Financial Crime World

Title: Iceland’s Progress in Combating Money Laundering: A Look at the FATF Recommendations

According to reports from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Iceland has made significant strides towards complying with the FATF Recommendations against Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing. This summary outlines Iceland’s current status regarding these recommendations.

Iceland’s FATF Follow-Up Report - 2021

Below is an assessment of Iceland’s compliance with each FATF recommendation.

Risk assessment and application of a risk-based approach (R.1)

  • Compliant

National cooperation and coordination (R.2)

  • Compliant

Money laundering offense (R.3)

  • Compliant

Confiscation and provisional measures (R.4)

  • Large compliance issues

Terrorist financing offense (R.5)

  • Large compliance issues
  • Compliant
  • Compliant

Non-profit organizations (R.8)

  • Large compliance issues

Financial institution secrecy laws (R.9)

  • Compliant

Customer due diligence (R.10)

  • Compliant

Record keeping (R.11)

  • Compliant

Politically exposed persons (R.12)

  • Compliant

Correspondent banking (R.13)

  • Partial compliance

Money or value transfer services (R.14)

  • Large compliance issues

New technologies (R.15)

  • Partial compliance

Wire transfers (R.16)

  • Compliant

Reliance on third parties (R.17)

  • Compliant

Internal controls and foreign branches and subsidiaries (R.18)

  • Large compliance issues

Higher-risk countries (R.19)

  • Compliant

Reporting of suspicious transactions (R.20)

  • Compliant

Tipping-off and confidentiality (R.21)

  • Compliant

Customer due diligence for designated non-financial businesses and professions (R.22)

  • Compliant

Other measures for designated non-financial businesses and professions (R.23)

  • Large compliance issues
  • Large compliance issues
  • Compliant

Regulation and supervision of financial institutions (R.26)

  • Large compliance issues

Powers of supervisors (R.27)

  • Compliant

Regulation and supervision of designated non-financial businesses and professions (R.28)

  • Compliant

Financial intelligence units (R.29)

  • Large compliance issues

Responsibilities of law enforcement and investigative authorities (R.30)

  • Large compliance issues

Powers of law enforcement and investigative authorities (R.31)

  • Large compliance issues

Cash couriers (R.32)

  • Compliant

Statistics (R.33)

  • Large compliance issues

Guidance and feedback (R.34)

  • Compliant

Sanctions (R.35)

  • Large compliance issues

International instruments (R.36)

  • Large compliance issues
  • Large compliance issues
  • Large compliance issues

Extradition (R.39)

  • Large compliance issues

Other forms of international cooperation (R.40)

  • Large compliance issues

Conclusion

Iceland has made progress in various areas, but significant improvements are needed in others. The FATF will continue collaborating with Iceland to address these issues and strengthen its Anti-Money Laundering policies.