US President Trump signed new sanctions legislation into law on August 3, 2017, against Iran, Russia and North Korea, and at the same time, adopted a new national strategy to combat terrorist financing and money laundering. The legislation, “HR3364 – Countering America’s Adversaries Though Sanctions Act” is more than about sanctions. In large part, it’s about financial crime.
Pursuant to HR3364, the President is required to develop a national strategy for financial crime to deal with illicit finance. The strategy must be developed with bank regulators, the AG, the Secretary of DHS, the NSA and budget officials.
US National Strategy on Financial Crime
The national financial crime strategy must include:
- an evaluation of how the US is addressing its own risk assessment and if it supports counter-terrorism efforts;
- goals and priorities to disrupt and prevent illicit finance running through the US financial system. The goals will include the dollar value of money laundering that goes through the US system.
- details of the most significant threats of money laundering that go through the US financial system;
- comments on the extent to which law enforcement is going after money laundering, terrorist financing and funds used to finance illegal drug trafficking;
- commentary on striving towards a P3 with financial institutions for financial crime mitigation;
- plans to develop more cooperative efforts with other countries to address illicit finance;
- analysis on trends in illicit finance using cryptocurrencies in respect of cyber crime; and
- an analysis on how to leverage technology to get better at financial crime.
Financial Inclusion Tech
There is also a plan to create technology to establish a money services business to facilitate the transfer of money to Somalia. The Somalia pilot project will be used to try to find a way in which the US government can lead the way in addressing financial inclusion and provide banking in high risk areas with compliance with financial crime law.