It has been estimated that roughly 1.6 trillion USD in criminal proceeds are laundered through the international financial system each year. To put this in perspective, this sum is more than the combined GDPs of Switzerland, Portugal, Romania, Belarus, and Austria in 2011.
Publication
Working Paper 14: Using money laundering investigations to fight corruption in developing countries
Anti-money laundering systems have the potential to curb the use of proceeds of corruption and other crimes by the perpetrators. An effectively implemented anti-money laundering framework limits the channels through which illicit funds can be laundered, making crime riskier and reducing the incentives for corrupt activities.
Publication
Working Paper 12: Basel Art Trade Guidelines: An intermediary report of a self-regulation initiative
The art trade market is global, highly fragmented and complex, involving a great variety of operators. In light of this complexity, the current level of regulation and existing compliance efforts by individual operators has proven to be insufficient. With some competitors engaged in unethical or illegal behaviour, operating profitably while acting with integrity and ethics is increasingly difficult.
The transition process in many countries in Central and Eastern Europe from a one-party state to a democratic system has been long and difficult and has frequently been accompanied by institutional instability.
The judiciary and law enforcement bodies have been no exception. Both have suffered from a weak legal tradition in many countries of the region, weak implementation of existing legislation, limited operational effectiveness, corruption and the influence of informal personal networks. These developments can also be observed in the area of financial intelligence.
Intensified economic globalisation has had positive and negative effects. It has left nation states struggling to deal with the negative fall-out. National regulation against abuses has, however, proven increasingly ineffective, especially since companies have the freedom to move their hazardous activities to under-regulated areas.
This paper examines how the Wolfsberg Anti-Money Laundering Principles came into being. It charts their subsequent development and also looks at what the Wolfsberg Group of banks may tackle in the future.
Switzerland is frequently accused of being reluctant to take thorough measures to fight money laundering. Both the Swiss authorities and the banks in Switzerland strongly reject such accusations. We are convinced that our anti-money laundering measures are best market practice.
Registration is now open for the annual Arbitration and Crime workshop on 8 January 2021. Organised by the Arbitration and Crime Competence Centre, the event brings together leading arbitrators, lawyers, academics and other experts from around the world.
This year's workshop, which will take place virtually on Zoom and is open free of charge to all, will feature the following panels:
In collaboration with the Basel Institute on Governance, the Competence Centre for Arbitration and Crime is planning a two-day workshop that brings together arbitrators, lawyers, forensics, academics, students and representatives of NGOs from around the world.
The workshop, entitled International Arbitration and Corruption: A Toolkit for Arbitrators, takes place at the Faculty of Business and Economics, Basel University, on Thursday 10 and Friday 11 January 2019.
The Basel Institute on Governance has partnered with Zurich-based MME to offer a training course on blockchain, cryptocurrencies and anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT). The two-day course, FinTech AML Compliance Training, covers the essentials of blockchain and how to adapt AML/CFT processes to the FinTech industry.