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CIPA strengthens compliance ahead of FATF assessment

Planning ahead: Phale and Aisam PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO
Planning ahead: Phale and Aisam PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO

Botswana is ramping up its efforts to meet global standards ahead of a key dirty money assessment. CIPA executives sat down with PAULINE DIKUELO to explain the new strategies, which include upgrades to the online company registration platform

As Botswana ramps up efforts to meet international financial standards ahead of an assessment in 2027 by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the Companies and Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA) is making strides in addressing key compliance gaps.

The FATF, the world’s leading multinational anti-money laundering agency, placed Botswana on its greylist in 2018, citing deficiencies in its monitoring and prevention structures. The move darkened the country’s investment climate for investors, whilst increasing the cost of doing business within Botswana and outside, due to the higher cost of due diligence.

Editor's Comment
Our digital safety is in our hands

That sounds like good news. But the report also warns that this may simply be because our digital economy is still young, not because we are safe. As more people shop, bank and pay online, criminals will follow.We Batswana do not need a report to tell us that danger is real. Many of us have heard of or fallen victim to KYC scams. A caller impersonates your bank or mobile money provider. They say they need to “verify” your account. They ask...

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