Vatican’s Financial Information Authority signs accord with Austrian, Cypriot counterparts

Catholic Culture
February 24, 2014

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=20579

The Vatican’s Financial Information Authority (FIA) has signed a working agreement with its Austrian and Cypriot counterparts, establishing formal procedures for cooperation in efforts to fight money-laundering and the financing of terrorist organizations.

The agreements with the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) and Cyprus’s Unit for Combating Money Laundering (MOKAS), cover issues of exchanging information, preserving confidentiality, and reciprocity. It is based on a model agreement drafted by the Egmont Group, an international body for national financial authorities.

The FIA was established in 2010 to tighten controls on Vatican financial transfers and to restore confidence in the Vatican’s banking systems. Rene Bruelhart, the FIA director, said that the agreements “are strengthening FIA’s international reach and are a strong commitment of the Holy See and the Vatican City State to fight money laundering and the financing of terrorism proactively on a global level.”