2021 No. 392

Financial Services

The Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) (High-Risk Countries) Regulations 2021

Approved by both Houses of Parliament

Made

Laid before Parliament

Coming into force

The Treasury, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 49 of and paragraphs 4 and 23 of Schedule 2 to the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 20181, make the following Regulations.

Citation and commencement1

1

These Regulations may be cited as the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) (High-Risk Countries) Regulations 2021.

2

These Regulations come into force on 26th March 2021.

Amendment of the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 20172

1

The Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 20172 are amended as follows.

2

In regulation 33 (obligation to apply enhanced customer due diligence), for paragraph (3)(a) substitute—

a

a “high-risk third country” means a country which is specified in Schedule 3ZA;

3

In regulation 39(4) (reliance), for “a country which has been identified by the European Commission as a high-risk third country in delegated acts adopted under Article 9.2 of the fourth money laundering directive” substitute “a high-risk third country”.

4

After Schedule 3 (relevant offences) insert—

SCHEDULE 3ZAHigh-Risk Third Countries

Regulation 33(3)

1

Albania

2

Barbados

3

Botswana

4

Burkina Faso

5

Cambodia

6

Cayman Islands

7

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

8

Ghana

9

Iran

10

Jamaica

11

Mauritius

12

Morocco

13

Myanmar

14

Nicaragua

15

Pakistan

16

Panama

17

Senegal

18

Syria

19

Uganda

20

Yemen

21

Zimbabwe

Revocation of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/16753

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1675 of 14th July 2016 supplementing Directive (EU) 2015/849 of the European Parliament and of the Council by identifying high-risk third countries with strategic deficiencies is revoked.

James MorrisRebecca HarrisTwo of the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty’s Treasury
EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 (S.I. 2017/692) (“the MLRs”) to insert as Schedule 3ZA a new UK list of high-risk third countries for the purposes of enhanced customer due diligence requirements.

Regulation 2 substitutes for the definition of “high-risk third country” in regulation 33(3)(a) of the MLRs a definition which refers to the list of countries in this Schedule, rather than to the list in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1675 of 14th July 2016 supplementing Directive (EU) 2015/849 of the European Parliament and of the Council by identifying high-risk third countries with strategic deficiencies (“the CDR”). It also makes a consequential amendment to a further reference to the CDR. Regulation 3 revokes the CDR.

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen.