Money laundering groups ‘exploiting trade finance transactions’, task force warns

For Anton Moiseienko​, a research fellow at security-focused think tank RUSI, the report gives a “clear sense of how disjointed the current response to TBML is”. Banks “either have no access to trade documentation or face challenges in verifying it”, while customs agencies face competing priorities and freight forwarders remain outside the scope of anti-money laundering regulations. “The natural response is to bring these parties together, and the FATF report lists various examples of public-private partnerships,” Moiseienko​ tells GTR. “This is a good start, but the next step should be analysing how well those partnerships are actually doing in tackling TBML specifically.”