC
R.11 - Record keeping
C
R.12 - Politically exposed persons
C
R.13 - Correspondent banking
PC
R.14 - Money or value transfer services
C
R.15 - New technologies
LC
R.16 - Wire transfers
C
R.17 - Reliance on third parties
LC
R.18 - Internal controls and foreign branches and subsidiaries
LC
R.19 - Higher-risk countries
LC
R.20 - Reporting of suspicious transactions
C
R.21 - Tipping-off and confidentiality
C
R.22 - DNFBPs: Customer due diligence
LC
R.23 - DNFBPs: Other measures
LC
R.24 - Transparency and beneficial ownership of legal persons
LC
R.25 - Transparency and beneficial ownership of legal arrangements
C
R.26 - Regulation and supervision of financial institutions
C
R.27 - Powers of supervisors
C
R.28 - Regulation and supervision of DNFBPs
C
R.29 - Financial intelligence units
PC
R.30 - Responsibilities of law enforcement and investigative authorities
C
R.31 - Powers of law enforcement and investigative authorities
C
R.32 - Cash couriers
LC
R.33 - Statistics
LC
R.34 - Guidance and feedback
C
R.35- Sanctions
C
R.36 - International instruments
C
R.37 - Mutual legal assistance
LC
R.38 - Mutual legal assistance: freezing and confiscation
C
R.39 - Extradition
C
R.40 - Other forms of international cooperation
LC

C = compliant   |   LC = largely compliant     |   PC = partially compliant   |   NC = non-compliant

Effectiveness

Ratings that reflect the extent to which a country's measures are effective. The assessment is conducted on the basis of 11 immediate outcomes, which represent key goals that an effective AML/CFT system should achieve.

Ratings that reflect the extent to which a country's measures are effective. The assessment is conducted on the basis of 11 immediate outcomes, which represent key goals that an effective AML/CFT system should achieve.

United Kingdom Mutual Evaluation - 2018

IO1
HE
IO2
SE
IO3
ME
IO4
ME
IO5
SE
IO6
ME
IO7
SE
IO8
SE
IO9
HE
IO10
HE
IO11
HE

HE = high level of effectiveness   |   SE = substantial level of effectiveness    |   ME = moderate level of effectiveness   |   LE = low level of effectiveness