Book Description
More than five years into the crisis, a host of challenges continue to plague the integrity and health of the financial system. High among these is the ongoing fight to prevent criminals, money launderers, terrorist financiers, and organizations and individuals sanctioned by the international community, from utilizing the system. This fight is chiefly directed by governments and requires a set of rules and enforcement tools for the private sector; but the goals of government and financial institutions should align to create a seamless partnership in safeguarding global prosperity and security. Over the course of 2012, the Atlantic Council and Thomson Reuters convened a series of expert working group sessions that examined how governments and financial institutions can improve their cooperative efforts to prevent financial crime and safeguard the financial system. The project's goal is to spark debate about the strategic direction of the fight against financial crime, and assess whether current regulations and rules, and the process by which they are made, effectively meet desired policy ends. This reports sets the groundwork for that debate, and takes place within a larger discussion about the re-regulation of the financial industry after the 2008 crisis, and the best way for government and the private sector to partner in ensuring that the financial system can serve its intended purpose: to generate liquidity for the real economy in a stable and safe manner.