(Reuters) – Canada’s TD Bank agreed to pay a combined $3 billion in penalties on Thursday as part of a settlement with U.S. authorities over charges it failed to monitor and prevent money laundering.
The issue highlights a recurring challenge in the financial industry. Intermediaries like banks are required to prevent the flow of funds for illicit activities, but in some cases, they have failed to detect crimes because of inadequate compliance systems or huge transaction volumes.
Here is an overview of some of the largest penalties imposed by U.S. regulators to resolve money laundering probes in the last decade:
BINANCE:
Binance chief Changpeng Zhao stepped down in November 2023 and pled guilty to breaking U.S. anti-money laundering laws as part of a $4.3 billion settlement resolving a years-long probe into the world’s largest crypto exchange.
DANSKE BANK:
Denmark’s Danske Bank agreed to pay more than $2 billion in January 2023 to end probes into anti-money laundering failures as part of a guilty plea. The payout was divided between the U.S. government and Danish authorities.
SOCIETE GENERALE:
France’s Societe Generale (OTC:) committed to pay $1.4 billion in 2018 to settle investigations into its handling of dollar transactions in violation of U.S. sanctions against Cuba and other countries, and a separate dispute over anti-money laundering regulations.
GOLDMAN SACHS:
Goldman Sachs agreed to pay $2.9 billion over its role in Malaysia’s 1MDB corruption scandal in 2020. The settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice and other U.S. and overseas regulators resolved a probe into the role its bankers played in helping steal cash from the Malaysian state fund, which Goldman helped raise.
STANDARD CHARTERED:
Standard Chartered (OTC:) settled on paying $1.1 billion to U.S. and British authorities in 2019 for conducting illegal financial transactions that violated sanctions against Iran and other countries.
The bank also paid U.S. authorities $667 million in 2012 for illegally moving millions of dollars through the U.S. financial system on behalf of customers in Iran, Sudan, Libya and Myanmar.
DEUTSCHE BANK:
Deutsche Bank agreed to pay $630 million in fines to U.S. and UK regulators in 2017, for failing to prevent around $10 billion in suspicious trades being laundered out of Russia.
COMMERZBANK:
Commerzbank (ETR:) agreed to pay U.S. authorities $1.45 billion in 2015 to resolve an investigation of its dealings with Iran and other sanctioned countries as well as a separate probe of its money laundering controls.
BNP PARIBAS
France’s banking giant BNP Paribas (OTC:) paid nearly $9 billion to settle a review from U.S. authorities in 2014. It pled guilty to violations of certain laws regarding economic sanctions against certain countries and related record-keeping.
HSBC:
HSBC consented to pay a $1.92 billion fine to settle a multi-year probe by U.S. prosecutors in 2012. It was accused of failing to enforce rules designed to prevent the laundering of criminal cash.
Source: Company statements, Reuters stories
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