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6.3 Customer Due Diligence (CDD) Measures

Effective from 13/7/2023

The application of risk-based CDD measures is comprised of several components, in keeping with the customer’s ML/FT risk classification and the specific risk indicators that are identified. Generally, these components include, but are not limited to, the following categories:

Identification of the customer, Beneficial Owners, beneficiaries, and controlling persons; and the verification of their identity on the basis of documents, data or information from reliable and independent sources (see Section 6.3.1, Customer and Beneficial Owner Identification/Verification).
 
Screening of the customer, Beneficial Owners, beneficiaries, and controlling persons, to screen for the applicability of targeted or other international financial sanctions, and, particularly in higher risk situations, to identify any potentially adverse information such as criminal history (see Section 6.4, Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) Measures).
 
Obtaining an understanding of the intended purpose and nature of the Business Relationship, as well as, in the case of legal persons or arrangements, of the nature of the customer’s business and its ownership and control structure (see Section 6.3.3, Establishing a Customer Due Diligence Profile).
 
Monitoring and supervision of the Business Relationship, to ensure consistency between the transactions or activities conducted and the information that has been gathered about the customer and their expected behaviour (see Section 6.3.4, Ongoing Monitoring of the Business Relationship).
 
Scrutinising transactions undertaken throughout the course of that relationship to ensure that the transactions being conducted are consistent with the FI’s knowledge of the customer, their business and risk profile, including where necessary, the source of funds.
 
Ensuring that documents, data or information collected under the CDD process is kept up-to-date and relevant, by undertaking reviews of existing records, particularly for higher risk categories of customers.
 

In cases involving higher levels of risk, FIs are generally required to exercise enhanced levels of customer due diligence, such as identifying and/or verifying the customer’s source of funds and taking other appropriate risk-mitigation measures (see Section 6.4, Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) Measures).

As part of their overall AML/CFT framework, FIs should take a risk-based approach in developing the internal CDD policies, procedures and controls. Factors to take into account, include:

The outcomes of the ML/TF business risk assessment;
 
Circumstances, timing, and composition in regard to the application of CDD measures;
 
Frequency of reviews and updates in relation to CDD information;
 
Extent and frequency of ongoing supervision of the Business Relationship and monitoring of transactions in relation to customers to which CDD measures are applied.
 

Such policies, procedures and methodologies should be reasonable and proportionate to the risks involved, and, in formulating them, supervised institutions should consider the results of both the NRA and any Topical Risk Assessment. Commensurate with the nature and size of the FIs’ businesses, the policies, procedures and methodologies should also be documented, approved by senior management, and communicated at the appropriate levels of the organisation.

Additional guidance related to these and other key aspects of risk-based CDD measures is provided in the following sub-sections.