Banks

FINTRAC: Latest News

Stay up to date with the latest advisories and notices from Canada’s FINTRAC.

Latest FinCEN News

Stay up to date with the latest advisories and guidance from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) as they are released.

FATF Advisories and Guidance

Keep on top of the latest advisories and guidance from the FATF.

a banking regulatory compliance checklist

Banking Regulatory Compliance Checklist: All You Need to Know

View a regulatory compliance checklist for compliance professionals working in the banking industry.

Latest News from AUSTRAC

Keep on top of the latest advisories and guidances from Australia’s AUSTRAC.

Responding to the New Sanctions Against Russia: How Financial Institutions Can Ensure Compliance

Learn strategies and tips for complying with the new sanctions against Russia.

Assessing AML Geographic Risk: A Methodology

This webinar explores one methodology FIs may consider to assess individual countries’ money laundering risk.

AML Compliance Trends for 2022

Explore how financial institutions can take a risk-based approach to AML, KYC and BSA compliance when working with cryptocurrencies.

Elements of Customer Risk: Products & Services, Activity Patterns and Behaviors

In this webinar we explore how a customer’s anticipated transaction activity, products and services can impact their risk score.

Elements of Customer Risk: Profiles and Relationships

What risk factors should you consider when assessing customer risk from a demographic/profile and relationships perspective?

Elements of Customer Risk: Profiles and Relationships

In this webinar we discuss how to calculate risk ratings based on a entity’s profile and relationships.

Recent PEP Sanction Screening Guidance from Regulators

Learn how to assess the risk associated with a PEP and when and how to conduct the appropriate amount of due diligence.

Fedwire: An Overview for Depository Institutions

Learn the basics of this popular credit transfer service and pitfalls faced by compliance.

Tips on Writing Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) Narratives with Examples

Filing Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) is a key part of the financial business. However, optimizing these reports and making sure that supporting case reports are

AML Cryptocurrency Information for Financial Institutions

Explore how financial institutions can take a risk-based approach to AML, KYC and BSA compliance when working with cryptocurrencies.

a credit union with an AML compliance program

Credit Union Compliance: An Overview of Anti-Money Laundering Best Practices

Read BSA/AML compliance requirements, ideas on how to tackle challenges and FinCEN’s proposed new rule and its expected impact on credit unions.

Recently a number of jurisdictions have either introduced new regulations or revised guidance for identifying and screening for politically exposed persons (PEPs) or Heads of International Organizations (HIOs). Read a short summary of what is new in the United States, Canada and Australia.

AML and Crypto: What Compliance Teams Need to Know

Dave Jevans, CipherTrace CEO, presents a complete primer for banks and financial institutions on how crypto transactions flow through the financial system, how crypto users and transactions evade detection and how to take a risk-based approach to this emerging financial instrument.

employee analyzing their virtual currency compliance program

Using FinCEN/FATF’s Red Flags for a Virtual Currency Compliance Program

Learn about FinCEN/FATF’s red flags for virtual currency and how they can be applied to your AML compliance program.

Recent PEPs Screening Guidance from Regulators

Wire Transfer Red Flags: Understanding Money Laundering and Fraud Risks

Learn about the mechanics of wire transfers, both in the U.S. and globally, and how wire transfers differ from other types of money movement methods.

The Bank Secrecy Act: Understanding U.S. AML Regulations and Laws

As the country’s financial intelligence unit (FIU), FinCEN releases a number of advisories, guidances and FAQs to help financial institutions meet their BSA compliance obligations. This article reviews some of the definitions and material provided by FinCEN for effective compliance to anti-money laundering regulations.

OFAC Screening Requirements: Best Practices for Effective Compliance

This article first provides a foundation for understanding OFAC and its mission to administer and enforce U.S. economic sanctions: what is the purpose of sanctions, how they come about, and OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.

OFAC Compliance Policy: A Deep Dive

Learn about the fundamentals of what OFAC does and the purpose and categories of U.S. sanctions programs in place today.

Complying with FinCEN Cryptocurrency Regulations

Learn about FinCEN’s rules for CVCs and actionable steps within your screening and transaction monitoring processes that you can implement today to reduce your exposure to criminal actors using virtual assets.

The FinCEN Travel Rule

Learn about the fundamentals as well as the proposed changes and nuances in implementation that may affect compliance to the rule.

FinCEN Travel Rule Requirements

Learn about the FinCEN Travel Rule and how to comply in special situations, including aggregated transfers, transfers for non-customers, and various originator name issues.

Detecting and Countering Dark Web Money Laundering Risks

Learn how financial institutions can assist in the detection, prevention and reporting of illicit dark web transactions that may be flowing through your organization.

OFAC Compliance Program

The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued extensive guidance for financial institutions regarding what constitutes an effective sanctions compliance program.

6AMLD: What Compliance Professionals Need to Know

The EU’s 6th Anti-Money Laundering Directive is now in effect for all member states. Read about the changes.

What is an AML Compliance Program?

An anti-money laundering (AML) compliance program is an essential component of a financial institution’s compliance regime. The primary goal of every good program is to

Customer Due Diligence Checklist: FATF

Read what FATF recommends surrounding customer due diligence.

Crypto Intelligence for AML Compliance

Learn how to effectively detect and monitor virtual currency-related customers and transactions within your financial institution.

Cryptocurrency Red Flags

Read FATF’s red flag indicators to help detect whether virtual assets are being used for criminal activity.

Due Diligence Screening with Dow Jones and Alessa

Learn more about how Alessa and Dow Jones can be used for PEPs, sanctions and watch list screening applications.

employee performing customer due diligence

Customer Due Diligence: Meeting Regulatory Expectations

CDD is a fundamental component of an effective AML compliance program. Read what U.S. regulators expect.

Someone performing KYC for AML compliance

How to Make AML/KYC Compliance More Effective

Learn how the integration of CLEAR ID Confirm with the Alessa solution will make digital onboarding and customer reviews so much easier and reliable. Walk-through specific scenarios so you can see what data is available to you and how results can be incorporated into your AML compliance process.

Cash Reporting Requirements for Banks

Here is a sample of some of the cash reporting requirements for different jurisdictions.

How to Convince Senior Management of the Importance of AML Compliance

In this webinar, compliance leads at TransferWise discuss their experience in working with senior management on enhancing compliance programs.

Conference on the AML risks of virtual currency

Managing Crypto and Virtual Currency AML Risks

Understand how virtual currencies are structured and how to take a risk-based approach to mitigate their risks.

Keys to Creating an Effective SAR Program

In this webinar suspicious activity monitoring programs are reviewed to determine what makes them effective or ineffective.

Risk Intelligence and ID Verification With Alessa

Learn how Alessa can enhance Know Your Customer (KYC) and Know Your Business (KYB) programs.

Politically Exposed Person (PEP): An Overview of How to Define, Identify and Screen for PEPs

Read our tips on identifying and screening PEPs.

All You Need to Know About AML High Risk Customers

Sarah Beth Felix reviews the various types of higher risk customers, what makes them high risk, and methods for effective management.

The Wolfsberg Group: Developing an Effective AML/CTF Program

Jurisdictions are adopting the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) focus on effective outcomes for developing an effective AML/CTF program

employee researching transaction monitoring rules

Q&A on Managing Transaction Monitoring Rules

Answers to your questions from our recent webinar on managing monitoring rules in light of indictments

Transaction Monitoring Typologies: Managing Monitoring Rules in Light of Indictments

We review strategies that allow for dynamic management of emerging typologies and risks within the transaction monitoring process.

Cash Intensive Business: Managing Money Laundering Risks

Learn how to identify these high-risk customers during onboarding, what to look for during the relationship and potential red flags.

Politically Exposed Persons and AML: PEPs Defined by Country

Politically exposed persons are officials who have a prominent public function, such as a political office or senior appointment.

What are the 3 Stages of Money Laundering?

Money Laundering is the process of “cleaning” the proceeds of criminal activity. Learn about the 3 stages.

Strategies to Implement and Enhance Digital Onboarding for Financial Services

The experts at Thomson Reuters review strategies that various types of FIs can deploy in order to accelerate their adoption of technology to support their onboarding and due diligence processes.

Using Compliance Data for Your AML Program

In the fight against financial crimes, today’s organizations must focus on building compliance programs that are increasingly driven by analytics. But how to start?

AML Automation: How Automation Can Strengthen Compliance Programs

The experts at Alessa discuss how different automated processes can strengthen anti-money laundering (AML) processes.

two employees analyzing the five pillars of a bsa/aml compliance program

An Overview of the Five Pillars of a BSA/AML Compliance Program

In order to combat financial crime, banks, MSBs, credit unions, fintechs, payment providers and other types of financial institutions are required to develop and put in place an Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance program.

A Meeting on Beneficial Ownership Regulations

Regulatory Reporting Requirements for AML Compliance Professionals

Regulatory reporting is a big piece of AML compliance. Find out how to automate the creation and filing of these in order to avoid non-compliance, fines and penalties.

Wolfsberg Questionnaire (CBDDQ) – Version 1.3 Now Available

Updated Correspondent Banking Due Diligence Questionnaire (CBDDQ) is now available for FIs.

AML Compliance With Alessa

Alessa provides all the anti-money laundering capabilities that banks, MSBs, FinTechs, casinos and other regulated industries need – all within one platform.

AML Compliance Checklist: Tools and Processes

A comprehensive checklist for compliance teams, who are looking to implement or update their AML program.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Money Laundering

Here are some frequently asked questions about money laundering using information from various sources including FATF, FinCEN, FINRA and FINTRAC, as well as our experts from Alessa

Trade-Based Money Laundering: What Compliance Professionals Need to Know

We break down the most common TBML techniques, including the Black Market Peso Exchange, over & under invoicing, and others, using real world case studies.

What is Anti-Money Laundering (AML)?

Anti-money laundering (AML) is the process of combatting money laundering — where criminals work to make their illegal – or “dirty” – money look clean.

Live Q&A Forum: Money Laundering and Fraud Risks for Wire Transfers

AML expert Laurie Kelly, CAMS follows-up with answered questions during her recent webinar on Understanding Money Laundering and Fraud Risks of Wire Transfers.

Using Corruption Perception Index for AML Risk Scoring

Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) shows Canada is the top ranked country in the Americas. However, the bad news is the ranking has dropped.

What AML Teams Need to Know about Working in the Cloud

This webinar busts some of the myths around cloud adoption as well as share real-life stories of why financial institutions moved their compliance solution to the cloud.

How to Test your Sanctions and Watchlist Screening Software

In this white paper we review key areas that every financial institution should review to ensure that their sanctions screening software is working at its best.

COVID-19 Medical Supply Scams Prompt FinCEN Guidance for AML Health

The U.S. government is concerned that too many COVID-19 fraud cases are popping up as criminals find new ways to steal.

What an Effective EDD Program Looks Like

This webinar will review the steps in an effective EDD program, whether you are a financial institution or a corporation engaging with global suppliers.

Novedades en Alessa

Webinar Novedades en Alessa

Improved EDD Software Capabilities for Reporting and New Features

Easy EDD Reports and more. Here is a summary of some of the most notable additions to the latest version of Alessa.

Compliance Analytics: Rules-based Vs. Advanced Analytics – Do You Have to Choose?

Should rules-based testing be completely abandoned (or become their poor second cousin) in favor of artificial intelligence, predictive analytics and machine learning?

What is an AML Compliance Officer?

Read about the role of a compliance officer, including typical duties and qualifications.

Beneficial Ownership Rule Changes and Updates

In this webinar get an overview of current corporate transparency regulations across various jurisdictions and the status of their implementation.

Money Laundering Rules Get Cleaned Up In Canada

Read key regulatory developments already in force and what 2020/2021 will see in AML/ATF regulatory compliance in Canada.

Tackling Hidden Risks in AML Screening Systems and Programs

In this webinar, we will reveal how to avoid some of the common pitfalls in the configuration and testing of screening programs.

5AMLD – EU’s Fifth AML Directive Now In Effect

Europe has strengthened the rules to fight money laundering with a new directive. Read about the changes in this blog.

Transaction Monitoring With Alessa

Alessa can monitor financial transactions in real time, periodically or by events and using advanced analytics, detect suspicious or fraudulent transactions.

AML Compliance Software Solutions with Alessa

Alessa is a platform that integrates with core systems for real-time due diligence, transaction monitoring, sanctions screening and regulatory reporting capabilities.

Sanctions Screening Solutions With Alessa

Sanctions screening with Alessa protects organizations by identifying high-risk persons and businesses, then enabling them to manage the risk.

woman tracking a suspicious activity report

Case Management for Suspicious Activity Reports: Tracking and Managing Your Investigation

In this blog we explain why case reports are such an important tool for compliance teams and what are the sections of a good case report.

woman writing suspicious activity reports

SAR Writing Tips: Write for Your Reader!

In this webinar we share a number of best practices that go along with SARs if they are to be an effective tool for both your FI and for law enforcement.

Due Diligence with World-Check and Alessa

When combined, Alessa and World-Check offer customers the power to screen in real time during onboarding and for transactions to block potentially high-risk situations.

Effective SAR (Suspicious Activity Report) Writing

This webinar provides insightful advice on how to write SAR narratives that are both useful and meet FinCEN’s requirements.

Strategies to Enhance Your Screening and Transaction Monitoring Processes

Learn how to assess and factor risk criteria such as regulatory, country, customer and services risks, strategies for increasing detection of real reportable activities and reducing false positives and time for investigations and more

Cryptocurrencies and Financial Institutions

In this webinar, we will walk the audience through a systematic process that every financial institution should go through when evaluating the risks associated with

FINTRAC STR Guidance

Canadian financial regulator has issued new guidance for when a suspicious transaction must be reported and how to submit STRs.

What’s New in Alessa – AML Compliance and Sanctions Screening

There are a number of new and exciting enhancements to assist in investigations and get more out of the solution.

What’s New in Alessa – Core Functionality

There are a number of new and exciting enhancements to the core features in the latest version of Alessa,

OCC Compliance Risk Assessment: BSA/AML Concerns Threaten Safety of the Banking Industry

The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) says compliance risk related to BSA/AML remains high and poses a threat to the safety and soundness of the federal banking system.

performing watchlist screeningon a desktop

Sanction and Watchlist Screening and Filtering: Best Practices

This white paper looks at how to monitor and screen individuals, entities and transactions as well as best practices to optimize the results in order to avoid penalties and fines.

CFATF: Cayman Islands at Risk for Money Laundering, Fraud, Tax Evasion and Trafficking

A CFATF Report has found that the Cayman Islands has a significant threat from foreign fraud, evasion of foreign taxes by non-residents and drug trafficking.

5 Steps to Implementing AI for AML Compliance

AI is expected to save the banking industry more than $1 trillion. But how to get started? This blog will review the phases for implementing AI for AML compliance.

Beneficial Ownership: Complying to CDD Final Rule (Part 1)

Learn how to identify beneficial ownership; collect, store, manage and maintain beneficial ownership data and perform identity verification for beneficial owners.

Beneficial Ownership: Complying to CDD Final Rule (Part 2)

Learn how to store, manage and document BO data and opportunities for enhanced transaction monitoring and customer risk scoring.

man studying fincen beneficial ownership rule

How to Comply With FinCEN’s Beneficial Ownership Rule

This five-part white paper explores challenges faced by financial institutions in implementing the beneficial ownership requirement of the CDD Rule as well as recommendations on how to comply.

Enhancing Compliance With Sanctions Screening Guidance

In this webinar we review the recent Wolfsberg Guidance on Sanctions Screening and provide concrete actions that FIs can take to improve the effectiveness of their AML program.

Fraud Detection and Prevention in the Banking Industry

In this webinar, learn how to overcome some of the challenges associated with detecting and preventing the various forms of bank fraud.

AI and Machine Learning for AML: An Exec’s Guide

In this webinar you will learn how data science is used to detect anomalies and how responses be used to prevent future suspicious transactions or false-positives.

woman analyzing correspondent banking relationships

How to Save Correspondent Banking Relationships

This white paper looks at key processes respondent banks must have to strength their compliance programs and protect their correspondent relationships.

bank in the Caribbean that improved anti-money laundering program

Leading Caribbean Bank Selects Alessa for Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Assistance

Read how this bank adopted sanctions screening, transaction monitoring, automated regulatory reporting and more to strengthen their AML program.

Strengthen AML Compliance With Data Mining

This webinar will examine data mining techniques that can be used to identify risk factors, monitor customer activity and provide insights in the business.

Importance of AML Analytics for Compliance Professionals

What do AI, machine learning and other terms really mean and how are they used to improve counter-fraud and AML strategies?

Data Analytics for Transaction Monitoring and Customer Profiling

This webinar will look at how an effective transaction monitoring process can identify unusual transactions for further investigation, reporting and more.