Businesses must be aware of the three core money laundering offences: concealing, arranging and acquiring (use and possession) criminal property.
The FRA has issued a seven-day working period to consider all defence...more
With effect from 1 April 2025, the licensing regime under the VASP Act will be implemented, requiring those providing virtual asset custody services or operating virtual asset trading platforms to obtain a licence under the...more
Amendments to the Cayman Islands Proceeds of Crime Act came into effect on 2 January 2025 and include revisions to the suspicious activity report (SAR) process to the Financial Reporting Authority (FRA).
In addition to a...more
1/14/2025
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Cayman Islands ,
Compliance ,
Financial Crimes ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Reporting ,
Fraud ,
Money Laundering ,
New Amendments ,
Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) ,
Reporting Requirements ,
SAR
Conducting an independent AML audit at a frequency based on the nature, scale and complexity of the entity is a requirement under the AML Regulations.
AML audits are an important component of the control environment to...more
10/17/2024
/ AML/CFT ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Audits ,
Cayman Islands ,
CIMA ,
Compliance ,
Customer Due Diligence (CDD) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Penalties ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Risk Assessment ,
Sanctions
On 15 March 2024, the Ministry of Financial Services and Commerce (the "Ministry") issued Technical Guidance for corporate services providers ("CSPs") to facilitate changes to internal processes in support of the transition...more
New specific licensing grounds available under Cayman Islands and BVI Russia sanctions will pave the way for Cayman Islands and BVI investment funds and other entities to divest their frozen assets in Russia as well as remove...more
On 30 August 2023, following industry consultation, the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority ("CIMA") issued a new Rule and Statement of Guidance on Nature, Accessibility and Retention of Records for Licensees Conducting the...more
Following industry consultation, on 30 August 2023 the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority ("CIMA") issued updated Guidance Notes on the Prevention and Detection of Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Proliferation...more
9/15/2023
/ AML/CFT ,
Anti-Fraud Provisions ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Cayman Islands ,
CIMA ,
Cybersecurity ,
Due Diligence ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Guidance Update ,
Money Laundering ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Risk Assessment ,
Selfies ,
Videoconference
Approaches and developments -
The Cayman Islands has long been a leading offshore jurisdiction for investment funds, as well as a significant global financial centre overall. It is therefore not surprising that, reflecting...more
9/13/2023
/ AML/CFT ,
Cayman Islands ,
CIMA ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Customer Due Diligence (CDD) ,
Data Protection ,
Digital Assets ,
Economic Substance Doctrine ,
Enforcement ,
FATF ,
Financial Reporting ,
FinTech ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investment Funds ,
Know Your Customers ,
Offshore Companies
Walkers' regulatory partners Lucy Frew and Ian Mason consider the learning points for financial services providers (FSPs) from recent enforcement actions by Cayman regulatory bodies.
While financial services and related...more
8/7/2023
/ AML/CFT ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Banks ,
Beneficial Owner ,
Cayman Islands ,
CIMA ,
Due Diligence ,
Employee Training ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FATCA ,
Financial Regulatory Agencies ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Insurance Industry ,
Internal Reporting ,
Investment Funds ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Securities