The agreement comes after evidence of money laundering in the Vatican
The Financial Intelligence Authority of the Holy See and Vatican City State signed a Memorandum of Understanding with its U.S. counterpart at the U.S. Department of Treasury, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, on Tuesday in the US Capital.
The Vatican released the following statement on the agreement:
The Financial Intelligence Authority of the Holy See and Vatican City State (Autorità di Informazione Finanziaria – AIF), signed a Memorandum of Understanding [Tuesday] in Washington, D.C., with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), its U.S. counterpart at the U.S. Department of Treasury, to strengthen its efforts to fight money laundering and terrorism financing globally.
The Memorandum was signed by René Brülhart, Director of AIF, and Jennifer Shasky Calvery, director of FinCEN, and will foster bi-lateral cooperation in the exchange of financial information.«This is a clear indication the Holy See and the Vatican City State take international responsibilities to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism very seriously, and that we are cooperating at the highest levels», said Brülhart. «The Vatican has shown that it is a credible partner internationally and has made a clear commitment in the exchange of information in this fight».
AIF was established in 2010 and became operational in April 2011. It is the competent authority of the Holy See and Vatican City State for financial intelligence and for supervision and regulation in the prevention and countering of money laundering and financing of terrorism.Rome, 7.V.13
Background Notes: AIF is currently in discussions with various Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) of other countries and jurisdictions, including European countries, about entering into Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to strengthen bilateral cooperation to fight Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing.Until now AIF has already signed MoUs with the FIUs of Belgium, Spain, Slovenia, and now of the U.S., which plays a leading role in combating money laundering. AIF is currently in discussions with more than 20 other FIUs, and expects several MoUs to be signed in the course of the year.
