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Compliance Challenges During Non Face-to-Face Onboarding
The rise of online banking and remote customer interactions has led to an increase in non face-to-face #onboarding, which presents unique challenges for financial institutions in terms of compliance with #KYC and #AML regulations.
In a case mentioned by the #SFC, a former licensed representative of a financial institution was suspended for 10 months by the SFC for making false declarations in the account opening forms of three corporate clients. The individual had indicated in the forms that she had met with the clients’ representatives for account opening and witnessed their signing of the forms, when in fact, she had not. This conduct resulted in the financial institution being misled into believing that the account opening process was compliant with regulatory requirements.
This case highlights the risks of non-compliance in client onboarding, particularly in non face-to-face onboarding. Financial institutions must implement adequate measures to verify the identity of clients and comply with KYC and AML regulations. Heinbro’s digital client onboarding platform provides a solution to these challenges by using modern technologies and compliance experts to streamline the onboarding process and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
Heinbro’s platform offers digital document verification and electronic signatures to reduce the time and resources required for onboarding. Compliance officers play a critical role in the onboarding process by verifying the identity of clients and signing as a witness, ensuring that the onboarding process is reducing the risk of errors or fraud and onboarding as quickly as possible, with the fewest dropouts.
By using Heinbro’s platform, regulated firms can reduce the risk of fines and reputational damage. The SFC has emphasized the need for a strong message to be sent to the industry that non-compliance will not be tolerated. Heinbro understands that every company has its own practices for conducting client onboarding, which is why the platform is highly flexible and customizable. Users of the platform can adopt their existing practices and forms while using the technology and system designed by compliance and IT experts. This approach enables financial institutions to maintain their unique practices while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and avoiding potential risks and consequences.
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