Proceeds of Crime, Illicit Financial Flows and Money Laundering

2019 ◽  
pp. 89-95
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Money Laundering ◽  
Financial Flows ◽  
Illicit Financial Flows ◽  
Proceeds Of Crime

Addressing illicit financial flows in Africa

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 1074-1091 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernd Otto Schlenther
Keyword(s):  
Money Laundering ◽  
Tax Evasion ◽  
Tax Avoidance ◽  
Medium Term ◽  
Profit Shifting ◽  
Financial Flows ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Priority Areas ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Illicit Financial Flows

Purpose This paper aims to identify the underlying key components of illicit financial flows (IFFs) and highlights the priority areas where government resources should be pooled under a whole of government approach to mitigate the risks posed by IFFs. These areas are tax avoidance and tax evasion (specifically intra-company profit shifting, investment and profit shifting within the extractive sector, fraud and beneficial ownership), anti-corruption measures, governance and accountability measures, anti-money laundering effectiveness and effectiveness in the detection of falsified customs declarations. Design/methodology/approach The concept of IFFs is emerging as an umbrella term for bringing together seemingly disconnected issues. The concept is ill-defined, but there are various identifiable components supporting the term IFF such as capital flight, corruption, money laundering, tax avoidance, tax havens and transfer pricing practices. The author identifies the key areas of concern through a literature review and recommends prioritization of short- to medium-term risk areas and long-term policy imperatives. Findings In the short- to medium-term, an effective “whole-of-government” approach should be based on uniform risk identification and prioritization between mandated government agencies and in the long run, it should be focused on building responsive and effective institutions through a process of good governance and effective taxation. Originality/value A large body of literature deals with “IFFs” and the “whole-of-government approach” as separate concepts. This paper draws on the existing literature and identifies priority areas for addressing IFFs, and, for these to be successful, they are entirely dependent on a whole-of-government approach – both in the short and long run.

The regime against money laundering: a call for scientific modelling

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 584-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Sotande
Keyword(s):  
Money Laundering ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Financial Flows ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Illicit Financial Flows ◽  
Scientific Modelling ◽  
Combat Money Laundering

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the magnitude of the global problem of money laundering and the scholarly critics of money laundering concept. The paper further explores the scientific modelling to combat money laundering transactions.Design/methodology/approachThe research methodology adopted was qualitative analysis. This was applied through the use and analysis of documents and expert interviews.FindingsThe paper reveals how the global displacement on the fight against money laundering is being determined by “attractiveness index”. This attractiveness index is the dark side affecting anti-money laundering (AML) concept within developing economies. The critics of the AML accounts for major discrepancies associated with the context of the term AML regimes and international standards to combat illicit financial flows.Social implicationsThe regimes against money laundering compel countries to adopt the same recommendations and standards and were not given opportunity to proffer their own creative alternatives within their own circumstances.Originality/valueThe paper suggests AML Transaction Validation Model in the quest to combat illicit financial flows originated from organized and serious crime within the global jurisdictions.

Illicit financial flows: HSBC case study

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Ahmad Naheem
Keyword(s):  
Money Laundering ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Financial Flows ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Services Sector ◽  
Financial Services Sector ◽  
Beneficial Ownership ◽  
Illicit Financial Flows ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper provides examples of how illicit financial flows (IFFs) are occurring through the formal banking and financial services sector. The purpose of this paper is to explore which elements of anti-money laundering (AML) compliance need to be addressed to strengthen the banking response and reduce the impact of IFFs within the banking sector. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses a number of sources of secondary data including the Swiss leaks data for HSBC and also the Permanent Sub Committee Report on HBUS in the USA, the OECD report on money laundering compliance and Financial Action Task Force (FATF) guidelines on beneficial ownership. It links this information to the relevant IFF reports produced through Global Financial Integrity to highlight the connection between banking AML compliance and IFF transfers through the banking sector. Findings The main findings from the analysis are that banks have a greater legal responsibility towards detecting and reporting suspicious transactions than they would have previously considered. This includes identifying the source and purpose of fund transfers and establishing the beneficial ownership of recipients. Research limitations/implications The research topic is new; therefore, analysis papers and other academic writing on this topic are limited. Practical implications The research paper has identified a number of implications to the banking sector on addressing AML deficiencies, especially the need to improve standards of beneficial ownership verification and customer due diligence (CDD) checks for politically exposed persons. Social implications This paper has implications for the international development and the global banking sector. It will also influence approaches to AML regulation, risk assessment and audit within the broader financial services sector. Originality/value The originality of this paper is the link between the HSBC cases and IFFs and the implications this will have for future AML compliance processes across the banking sector.

scholarly journals How Big Are Illicit Financial Flows?

2021 ◽  
pp. 75-88
Author(s):  
Joras Ferwerda ◽  
Brigitte Unger
Keyword(s):  
Money Laundering ◽  
Tax Evasion ◽  
Tax Avoidance ◽  
Financial Flows ◽  
Illicit Financial Flows ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Tax Regulation

In recent years several leaks have given us insight into how the wealthy and criminals hide their money. The boom of leaks has resulted in a ‘hot phase’ in tax regulation. As a result, the number of studies that want to measure illicit financial flows has also increased. This chapter tries to provide an overview of this booming new field. What do all these studies teach us about the seriousness and size of tax avoidance, tax evasion, and money laundering? What is precisely measured, and how? This chapter concludes that the term ‘Illicit Financial Flows’ has become a bit of a floating identifier, a name that is vague enough to be used for many different concepts but at the cost of losing its meaning. We argue that decomposing the problem of illicit financial flows and what each study aims to measure, might give more useful insights.

scholarly journals Global Illicit Financial Flows: Where does Dirty Money from Developing Countries become legal?

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-150
Author(s):  
Wahaj Ahmed Khan ◽  
Syed Tehseen Jawaid ◽  
„ Muhammad Asif Shamim
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Money Laundering ◽  
Financial Stability ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Developing Nations ◽  
Global Level ◽  
Financial Flows ◽  
International Body ◽  
Illicit Financial Flows ◽  
Financial Fund

The study determines most favorite destinations for money laundering preferred by wrong doers from 25 developing nations selected on the basis of highest illegal financial fund outflows from 2004 to 2014, a report published by Global Financial Integrity (GFI) in 2015. Firstly, it has been discussed that how money laundering activities are shackling the economic and financial stability in a country by distorting and damaging different sectors of economy as well as financial sector. Walker's Gravity Model has used to determine the most preferred destinations for money laundering. Research indicates that most developed and stable economies with lax controls are preferred by criminals. Robustness has been checked through triangulation method. It is recommended that uniform controls at global level are essential to eliminate havens and the need of international body which shall be responsible for policy making and enforcement of strong regulations is also highlighted.

Who are our owners? Exploring the ownership links of businesses to identify illicit financial flows

2021 ◽  
pp. 147737082098036
Author(s):  
Alberto Aziani ◽  
Joras Ferwerda ◽  
Michele Riccardi
Keyword(s):  
Money Laundering ◽  
Tax Evasion ◽  
Economic Incentives ◽  
Tax Havens ◽  
Financial Flows ◽  
Holding Companies ◽  
Business Ownership ◽  
Cultural Proximity ◽  
Illicit Financial Flows ◽  
High Level

This article investigates the patterns of business ownership in Europe, using a unique dataset on the nationality of 28.7 million shareholders of companies registered in 41 European countries. By means of an exploratory multivariate analysis, it tests whether ownership links between different countries are driven exclusively by social and macroeconomic variables – such as trade or geographical or cultural proximity – or are also related to measures of financial secrecy, corruption and lack of compliance with anti-money laundering regulations. The results indicate that factors other than licit economic incentives explain the international ownership structure of European companies. European firms have an abnormal number (that is, above the predicted value) of owners from tax havens and countries with poor financial transparency, which may suggest the use of holding companies for money laundering and tax evasion and to conceal illicit financial flows. However, ceteris paribus, the number of owners is abnormal in countries where rule of law and the control of corruption are more effective, suggesting that a high level of corruption may be a cost in money laundering activities. The findings contribute to the current international debate on illicit financial flows – as framed by United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16.4 – and can be used by public agencies and private actors to detect anomalies in business ownership and prevent potential financial crime schemes at corporate level.

Illicit Financial Flows: Concepts, Measurement, and Evidence

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-86
Author(s):  
Matthew Collin
Keyword(s):  
Money Laundering ◽  
Tax Evasion ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Risk Indicators ◽  
Financial Flows ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
Illicit Flows ◽  
Illicit Financial Flows ◽  
The Subject

Abstract There is a growing consensus that the presence of illegal and harmful cross-border financial flows is one of the factors impeding economic and human development. In recent years, a new conceptual framework for describing these “illicit” financial flows (IFFs) has emerged that combines issues ranging from cross-border money laundering to tax evasion. This article summarizes and clarifies recent empirical work in this area. Three types of studies are considered and critiqued: (i) methods of measuring IFFs, (ii) constructed risk indicators, and (iii) forensic studies that aim to uncover instances where illicit flows have occurred. The article discusses the limitations of all three approaches and proposes ways in which the research agenda on IFFs could be reasonably advanced, given the hidden nature of the subject.

scholarly journals Estimating Illicit Financial Flows

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Cobham ◽  
Petr Janský
Keyword(s):  
Market Regulation ◽  
Critical Survey ◽  
Financial Flows ◽  
Illicit Flows ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Illicit Financial Flows ◽  
Proceeds Of Crime ◽  
Quality Of Governance ◽  
Company Accounts

Illicit financial flows constitute a global phenomenon of massive but uncertain scale, which erodes government revenues and drives corruption in countries rich and poor. In 2015, the countries of the world committed to a target to reduce illicit flows, as part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. But five years later, there is still no agreement on how that target should be monitored—to say nothing of how it will be achieved. The term ‘illicit financial flows’ covers a range of corrupt practices, aimed at obtaining immunity or impunity from criminal law, from market regulation and from taxation. Illicit flows occur through many different channels, whether they involve laundering the proceeds of crime, for example, or shifting the profits of multinational companies. There are two consistent features. First, illicit flows are deliberately hidden. These cross-border movements of assets and income streams depend on a set of common tools including opaque company accounts, legal vehicles for anonymous ownership, and the secrecy jurisdictions that provide these services. Second, the overall effect of illicit flows is to reduce the revenue available to states, and to weaken the quality of governance—so there is less money to support human development, and it is less likely to be spent well. In this book, two of the economists most closely involved in the process to develop UN indicators of illicit financial flows offer a critical survey of the existing data and methodologies, identifying the most promising avenues for future improvement and setting out their own proposals.

scholarly journals A review of money laundering literature: the state of research in key areas

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 271-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milind Tiwari ◽  
Adrian Gepp ◽  
Kuldeep Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Money Laundering ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Financial Flows ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Research Themes ◽  
Illicit Financial Flows ◽  
State Of Research ◽  
The Uk

Purpose The purpose of this study is to review the literature on money laundering and its related areas. The main objective is to identify any gaps in the literature and direct attention towards addressing them. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review of the money laundering literature was conducted with an emphasis on the Pro-Quest, Scopus and Science-Direct databases. Broad research themes were identified after investigating the literature. The theme about the detection of money laundering was then further investigated. The major approaches of such detection are identified, as well as research gaps that could be addressed in future studies. Findings The literature on money laundering can be classified into the following six broad areas: anti-money laundering framework and its effectiveness, the effect of money laundering on other fields and the economy, the role of actors and their relative importance, the magnitude of money laundering, new opportunities available for money laundering and detection of money laundering. Most studies about the detection of money laundering have focused on the use of innovative technologies, banking transactions or real estate- and trade-based money laundering. However, the literature on the detection of shell companies being explicitly used to launder funds is relatively scarce. Originality/value This paper provides insights into an area related to money laundering where research is relatively scant. Shell companies incorporated in the UK alone were identified to be associated with laundering £80bn of stolen money between 2010 and 2014. The use of these entities to launder billions of dollars as witnessed through the laundromat schemes and several data leaks clearly indicate the need to focus on illicit financial flows through such entities.

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