Major banks still vulnerable to money laundering, says top regulator

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) warned that its analysis of 17 banks found that half, including four major UK lenders, still did not have proper processes and procedures for ensuring they were not involved in facilitating money laundering.

Tracey McDermott, head of enforcement at the FCA, said that banks’ “trade finance” businesses remained particularly vulnerable to abuse by criminal and terrorists and that in some cases the shipments being funded by lenders were just “fresh air”.

“Some banks have a lot of work to do to raise their game to the best of their peers,” said Ms McDermott.

Martin Wheatley, chief executive of the FCA, warned that organised criminal gangs “filtered, cleaned and rebottled” £10bn in the UK every year, using banks and other financial services.

“It’s simply not acceptable for firms to turn a blind eye to where the money comes from, its journey from A to B,” said Mr Wheatley.

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