InfoBytes Blog
FinCEN hosts exchange on environmental crimes and related financial activity
On November 16, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) held a virtual “FinCEN Exchange” with representatives from financial institutions, other key industry stakeholders, and federal government agencies to discuss identifying and combating illicit financial flows related to environmental crimes and related money laundering. As previously covered by InfoBytes, FinCEN released the “FinCEN Exchange” program in 2017, which established regular briefings between FinCEN, law enforcement, and financial institutions to share high-priority information regarding potential national security threats and illicit financial transactions. Topics discussed at the recent FinCEN Exchange included, among other things: (i) illicit financial flows related to wildlife trafficking; (ii) illegal logging, fishing, and mining; (iii) waste and hazardous substances trafficking; and (vi) potential solutions for better understanding the associated illicit flows. According to FinCEN, the agency “is focusing on environmental crimes because of an upward trend in these activities and their related financial flows; their strong association with two of FinCEN’s national anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) priorities, specifically corruption and transnational criminal organizations; and their contribution to the climate and biodiversity crises.”