Record-keeping is a vital part of your AML/CFT programme, as it is the source of truth for all your activities. Without good records you cannot prove to external auditors and the Supervisors that your company is doing AML and that you are compliant.
Each reporting entity under the AML legislation must lodge their annual AML/CFT report with their Supervisor any time between the 1st of July to the 31st of August, for the year ending June 2022. Remember, there are no extensions to this deadline.
Finding your AML auditor is one of the first steps to take when it comes to preparing for your three-yearly AML audit. But to make sure you're as ready as you can be, there are a couple of key areas you have to look at beforehand. In this blog you'll find my quick run-down of the important things you need to do before you have your AML audit, and an opportunity to download our free guide to AML Audits.
If the time for your AML audit is rapidly approaching, the most important question at the forefront of your mind should be: who will be my AML auditor?
Every year the AML Summit brings together New Zealand's AML/CFT professionals, experts, and industry leaders. We were there in the thick of it, and have pulled together some of the highlights from the two days. See our recap of the event, below.
On August 2021, the FMA issued its AML/CFT Monitoring Insight Report for 2018 to 2021. The Director of Supervision noted that the AML/CFT regime has now matured to such an extent that the FMA has less tolerance for AML non-compliance. In other words, businesses are expected to have a strong handle on meeting their AML/CFT obligations.
We can expect this view to be true for the other Supervisors: DIA and RBNZ.
“Money laundering” – it calls to mind laundromats and giant bags of cash, or maybe the Netflix series Ozark. For most people it’s a vague concept that’s ‘bad’, with no understanding of what it is and how it actually happens. But it’s a big problem: in New Zealand alone, around $1 billion is laundered every year, while globally the figure is estimated to be $4 trillion.
Your frontline staff, compliance team, and management must work together as a team to meet the business AML obligations.
Verifying your customer’s identity is a process. Sometimes it’s simple. Often, it’s not. But we can all agree we want it to be quick.
The Financial Markets Authority and Department of Internal Affairs recently released updated guidance on outsourcing Customer Due Diligence that reiterates a very important message for anyone using third parties to manage it.