International Cooperation

With the objective to obscure crime-related assets, complex international financial structures are often established. The FIU cooperates with various international partners to detect and trace these structures and assets. The exchange of financial intelligence, knowledge, and experience in many cases serves both national and international goals.

Financial Action Task Force

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an inter-governmental organization founded in 1989 by the G-7. The FATF is committed to protecting the international financial system from money laundering, the financing of terrorism, the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (hereinafter: proliferation financing), and associated predicate offences. The FATF has formulated 40 Recommendations and their Interpretive Notes, which provide a comprehensive and consistent framework of (preventive) measures jurisdictions must take to prevent and combat money laundering, terrorist financing, proliferation financing and associated predicate offences. The FATF Recommendations, therefore, set an international standard, which countries should implement through measures adapted to their particular circumstances.

The assessments of countries’ effective implementation of the 2012 FATF Recommendations are conducted in accordance with the 2013 Assessment Methodology. The FATF monitors compliance with these Recommendations through periodic evaluations. Aruba has also committed itself to the FATF Recommendations and is a member of the Carribean Action Task Force, which is a FATF-Style Regional Body (FSRB).

FATF evaluates and amends the recommendations and its interpretive notes regularly. The FATF also conducts international research into new risks, trends, methods and techniques as applied by criminals.

Caribbean Financial Action Task Force

The Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) is a FATF-style regional body (FSRB) and it has a similar form and function as the FATF. The CFATF is a member state of the CFATF in which various Caribbean countries are represented, including Aruba.

The CFATF conducts mutual evaluations of its member countries to assess to what extent they have implemented the FATF Recommendations in their jurisdictions and the effectiveness of the measures to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. The 4th Round Mutual Evaluation Report of Aruba was published in July 2022. Based on the results, Aruba was placed in the regular follow-up process and must report back to the CFATF in November 2024.

Following the completion of the mutual assessment, Aruba was asked to nominate a representative for the position of Chair of the CFATF for the period 2023/2024. The Head of FIU-Aruba was given the honor of taking on the position of Chair and is currently acting as Co-Chair for the CFATF. In November 2023 the Head of FU-Aruba will be installed as Chair during the CFATF Plenary meeting that will be hosted by Aruba in November 2023.

Egmont Group

The Egmont Group is an international organization that is dedicated to strengthening international cooperation and intelligence sharing between financial intelligence units worldwide to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, proliferation financing and associated predicate offences.

The Egmont Group aims to strengthen FIUs by disseminating information and facilitating training on (data) security, (strategic) analyses, methods and techniques of money laundering and terrorist financing as well as international developments in the field of AML/CFT laws and regulations.

The Egmont Group provides a secure platform for FIUs to exchange financial intelligence related to money laundering, terrorist financing, proliferation financing and associated predicate offences. The exchange of information between FIUs is based on certain core documents by which each FIU must abide. These documents include the Charter and the Principles for Information Exchange Between Financial Intelligence Units.

The importance of membership to the Egmont Group is further underlined by the requirement set forth in FATF Recommendation 29 stating that FIUs must be a member to the Egmont Group.

All financial intelligence units that are a member to the Egmont Group are listed on the website by region.

Cooperation with foreign FIUs

FIU-Aruba works closely with a large number of foreign FIUs. The FIU actively invests in exploring new cooperation possibilities enabling her to take joint action in the fight against money laundering, terrorist financing and associated predicate offences. In addition, the FIU aims to strengthen and deepen existing partnerships with other financial intelligence units.

Cooperation within the Kingdom of the Netherlands

The international fight against money laundering and terrorist financing benefits from a strong and effective joint approach within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Close cooperation between the FIUs of Aruba, Curacao, St. Maarten, the BES Islands, and the Netherlands is therefore of vital importance.