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  • Writer's pictureMichael Garcia

Trade-based Money Laundering: A Basic Overview for Financial Institutions

Trade-based money laundering (TBML) is a complex financial crime in which illegal parties utilize global trade to hide the source of illegally acquired money. These parties integrate dirty cash into genuine business dealings, making it difficult for financial organizations to identify and stop them. Now, understanding TBML is essential for ensuring financial integrity and compliance with the dynamic rules and regulations of financial institutions.



How this Trade-Based Money Laundering Works: 4 Primary Techniques


Over- and Under-Invoicing: This method deals with the value of invoices, where people can increase the value or reduce it to transfer or exchange money across countries. Over-invoicing allows for excess funds to be moved, while under-invoicing helps in hiding true values and escaping detection.


Multiple Invoicing: Criminals employ this technique to conceal cash by generating multiple invoices for the same shipment. Using more than one invoice for a single transaction helps to hide the true value and obscure the flow of cash.


Ghost Shipments: This method is about making up shipments or changing shipping papers. No real goods are there to move so that money can be cleaned without any physical product movement.


False Descriptions: The documents related to trade may contain false descriptions of goods, which can be seen in changing the details or wrong classifying items. This kind of misrepresentation helps money to transfer as if it's real business.


How to Avoid Trade-Based Money Laundering


When it comes to fighting back against TBML, financial organizations can employ strong anti-money laundering (AML) software. This involves doing careful due diligence, keeping track of deals to find any irregularities, and confirming the genuineness of trade associates. Using advanced analytics and comparing trade information with market tendencies could also help in finding doubtful activities.


Conclusion

Understanding and addressing this trade-based money laundering is crucial for protecting financial systems. By taking action in advance and keeping updated, financial institutions can reduce the risks connected to TBML and guarantee obedience with regulation norms.

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