World Leaders Called on to Embrace Transparency Measures to Curtail Illicit Financial Flows
WASHINGTON, DC – As world leaders gather in Australia this week, Global Financial Integrity (GFI) called on the G20 to take strong action against illicit financial flows by embracing simple corporate transparency measures. Specifically, the Washington, DC-based research and advocacy organization urged G20 leaders to endorse the creation of public registries of beneficial ownership information as well as require all multinational corporations to publicly report their sales, profits, and taxes-paid on a country-by-country basis, as necessary tools to detect and deter crime, corruption, and tax dodging.
GFI President Raymond Baker signed a letter to the G20 along with 24 other high level individuals calling on world leaders to support public registries of beneficial ownership information and require public country-by-country reporting for all multinational companies ahead of the 2014 G20 Summit in Brisbane, Australia. GFI thanks Transparency International for coordinating the letter.
Move Strikes at One of the Biggest Tools for Laundering Money
Danish Plan Raises Pressure on European Council and Commission, G20, and U.S. to Take Action
WASHINGTON, DC – The Danish government announced today that it will create a public registry of beneficial ownership information for all Danish companies in a move lauded by Global Financial Integrity (GFI) as key to cracking down on one of the biggest tools for laundering the proceeds of crime, corruption, and tax evasion.
89 Jurisdictions Commit to Exchange Financial Information Automatically by 2018 but Significant Work Remains
Framework Misses Broader Concept of Illicit Flows
WASHINGTON, DC – While noting significant progress today in the global effort to curb tax evasion, Global Financial Integrity (GFI) expressed concerns that the OECD/G20 movement toward automatic exchange of financial information was excluding the world’s poorest countries from reaping any benefits while failing to deal with the issue of illicit financial flows in comprehensive manor.
GFI President Raymond Baker participated in “Illicit Financial Flows on the Post-2015 Development Agenda,” a panel discussion organized by the World Bank ‘s Integrity Vice Presidency on October 11, 2014 during the 2014 IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings. The forum addressed the issue of illicit financial flows in the context of the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda.
Joining Mr. Baker on the panel were (in alphabetical order) Hans Brattskar, State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway; Mogens Jensen, Minister for Trade and Development Cooperation, Denmark; Marcel, Senior Director, World Bank Group; Leonard Mccarthy, Integrity Vice President, World Bank Group; Dr. Atiur Rahman, Governor, Central Bank of Bangladesh; and Nena Stoiljkovic, Global Practices Vice President, World Bank Group.
October 11th Forum to Focus on Illicit Financial Flows in the Context of the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda
High Level Discussion to Be Live-Streamed During the 2014 IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings
WASHINGTON, DC – Global Financial Integrity (GFI) President Raymond Baker is to be featured on a World Bank panel on Saturday, October 11, 2014 focusing on the issue of illicit financial flows in the context of the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda. Taking place as part of the 2014 IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings, the discussion will feature high level representatives from the Governments of Norway, Denmark, Bangladesh, the Philippines, and the World Bank in addition to Mr. Baker.
FinCEN Proposal Aims to Require U.S. Banks to Collect Meaningful Ownership Information on All Accounts, but GFI Warns of Major Loopholes in Proposal
GFI Has Advocated for Such a Requirement Since Its Founding
WASHINGTON, DC – Global Financial Integrity (GFI) welcomed a proposed U.S. Treasury Department rule aimed at curtailing the flow of dirty money through the U.S. financial system, but the Washington-based research and advocacy organization called on policymakers to significantly strengthen the draft regulation in comments submitted to the government late Friday.
Issued in late July by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), the financial intelligence arm of the U.S. Treasury Department, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on “Customer Due Diligence Requirements for Financial Institutions” seeks to require banks under U.S. jurisdiction to collect information about the beneficial owners of companies for which they open accounts, a change that GFI has advocated for since its founding and one that would bring the U.S. in line with international norms and most other advanced economies.
Global Financial Integrity (GFI) submitted comments to the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) with regards to their Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Customer Due Diligence Requirements for Financial Institutions in a letter on October 3, 2014.
