In 2016 the Russian banks and other financial institutions will increase burden by identifying and preventing suspicious transactions. To laundering, illegal cash funds and assets withdrawal are added measures against the financing of terrorism. Profile Russian and international regulators are drawing up a list of suspicious in this respect to the operations. Lead in it anonymous donations and transfers through the Internet and terminals, including crowdfunding. They will pay “increased attention” and in some cases to stop.
In General terms the range of transactions which may be considered as potentially questionable and, as a consequence, require increased attention banks and other financial institutions, at the end of last week at a meeting with bankers in the “forest” described the Deputy head of Rosfinmonitoring Galina Bobrysheva. Her speech followed that remittances and donations — “key vulnerabilities” from the point of view of combating terrorism. “Kommersant” has found out on what the operations are and that the authorities intend to take to stop them.
As explained “Kommersant” Deputy head of Rosfinmonitoring Paul Livadny, the greatest risk are anonymous translations, primarily through crowdfunding (fundraising), small amounts of money on impersonal electronic purses over the Internet. “Typically, these donations are marked marked specific purpose of the fundraiser formally is, for example, in favor of the population of Syria, Somalia, etc.,— explained Mr. Livadny.— However, the real purpose of the fundraiser in such cases often is financing Islamic terrorist groups.” In such a situation, involved in the financing of terrorism may be even the face, sending funds to a good cause but turned out to be misguided, he said.
The Internet is not the only channel carrying out doubtful operations that could cover the financing of terrorism. Another method transfers through the terminals, say the participants of the payment market. “It would seem that translations even small amounts are subject to identification on two documents, the data on which the operator money transfer online checks with the databases the FMS, FTS, etc., so you can always find the sender of a questionable translation. However, in the case of transfers of aliens, such as citizens of other CIS countries and the near abroad, data about documents which are not in these databases, identification does not take place, bearing in mind that the sender may be honest, the system transfers funds without identification. This anonymity allows you to safely Finance anyone and anything,”— said the source “b” familiar with the situation.
In Qiwi with a large network of payment terminals, confirmed that on the bases of state agencies to identify only residents, but many foreigners, including migrant workers from neighbouring countries, bases for review. “If for non-residents of the base were, for example, with work permits, it would be a way out,”— noted in Qiwi. According to interlocutors “Kommersant” on the payment market, this vulnerability can be used not only for direct financing of terrorism, although in some cases this is so, most of the translations are “on the services of drug dealers, and drug — terrorists”, says another source of Kommersant.
Activation of Rosfinmonitoring in the fight against terrorism is not random. In December due to the worsening terrorist threats, including after the crash of the Russian plane in the Sinai Peninsula and the series of terrorist attacks in Paris, the FATF (the international group of financial action against money laundering) held an emergency meeting with vinrosidine of the participating countries, including Russia, where it was decided to prepare a plan of practical measures to prevent the financing of terrorism.
In mid-January, the Federal financial monitoring service held a meeting of the Advisory Council of the interdepartmental Commission on counteraction to legalization, which sought from participants Finance information about possible channels of financing of terrorism. Already this week, the FATF will hold a regular meeting, where countries, including Russia, will have to submit their proposals. According to the results of consolidation and harmonization with FATF outcome measures Rosfinmonitoring jointly with the relevant departments will form a subject to the direct control of the indicators of suspicious transactions, said Paul Livadny: “Banks and other organisations will be required to pay them attention and in case of a real threat to slow down such operations”. To implement the changes planned for this year, he said.
The prospect of additional load of bankers are not happy, but to formally Express dissatisfaction, given the seriousness of the issue, they are not ready. Still sighting a large-scale counter-terrorism banks have not led, “task (detection and suppression of suspicious transactions other: illegal cashing, money laundering, withdrawal of assets abroad, and more.— “B”) was missing and without that,” says Kommersant’s source in the financial market. “The fight against terrorism were limited to the monitoring of operations with participation of natural persons included in the black list of extremists drawn up by Rosfinmonitoring (by the end of 2014 included 4139 physical and legal persons, according to the annual report service.— “Kommersant”),— said one of the bankers.— The focus was on the fight against money laundering, cashing, and illegal withdrawal of capital, to take the initiative, going beyond the requirements in this topic no one dares”. However, he adds, if the criteria are sufficiently clear, to build the system of compliance is possible.
