Glossary
Anti-Money Laundering
Anti-Money Laundering (AML) encompasses a comprehensive set of laws, regulations, and procedures implemented globally to prevent individuals and entities from disguising illegally obtained funds as legitimate income. AML strategies are essential for combating financial crimes such as money laundering, terrorism financing, and drug trafficking. These measures involve stringent monitoring of financial transactions to detect and prevent the integration of illicit funds into the economy.
Financial institutions are required to perform rigorous due diligence processes, which include verifying customer identities, maintaining detailed records of transactions, and reporting suspicious activities to relevant authorities. This proactive scrutiny is aimed at identifying and understanding unusual or potentially illicit customer behaviors, thereby preventing illegal activities before they can affect the financial system.
AML practices are closely integrated with Know Your Customer (KYC) standards, which support the AML framework by ensuring that financial institutions have detailed and accurate information about their customers. This synergy between AML and KYC helps in creating a robust barrier against the risks associated with money laundering and associated financial crimes. Together, these measures enforce a regulatory environment where organizations must comply with standardized policies to maintain the integrity of the financial markets and protect against the misuse of the financial system for illegal purposes.