The important role of KYC platforms in the enforcement of anti-money laundering rules

Due to developments in our society, tracing (potential) money laundering actions lies under a magnifying glass. Recently, a Dutch banking organization received a reprimand from the Central Bank of the Netherlands because they showed a lack of initiative against money laundering and terrorism financing. The Central Bank of the Netherlands has stated that they now act against smaller banks, too. This news keeps financial institutions on their toes.

Following the ways of anti-money laundering rules is a complex matter. An efficient manner of dealing with this is by using a KYC platform. In this article, we’ll explain why anti-money laundering rules are so important, what the Know-Your-Customer (KYC) principle entails, how KYC platforms help in countering money laundering, and how smart KYC platforms make a difference in anti-money laundering efforts.

Why anti-money laundering rules are important
Anti-money laundering rules exist to prevent criminals from laundering their illegally earned money. Money laundering is the fuel for activities like drug and weapon trafficking and organized crime. The Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing Act states that banks and other financial institutions must prevent criminals from doing this through their accounts.

In sum, these rules and this law are meant to trace illegal money and reduce the risk of laundering and terrorism financing. Through the anti-money laundering rules and the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing Act, the financial world stays healthy and our society remains safe.

Why the Know-Your-Customer (KYC) principle is important
To reduce risks, financial institutions must know exactly who they’re doing business with. Within the financial sector, the Know-Your-Customer principle (also known as Know Your Customer or KYC) is mandatory. This process consists of, among other things:

o An extensive client research.
o Tracing transactions and behaviors.
o The continuous monitoring of customers.

A strong KYC policy reduces the risk of integrity violations and reputational damage.

5 ways in which a KYC platform protects against money laundering
Every day, thousands of specialists work with valuable customer data, where they review transactions and calculate risks. Their job is indispensable, which makes it essential to give them solid support.

KYC platforms facilitate the KYC process and help in complying with the anti-money laundering rules. There are 5 ways in which they make this happen:

1. Merging data: they link and unlock the data of millions of customers and their transactions. This ensures a detailed availability of all the necessary customer data.
2. Risk assessments: based on customer and transaction data, they make risk assessments. The risk profile of a customer is visible in a fraction of a second.
3. Continuous monitoring: they provide notifications in case of suspicious patterns and ensure that these alerts can be handled with minimum effort. As a result, the processes of assessing and consulting are accelerated.
4. Audit trail: because all customer data are centralized, customer assessments are always accessible and compliance is verifiable.
5. Efficiency: they prevent the switching between systems and applications, which avoids the occurrence of errors. Specialists work much more efficiently.

How smart KYC platforms make a difference in anti-money laundering efforts
There are smart KYC platforms on the market that take extra measures to strengthen anti-money laundering efforts. These innovations sometimes operate apart from regular KYC processes and applications so that ongoing processes are not being disturbed.

Some ways in which these platforms make a difference:

1. Review of transactions: they use data from internal and external systems to analyze previous transactions and identify suspicious transactions. The lookback option makes reevaluation possible.
2. Detection of suspicious transactions: they directly send suspicious transactions to second-line and third-line teams. The teams work together within the same environment.
3. Closed loop: AML analysts must provide each alert review with feedback before they can close the alert. This prevents errors.

Our own KYC platform is equipped with all these features. For financial institutions like Rabobank and Robeco, it’s an addition to the existing compliance efforts that have been active for some time already, which makes accurate assessments possible.

KYC platforms: a safer Dutch financial environment
In a time when financial crime is more topical than ever, financial institutions must allocate even more focus to strictly complying with the anti-money laundering rules. Recent developments underline that not living up to these standards can have severe consequences. With a KYC platform, financial institutions stay compliant and avoid violations of the anti-money laundering rules and the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing Act. These innovative platforms not only help in the investigation of customers but also in understanding risks and identifying suspicious activities. This way, they contribute to a safer Dutch financial environment.