The Banking Sector Promotes Public-Private Collaboration for the Prevention of Money Laundering
CECA, AEB, and UNACC, in collaboration with Sepblac, have organized the sixth Sectorial Conference on the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing.
The meeting brought together prominent representatives from the European Commission, the General Directorate of the Treasury and Financial Policy, the DGSFP, the Bank of Spain, the CNMV, and credit institutions.
The conference aims to foster dialogue between the private sector and the public sector on AML/CFT matters.
The banking associations CECA, AEB, and UNACC, in collaboration with Sepblac, have organized, for the sixth consecutive year, the Sectorial Conference on the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing, which gathers prominent banking sector experts on AML/CFT issues in Spain, supervisory bodies, and regulatory authorities.
The event, held in the auditorium of CECA, aims to enhance dialogue between the private sector and the public sector regarding the prevention of money laundering and terrorism financing. Credit institutions are particularly noted for their diligence and compliance in cooperating with the authorities in the fight against this crime, an aspect recognized by reports from international organizations specialized in the field.
Representatives from nearly all credit institutions affiliated with the organizing associations, all specialized in AML/CFT, attended the conference. This new edition focused on updating regulatory novelties, the latest risk typologies, the supervisory approach, and other current issues such as the impact of international financial sanctions and Spain’s candidacy to position Madrid as the headquarters of the new European Anti-Money-Laundering Authority (AMLA), which is supported by the sector.
The conference was opened by Raquel Cabeza, Corporate Director of Risks and Compliance at CECA, who introduced the initial agenda item on regulatory novelties, which pose a significant challenge for the industry.
According to Irene Sánchez, advisor to the General Subdirectorate of Inspection and Control of Capital Movements, from the Treasury, the regulatory updates that entities will face in the coming months will be marked by the creation of the new European authority, under the European legislative package EU AML package and the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Subsequently, three roundtables were held featuring representatives from the public and private sectors, exchanging knowledge, experiences, and best practices.
The first roundtable, dedicated to the impact of international financial sanctions with a particular focus on those arising from the war in Ukraine, included the participation of África Pinillos, head of the Supervision area at Sepblac, Sergio Tresguerres, Deputy Director of the General Subdirectorate of Inspection and Control of Capital Movements at the Treasury, Concha Picón, Director of Sanctions Advisory at Banco Santander, and Roberto Crespi, Team Leader in the Sanctions Unit of DG Fisma-European Commission. María Peco, Senior Advisor for Legal Affairs and Prevention of Money Laundering at AEB, moderated this table.
The second roundtable, regarding the challenges presented by new typologies and trends in AML/CFT, was moderated by Cristina Freijanes, General Secretary of UNACC. The speakers, Adolfo Bescós, head of Financial Intelligence Coordination at Sepblac, Margarita Rufas, head of Planning Coordination at Sepblac, Gregorio Álvarez, head of the Unit Attached to the AEAT at Sepblac, Evaristo Ramírez Llamas, head of AML and CFT at Unicaja Banco, and Alfredo Alonso Conde, head of Legal Advisory and Compliance at Caja Rural de Granada, discussed the quality of the reports made by obligated parties and the impact of cryptocurrencies on the prevention field, among other topics.
Finally, the last roundtable, moderated by Raquel Cabeza, Corporate Director of Risks and Compliance at CECA, addressed current supervisory issues and included the main national representatives in the prevention of money laundering: Juan Ramírez, head of the Coordination of Supervision and Inspection at Sepblac, Federico Cabañas, head of the Money Laundering Prevention Group at the General Directorate of Supervision of the Bank of Spain, José María Díaz Taboada, head of the Prevention of Money Laundering Unit at the CNMV, and José Antonio Fernández de Pinto, General Deputy Director of Inspection at the DGSFP.
The sectorial conference concluded with a presentation by Pedro Comín, Director of Sepblac, who expressed gratitude to the industry for its participation in this event as a good example of public-private collaboration, a crucial action in the face of the challenges the entire prevention sector will face in the coming years, explaining that: “Regarding the future, we must be as well-prepared as possible, but it is also very important to adapt to changes and unexpected events that the new authority and the new regulation will entail,” adding: “Our interest as supervisors is for best practices to always become the standards of tomorrow, the norm.”
