After the September 11 terrorist attacks, numerous initiatives were introduced to increase national security and combat terrorist activities, the most significant being the introduction of the USA PATRIOT Act (commonly known as the Patriot Act), which was signed into law on October 26, 2001.
‘USA PATRIOT’ is an acronym that stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism.1
Leading anti-money laundering specialist SmartSearch has warned many businesses may be at risk of being in breach of GDPR rules, due to a lack of secure data hosting.
Under anti-money laundering law, all regulated businesses in the UK - which includes financial institutions and those working in other at-risk sectors including legal, property and investment – and all financial institutions in the US, must complete due diligence on all new customers before they embark on a business relationship.
This is a hugely important part of the customer onboarding process; firstly, it is a legal requirement and businesses that do not complete the proper checks can get fined, suspended or even face legal action, and secondly, money laundering is not only a crime in itself, but an enabler for more serious crime, including terrorism, drug and people trafficking and modern slavery.
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