FINTRAC imposes an administrative monetary penalty on Exchange Bank of Canada — FINTRAC — CA

News release

December 11, 2024 — Ottawa —
Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC)

FINTRAC announced today that it has imposed an administrative monetary penalty on Exchange Bank of Canada. Following a compliance examination that took place between December 2022 and April 2024, this bank headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, was imposed an administrative monetary penalty of $2,457,750 on November 5, 2024, for non-compliance with Part 1 of the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act and its associated Regulations.

Exchange Bank of Canada was found to have committed the following administrative violations:

Failure to submit suspicious transaction reports where there were reasonable grounds to suspect that transactions were related to a money laundering or terrorist activity financing offence;

Failure to conduct ongoing monitoring of business relationships; and

Failure to report the receipt from a person or entity of an amount of $10,000 or more in cash in a single transaction.

Quote

“Canada’s Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing Regime is in place to protect the safety of Canadians and the security of Canada’s economy. FINTRAC will continue to work with businesses to help them understand and comply with their obligations under the Act. We will also be firm in ensuring that businesses continue to do their part and we will take appropriate actions when they are needed.”

Quick facts

As Canada's financial intelligence unit and anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing supervisor, FINTRAC ensures that businesses subject to the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act comply with their obligations under the Act and associated Regulations. The Centre also analyzes information and discloses financial intelligence to law enforcement and national security agencies to assist their investigations of money laundering, terrorist activity financing, sanctions evasion and threats to the security of Canada.

Casinos, financial entities, money services businesses, real estate brokers and sales representatives and several other business sectors are required under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act to keep certain records, identify clients, maintain a compliance regime and report certain financial transactions to FINTRAC, including international electronic funds transfers, large cash transactions, large virtual currency transactions and suspicious transactions.

Suspicious transaction reporting, in particular, is critical to FINTRAC’s ability to generate actionable financial intelligence for Canada’s law enforcement and national security agencies.

Under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act, administrative monetary penalties are meant to be non-punitive and are issued to encourage change in the non-compliant behaviour of businesses.

In 2023–24, FINTRAC issued 12 Notices of Violation of non-compliance to businesses for a total of $26,115,999.50.

FINTRAC has imposed more than 140 penalties across most business sectors since it received the legislative authority to do so in 2008.

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