Financial Crime World

Here is the rewritten article in Markdown format:

Croatia Cracks Down on Money Laundering with Strengthened Anti-Terrorism Measures

ZAGREB, Croatia - In a significant boost to its fight against money laundering and terrorist financing, Croatia has taken numerous steps to strengthen its anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CFT) systems.

Progress Assessed by the Council of Europe’s MONEYVAL Committee

According to a report released by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism (MONEYVAL), Croatia has made significant progress in improving its compliance with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Recommendations.

Key Improvements

  • Customer due diligence measures
  • Third-party reliance
  • Correspondent banking
  • International cooperation

Legislative Amendments

Since December 2021, Croatia has amended its AML/CFT legislation to address key shortcomings, including:

  • Introduction of a disclosure system for cash couriers
  • Improved transparency requirements
  • Enhanced international cooperation powers for competent authorities

National Action Plan and Registration Regime

Croatia has also made progress in adopting a national action plan, introducing a registration regime for virtual asset service providers (VASPs), improving beneficial ownership registers, and streamlining access to information on legal persons.

Compliance Shortcomings

While Croatia still faces some technical compliance shortcomings, the report notes that it has made significant progress in addressing these issues. The country currently has:

  • 5 Recommendations rated Compliant
  • 23 Recommendations rated Largely Compliant
  • 12 Recommendations rated Partially Compliant out of a total of 40 Recommendations

Enhanced Follow-Up Procedure

Croatia remains under MONEYVAL’s enhanced follow-up procedure and is expected to report back on further progress made towards strengthening its AML/CFT system in December 2024.

Praise for Croatia’s Efforts

The country’s efforts have been praised as a significant step forward in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing, demonstrating its commitment to combating these global threats. The MONEYVAL evaluation process assesses compliance with international standards to counter money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, making recommendations for necessary improvements to national authorities.