Cooperation at the national level
Given the complexity of money laundering and terrorism financing, cooperation is crucial for FIU- the Netherlands, both at the national and the international level, and with both public and private parties.
FIU- the Netherlands and its partners unite behind their shared objective of preventing and combating money laundering and terrorism financing. In a chain effort, all these partners carry out different activities that all contribute to achieving this objective, from reporting unusual transactions and analysing these reports right up to implementing interventions, such as barriers, or to investigating, prosecuting, and trying criminal offences and confiscating illegally obtained profits.
Reporting entities
Good cooperation with the reporting entities (i.e., entities with an obligation to report) is absolutely crucial for FIU- the Netherlands. Relevant and high-quality reports are an extremely important basis for swift and effective investigation of possible involvement of natural and legal persons in criminal offences. For this reason, FIU- the Netherlands maintains close and regular contact with reporting entities and their cross-sector trade associations and professional organizations. In addition, we organize events for specific reporting groups and send out newsletters on current topics.
Supervisory authorities
The Ministry of Finance has appointed six supervisory authorities to ensure proper compliance with the obligation to report unusual transactions. The Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Prevention) Act (Wwft) provides possibilities for FIU- the Netherlands and the supervisory authorities to exchange information about the reporting behaviour of reporting entities. Frequent use is made of these possibilities.
Investigative, intelligence, and security services and the Public Prosecution Service
Transactions designated suspicious by FIU- the Netherlands fall under the Police Data Act (Wet Politiegegevens) and are made available to the investigative and special investigative services, as well as the intelligence and security services. FIU- the Netherlands maintains intensive contacts with these partners about how to obtain optimal value from financial intelligence. It goes without saying that the Public Prosecution Service is an important partner in this cooperation.
In addition to the existing cooperation with our partners in the investigative chain, we also pay a great deal of attention to exploring and developing new forms of cooperation.
In the public-private collaborative structure Fintell Alliance NL, FIU- the Netherlands cooperates with the four major banks in the Netherlands: ABN AMRO, ING, Rabobank, and Volksbank. Together with analysts and investigators of these four banks, we work together at one location and share insights with one another as far as the legal constraints allow. In this way, we learn from one another and together achieve a more comprehensive view of criminal networks and how they operate. In the infographic you can see a graphic representation about this collaboration.
Financial Expertise Centre (FEC)
In the FEC, FIU- the Netherlands collaborates with De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB), the Tax and Customs Administration, the Fiscal Intelligence and Investigation Service (FIOD), the Netherlands Police, the Public Prosecution Service (OM), and the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM). We share insights and draw up ‘red flags’: indicators that point to certain criminal activities. Being alert to red flags allows us to detect illegal practices at an early stage. In this way, we strengthen the integrity of the financial sector. Check out the FEC’s website (NL) for more information.
Our Annual Report contains further information about all our cooperative partnerships.