Banks Face New Laundering Risks in 2014

Regulators have been investigating a broader range of offenses that can trigger money laundering charges than a few years ago, says Henry Balani, a managing director at consulting firm Accuity. In addition to traditional predicate offenses (such as sanctions violations), banks now must guard against potential laundering of proceeds from tax evasion, bribery and corruption, and securities and mortgage fraud. Also, global banks that hope to grow by financing trade, particularly in newly opened markets like Shanghai, must make sure that the goods transported under their letters of credit are not used for nefarious purposes, Balani says.