The impact of the Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive on the valuation of EU banks

Anti-money laundering regulations have costs and benefits for banks. To better understand how these regulations affect banks, we study the valuation effects of the Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive (4AMLD) on a sample of European banks. First, using eight significant 4AMLD-related events between the initial announcement (February 5, 2013) and the final enactment (June 26, 2015), we show that the 4AMLD had a positive valuation effect on European banks and helped reduce their systematic risk. Then, using a cross-sectional model, we find that the positive valuation effect was higher for riskier, larger, and more profitable banks with more non-traditional revenue streams, as well as banks operating in rich countries, countries with less effective corporate governance, and countries with higher perception of corruption. These findings provide a better understanding of how anti-money laundering regulations affect banks in order to assist regulators in shaping future policies, as well as bank managers and investors in making better financial and investment decisions.     

International honey laundering and consumer willingness to pay a premium for local honey: an experimental study

Fraudulent activities in the international honey market affect 10% of food, and cost the global food market $50 billion per annum. Although many developed countries have created regulations to combat food fraud, illegally imported honey, especially originating from China, still enters through transshipments and relabelling to mask its true origin. This honey laundering poses a health risk to consumers, as Chinese honey potentially contains illegal and unsafe antibiotics and high levels of herbicides and pesticides. We analyse whether information about the negative health impacts of laundered honey increases the proportion of consumers willing to pay a premium for local fraud‐free honey. Using a laboratory experiment, we find when consumers are given honey laundering information, their willingness to pay a premium for local fraud‐free honey increases by as much as 27 percentage points. Our findings suggest that by conveying honey laundering information and guaranteeing their honey is fraud‐free, producers can potentially increase revenues and reduce the prevalence of food fraud. Our results further show that consumers' preference for various honey characteristics and age also influence the probability of paying a premium for local honey.     

Taming the blockchain beast? Regulatory implications for the cryptocurrency Market

This paper uses a unique dataset of 120 regulatory events from five classes to test the relevance of the regulatory framework for cryptocurrency value. Time-series market-wide estimates and panel estimates for 300 individual coins and tokens show statistically and economically significant impact of anti-money laundering and issuance regulation. Tighter regulation and more active role of government decrease cryptocurrency prices, evidencing that potentially lower risks and wider adoption commonly attributed to the establishment of the regulatory framework do not compensate for respective efficiency and consumer utility losses. The market is generally efficient in reflecting regulatory information in cryptocurrency prices.     

论金融业反洗钱监管的理论基础

从公共利益说的外部性、金融脆弱说、法律不完备性理论、博弈论及对违法行为的经济分析等五方面说明了金融业反洗钱监管的必要性,构成了金融业反洗钱监管的理论基础。     

Outward FDI from the USA and host country financial transparency

Extant research has focused on the role of host country corruption as either an attractant or deterrent to foreign investment. These studies generally contend that corruption acts more like a ‘grabbing hand’ than as a ‘helping hand’. However, it is plausible that a significant component of foreign investment may be attracted to locales that offer opaque financial environments. Specifically, we hypothesize that money laundering opportunities may encourage illicit capital flows into certain jurisdictions. Using the USA as the ‘source’ country, we investigate the effect of corruption and money laundering opportunities on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows. The empirical findings indicate that corruption deters foreign investment, while money laundering opportunities attract it. We also show that the effect of money laundering and corruption vary based on the host country's level of development. Our findings bolster the contention that FDI into certain host countries is motivated by a facilitation of illicit capital flows.     

金融机构洗钱风险评估监管体系构建研究

监管部门对金融机构洗钱风险的评估与监管是风险为本反洗钱监管的重要内容。本文在对金融机构面临的洗钱风险进行分类的基础上,探讨了人民银行对金融机构洗钱风险的评估与分类监管的方法体系,提出了完善评估监管体系相关配套措施的政策建议。     

当前我国证券公司反洗钱问题研究

洗钱犯罪是目前国际社会普遍关注的焦点.我国证券市场股票开户非实名制为洗钱活动留下了方便之门,洗钱手法五花八门.反洗钱任重道远,但只要加强法制建设,对症下药、有的放矢,一定能开创反洗钱工作的新局面.     

析反洗钱行政处罚的法律矛盾冲突与适用

《反洗钱法》的颁布实施对于预防洗钱活动，维护金融秩序，遏制洗钱犯罪及其相关犯罪，发挥了非常重要的作用。但是，《反洗钱法》与中国人民银行颁布的《金融机构反洗钱规定》、《金融机构大额交易和可疑交易报告管理办法》等规章关于法律责任的规定，实行双重行政处罚标准；反洗钱违法行为的范围、行政处罚规定的效力、处罚建议权、拒绝权等规定有矛盾的地方；违反规定、情节严重、特别严重、身份不明等情形定义不明确，概念模糊不清。这些矛盾冲突及问题，必然导致法律及规章的适用困难，应及时予以修改补充完善，以保证社会主义法制的统一、和谐与尊严。     

Profiling under conditions of ambiguity—An application in the financial services industry

Profiles inform decision making and impact both on the individual being profiled and the organisation acting on the information. When there is no universal empirical support for the profile, decisions are made under conditions of ambiguity. This paper analyses the decision-making process for reporting money laundering suspicions using a framework that highlights the role of technical, formal and informal sub-system elements. We conclude that, in the absence of certainty regarding technical, economic and legal parameters, informal factors play a key role in determining whether systems are adopted and how much is spent.     

国际反扩散融资标准对我国反洗钱工作的挑战与对策研究

面对扩散融资对世界和平带来的威胁,反扩散融资已经成为国际反洗钱体系的一个组成部分。本文在研究扩散融资的基础上,剖析了国际反扩散融资的主要标准,认为国际反扩散融资标准为我国反洗钱工作在法律法规的适用性、出口管制、国内外合作交流、认知与培训、境外金融资产管理等方面带来了挑战。为此,我国政府应从充分利用现有反洗钱/反恐怖融资制度、强化风险管理与客户尽职调查、检查和监控交易、加强信息交流等方面强化我国反扩散融资工作。