This Report reviews the Observance of Standards and Codes on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Recommendations for Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) for Japan. The assessment reveals that Japan has made good progress in bringing its regime for AML/CFT...

Bolivia’s system to prevent and suppress money laundering fulfills most of the Financial Sanctions Related to Terrorism and Terrorist Financing (FATF) recommendations and applies to the insurance, stock market, and financial sectors. However, the system does not include other activities...

This paper reviews key findings of the Detailed Assessment of Observance of Standards and Codes in the Financial Sector of Palau. The assessment reveals that there is a relatively low level of compliance with the Basel Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision. Palau is compliant with...

In recent years, the IMF has released a growing number of reports and other documents covering economic and financial developments and trends in member countries. Each report, prepared by a staff team after discussions with government officials, is published at the option of the member country.

Weaknesses in the enforcement of regulation have been targeted by the G-20 as a priority concern for reform. But enforcement efforts in securities markets have proven difficult and uneven. The recent scandal in the United States, wherein a Ponzi scheme orchestrated by Bernard Madoff went...

In several Caribbean states, unregulated investment schemes grew quickly in recent years by claiming unusually high monthly returns and through a system of referrals by existing members. These are features shared with traditional Ponzi schemes and pyramid schemes. This paper describes the growth...

This assessment of the Basel Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision has been completed as part of the IMF Offshore Financial Center (OFC) assessment program. First, the assessment benchmarks the current state of banking supervision, recognizing that there have been extensive changes...

This Financial System Stability Assessment on Kuwait reviews the macroeconomic environment and gives an overview of the financial system. Financial stability has been effectively supported by prudent fiscal and monetary policies. The banking sector appears sound and is well regulated and...

This Detailed Assessment Report focuses on Anti–Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) for Italy. The assessment reveals that overall, the current AML/CFT framework in Italy is extensive and mature, and achieves a high degree of compliance with most of the...

The Detailed Assessments of the Observance of Standards and Codes on France reviews compliance with Basel Core Principles for effective banking supervision. The French insurance market is notable for its broad range of distribution channels, which include tied agents, insurance brokers, salaried...