Lessons from anti-money laundering penalties

As research reveals global anti-money laundering fines hit more than $700m in the first half of 2020 Duff & Phelps’ Nick Bayley and Julius Kania explore the long-term trends, including whether organisations have learnt their lessons and how regulators are changing their approach

Fines for anti-money laundering (AML) rule breaches hit $706m (£547m) in the first six months of 2020, an increase of 59% on the total for the whole of 2019 ($444 m). This uptick, published in Duff & Phelps’ 7th annual Global Enforcement Review, suggests that after a short lull, regulators are continuing their clamp down on anti-money laundering breaches.

However, by delving a little deeper, we can see a longer-term trend in terms of how this area of financial crime is being policed. Contrary to the recent headline figures, it seems total AML fine values are falling globally.

So, what has been happening to AML fines?

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