AML (Anti-Money Laundering) is the set of laws, regulations and internal controls designed to stop the process of making illegally obtained money appear legitimate. In practice it covers customer checks, transaction monitoring and reporting suspicious activity to authorities.
Why it matters
Banks, payment providers, exchanges and other regulated firms must run AML programmes, and failing to do so can bring penalties. Typical components include customer identification (KYC), screening names against sanctions and watch lists, monitoring transactions for unusual patterns and filing suspicious activity reports. Money laundering is often described in three stages: placement of funds into the system, layering to obscure origin and integration back into the economy. Fintech firms often rely on specialised vendors and rule engines combined with human review, and thresholds and obligations differ across jurisdictions.
Example
Rule: Flag if an account receives 20+ small deposits
from different senders in 24 hours and
withdraws 90% of the total.
Action: Hold for review, request source-of-funds
An analyst reviews the case and decides whether to clear it or file a report. This rule is a simplified illustration, not a real compliance standard.
Common mistakes
- Treating AML as only an onboarding check rather than ongoing monitoring.
- Setting rules so loose or so tight that they hide risk or drown analysts in false alerts.
- Believing AML and fraud prevention are identical; they overlap but have different goals.
Rules vary by country; this entry is a definition only, not legal advice.
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यह पेज सामान्य जानकारी है, जिसे हमारी संपादकीय टीम ने लिखा है और दस्तावेज़ीकरण बदलने पर अपडेट किया जाता है। सर्वर और प्रदाता अलग-अलग होते हैं, इसलिए बदलाव पहले सुरक्षित तरीके से जाँचें। देखें: संपादकीय नीति और अस्वीकरण.