Grey listed UAE: fair or unfair play!
In recent years, the United Arab Emirates has found itself at the forefront of international scrutiny following being grey listed by Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The UAE is known as a trade hub in the Gulf region and the country has appeared to be determined to uphold its reputation as a business center. In the following paragraphs, we aimed to explore the UAE´s grey listing case from various perspectives.
Ransomware Financing
According to FATF Report in March 2023, ransomware incidents have grown significantly in recent years, both in number and scale. Additionally, the landscape of ransomware attacks has evolved, and attackers have adopted new techniques to increase the profitability of their endeavours and enhance the likelihood of successful attacks. These have led to a global concern on how to prevent and combat the threat.
Shell vs. Shelf Companies
In the TV series ‘Blacklist,’ Red Reddington – a so called FBI most wanted fugitive who cooperates for hunting down other criminals – advised his contact agent: if you aim to decode the actions of criminals, THINK LIKE A CRIMINAL. This principle also applies to our line of work. To effectively combat crime, we must understand how criminals think and know the loopholes they might exploit. That’s why, at WIACON, we make it a priority to stay updated on everything happening in the realm of financial crime.
COP28 in the UAE
Cop 28 is incoming. On November 30, 2023 the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will officially open the global summit on climate change in uncertain times. The war in the Ukraine, the new Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the tensions in the Pacific between the United States and China on Taiwan are shaping the international relations and the entire world.