Today (October 31, 2016) the Nairobi based daily newspaper The Star, published an article written by Gretta Fenner, the Institute’s director, on recent and, in her view, positive developments in the fight against corruption in Kenya. The article explains how a change in tack led by management of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), and a new and vigorous focus on following the stolen cash rather than probing procedural irregularities are starting to have an impact.

Uganda commenced the National Risk Assessment (NRA) process in early 2016 using the World Bank’s NRA tool and methodology to identify, assess and mitigate its Money Laundering/Terrorism Financing risks. Experts of the International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) have been providing technical assistance and throughout the process that is now on the brink of being successfully completed.

Basel Institute Chairman and criminal law expert Mark Pieth and Nobel-prize winning economist Joseph E. Stiglitz have just released their analysis of the issues revealed by the so-called “Panama papers”.

While the Panama Papers describe what was happening behind the secrecy, the Stiglitz and Pieth report entitled Overcoming the Shadow Economy focuses on what can and must be done, both by the international community and by the secrecy havens, to increase transparency.

Today (7 December 2016), the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) released its latest evaluation of Switzerland. According to this FATF report, Switzerland’s regulatory framework on anti-money laundering and terrorism financing (AML/CFT) is well developed, but its application shows certain weaknesses.

From 16 to 18 January 2017, more than 400 financial investigators from money laundering, cybercrime and financial intelligence units met with experts in asset recovery and relevant private sector representatives at the Global conference on countering money laundering and digital currencies in Doha, Qatar. The event was organised by the Working Group on Virtual Currencies, a joint initiative of the Basel Institute on Governance, Europol and Interpol, and funded by the authorities of Qatar.

The Basel Institute is now offering a highly detailed and comparative analysis of the FATF Mutual Evaluation Reports as an additional service to the Expert Edition of the Basel AML Index. It provides individual scoring of the FATF 40 Recommendations and Effectiveness measures to support or customise your in-house country risk assessment. 

The Basel Institute on Governance has just released its sixth edition of the Basel Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Index, an annual ranking assessing 146 countries regarding money laundering/terrorism financing risks. To date it remains the only research-based risk rating of countries in this field issued by an independent non-profit institution. It is used by the private sector as an established AML country risk-rating tool for compliance purposes, and in the public sector for research and policy measurement.

On 15 and 16 January 2018, more than 60 financial investigators, lawyers, regulators and other specialists in anti-money laundering, cybercrime and financial intelligence took part in an expert workshop on Cryptocurrencies and Money Laundering jointly organised by the Basel Institute on Governance, Europol and INTERPOL in Basel, Switzerland.

The Basel Institute on Governance is further strengthening its global reputation for independent and practice-oriented expertise in asset recovery. On March 29, Gretta Fenner, Managing Director the Basel Institute, signed an agreement of cooperation with Ecuador’s Attorney General. The objective of the collaboration is to assist and support the Attorney General’s Office in identifying, locating, seizing and repatriating illicit assets arising from acts of corruption or the laundering of assets to the detriment of the Ecuadorian State.

The results of the seventh annual Basel Anti-Money Laundering Index released today support the growing concern that governments worldwide are still not doing enough to combat money laundering. The Basel AML Index is an independent, research-based ranking that assesses countries' risk exposure to money laundering and terrorist financing.