Macao China participated in the virtual meeting of the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering in 2022
As a member of the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), the Financial Intelligence Office (GIF) coordinates the AML/CFT Working Group to participate in the Annual Plenary Meeting of APG as a delegation of Macao, China each year. For this year, the plenary meeting was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 24 to 28 July. Due to global COVID-19 pandemic and border control measures in different regions, APG organized, for the first time, its plenary meeting in a hybrid format (in face-to-face and virtual formats simultaneously). Macao, China joined this annual event in virtual format.
The agendas of this APG plenary meeting included APG members' AML/CFT mutual evaluation follow-up reports, next round mutual evaluation methodologies and procedures, membership issues, the latest money laundering /terrorist financing trends and typologies, including risks related to virtual assets and virtual asset service providers, as well as latest standards related to transparency of legal person and legal arrangements. The participating AML/CFT Working Group members for this year event included the Commission against Corruption of Macao, the Unitary Police Service, the Legal Affairs Bureau, the Monetary Authority of Macao, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, the Finance Services Bureau, the Judiciary Police, the Housing Bureau, the Independent Committee for the Exercise of Disciplinary Power over Solicitors and the Financial Intelligence Office. A total of 28 participants from the above agencies joined the virtual meeting.
In order to demonstrate the obligation as a member and to support the work of APG, GIF has nominated staff, representing Macao, China, to serve as one of the co-chairs of the "Mutual Evaluation Committee" (MEC) of APG since 2013, with the current term of the co-chairmanship ended in July 2022. The membership adopted the nomination from Macao, China as one of the co-chairs of MEC, to serve a new term of three years from July 2022 to July 2025.
