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How should anti-money laundering (AML) officers prepare for a visit by a regulator, be it a scheduled inspection, or the worst-case scenario – an unexpected dawn raid? Experts say institutions need to always be prepared for checks by regulators.

However, this is not simple given a visit to assess an obliged entity’s internal controls’ ability to effectively monitor and manage compliance with national and regional AML policies and procedures can be rare.…

International solar energy providers are finding business opportunities in Africa as national governments and their development agency partners try to foster growth while targeting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG), which encourages access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all by 2030 (1).…

A majority of African grown cotton is exported, but initiatives are underway in certain countries to bolster upstream textile yarn spinning and fabric production as part of efforts to develop the overall supply chain.

“Cotton production is expected to go up in the continent this year, by around 30% compared to 2020 and 2021.…

The manufacture of technical textiles is in its nascency across North Africa, even more so in sub-Saharan Africa, with the continent having long been considered a low-cost, cut-and-sew destination rather than a production hub for value-added items. But due to the trend by European and US brands for near-shoring and diversification away from east Asian production, and the ambitions of certain African countries to develop a full manufacturing chain, the potential for making technical textiles in Africa is gradually emerging.…

An African garment and textile sector rebounding from the Covid-19 pandemic has seen strong export growth in the first three-quarters of 2022 start to sputter through a tightening of retail demand in Europe and the United States. These remain Africa’s two primary export markets and their consumers are reducing spending as inflation and recession concerns grow.…

The African knitwear manufacturing sector has been regaining ground lost during the Covid-19 pandemic, with established manufacturing hubs capitalising on the growing demand for nearshoring in Europe and to a lesser extent the USA. There are major investments under way in developing production capacity, particularly in West Africa.…

High value banknotes remain of concern to AML regulators, even though they are increasingly being withdrawn from circulation. Despite the growth of electronic payments, the amount of physical cash in circulation remains huge. The USD remains the currency that circulates most widely in the world, with the US Currency Education Programme (a Federal Reserve scheme) saying that there was USD2 trillion in circulation by the start of 2021 (December 31, 2020).…

While FATF assessments focus on the policy and regulatory response of governments, law enforcement and AML agencies in fighting dirty money, the fact remains that these efforts are undertaken by teams – and how these groups’ staff members work together and are managed underscores their effectiveness.…

The tobacco industry is a global sector, with supply chains spanning the world. Muslim consumers – and there are 1.97 billion if them – are an important part of any tobacco major’s market portfolio, not to mention local Muslim companies. But a key challenge for tobacco companies targeting Muslim smokers, vapers and other consumers is religion – some Muslim scholars say tobacco is haram, and not in keeping with Islamic guidance, because of mental and physical impact on smokers.…

In recent years, Iranians have been driving growth in the Middle East’s cosmetics market, but worsening economic and political developments in Iran have restricted this growth. That has not deterred some personal care product companies, however, who continue to prosper in the country, whose market of 84 million people has significant potential.…