Abu Dhabi: The UAE, represented by the General Secretariat of the National Committee for Combating Money Laundering, Terrorism Financing, and the Financing of Illegal Organisations (GS-NAMLCFTC), hosted a series of high-level meetings with a delegation from the Financial Monitoring Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan (FMA-RK) in Abu Dhabi. The meetings included the participation of senior officials from both countries, alongside experts and specialists in anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CFT).
According to Emirates News Agency, the discussions centered on enhancing bilateral cooperation between the UAE and Kazakhstan, with a focus on sharing expertise and insights on the latest practices in tackling emerging challenges in financial crime prevention. Hamid Saif AlZaabi, Secretary-General of the General Secretariat and Vice Chair of NAMLCFTC, highlighted the significance of international collaboration, stating that such meetings are part of ongoing efforts to strengthen partnerships in combating financial crimes amidst evolving geoeconomic contexts.
Janat Elimanov, Chairman of the Financial Monitoring Agency of Kazakhstan, acknowledged the shared commitment of both countries to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. He noted that the meetings in Abu Dhabi offered a valuable platform to review progress on joint initiatives and exchange insights from national systems for combating financial crime.
Over the course of the two-day meetings, senior GS-NAMLCFT members provided an overview of the UAE's comprehensive understanding of risks, developed through updated National Risk and Virtual Asset Risk Assessments. These insights are reflected in the UAE's National Strategy for AML/CFT/CFP for 2024-2027. Key projects and initiatives, such as the "AML TRACK" platform and the National Statistics Platform, were also discussed, showcasing the UAE's advanced efforts in data accuracy and information governance.
The Public-Private Partnership Forum also shared its initiative aimed at fostering dialogue and technical cooperation between the public and private sectors to combat financial crime. The initiative emphasizes a legal framework for collaboration, focusing on risk identification and mitigation in line with international standards set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
The meetings concluded with the Kazakh delegation visiting the UAE's Financial Intelligence Unit, where both parties exchanged expertise and discussed best practices for detecting financial crimes, particularly those involving virtual assets and emerging threats. This collaboration underscores the commitment of the UAE and Kazakhstan to strengthening global financial systems and enhancing security and stability on an international scale.