Dialogue on FinTech and RegTech: Opportunities and challenges

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Dialogue on FinTech and RegTech: Opportunities and challenges

Chairman’s Summary of Outcomes from the FATF Private Sector Consultative Forum, Vienna, 20-22 March 2017

Vienna, 22 March 2017 – The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) held a dialogue on FinTech and RegTech in Vienna on 20 March 2017, as part of the FATF Private Sector Consultative Forum. The dialogue was chaired by the FATF President, Mr. Juan Manuel Vega-Serrano.

This dialogue built upon the FATF’s previous engagement with the private sector at the Chairman's Summary of Outcomes from the Industry Roundtable on FinTech and RegTech held in Paris on 18 February 2017. Participants in this dialogue included over 250 representatives from the private sector and FATF members and observers.

Recognising the opportunities that FinTech and RegTech present for the private sector and that innovation in FinTech and RegTech spans across many aspects of the financial system, participants discussed how different jurisdictions are approaching the regulation and supervision of FinTech and RegTech, keeping in mind AML/CFT concerns. Participants shared their views and experiences with regard to the opportunities provided by FinTech and RegTech that are related to FATF’s priorities, and also on the challenges faced by the private sector in this area.

Discussions included the use of biometric technology and centralised databases as a means of verifying customers’ identities, the development of artificial intelligence and machine learning towards more effective monitoring and screening systems for suspicious financial activity, as well as the benefits of technology to improve financial access and reduce reliance on cash payments through more efficient processes and lower costs. Participants noted the potential for technological innovation to assist the public and private sectors in meeting the FATF’s objectives of combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system, and suggested that all stakeholders consider how best to take advantage of useful developments in this field.

The FATF will hold a standalone event in the United States on 25-26 May 2017 to further engage the sector on their AML/CFT concerns and to explore how they can potentially contribute towards the FATF’s work going forward.