The Federal Reserve fined Deutsche Bank $186 million for failing to take adequate anti-money laundering measures. This is about a previous business relationship with the Estonian subsidiary of Danske Bank.
The Federal Reserve fined Deutsche Bank and its US subsidiary $186 million for failing to take adequate anti-money laundering measures.
The Fed said the bank had not addressed deficiencies discovered in 2015 and 2017 and had insufficient controls over its past business relationship with Danske Bank’s Estonian subsidiary. Deutsche Bank said it had taken a number of steps on the matter, and the Fed acknowledged the progress made over the past few years.
Danske Bank Embroiled in Huge Money Laundering Scandal
A large part of the penalties imposed was paid for by regulations enacted in previous quarters. Danske Bank has been fined billions of dollars in one of the biggest money-laundering scandals in U.S. economic history. The Danish bank admitted to defrauding Bank of America between 2008 and 2016.
Danske Bank’s Estonian office lured Russian clients, among other things, with the prospect of moving large sums of money without much oversight, according to prosecutors. Some $212 billion of those clients moved through the U.S. financial system through the Estonian branch, which is now closed. Danske Bank employees used shell companies to hide ownership of funds, according to U.S. authorities.
Deutsche Bank faces years of pressure in U.S.
Between 2007 and 2015, Deutsche Bank processed more than $267 billion worth of suspicious transactions for Danske Bank, which the Fed said were affected by “weak internal controls and governance processes to combat money laundering.” Estonian Danske Bank allegedly laundered around 200 billion euros during this period.
Deutsche Bank has faced pressure in the United States for years over a money laundering scandal. In early 2017, the institute agreed to pay US and UK regulators a combined $630 million for failing to investigate suspicious cash flows from Russia. That same year, the Fed again fined it $41 million for failing to comply with anti-money laundering regulations.
more suspicious activity
Deutsche Bank must also be held accountable for other suspicious activity. In 2022, she agreed to pay the SEC $200 million to fix shortcomings in electronic record-keeping. In July 2020, she agreed to a $150 million settlement to resolve a legal battle with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.