Ha Noi, June 19, 2026, Wildlife Conservation Society, Viet Nam Program (WCS Viet Nam), in collaboration with SeABank Academy, organized a workshop entitled “Identifying multiple business and operational divisions of SeABank, including retail banking customer centers in Hanoi and surrounding areas, the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Department, the International Payments Department, the Fee Solutions & Partnership Products Research Unit, as well as staff from the SeABank Academy responsible for training and capacity development.
Overview of the seminar, Ha Noi, June 2026
In the opening remarks, a representative of the SeABank Academy highlighted the increasingly important role of financial institutions in combating money laundering linked to illegal wildlife trade (IWT), which is recognized as a predicate offense for money laundering. Enhancing understanding of illicit financial flows associated with wildlife crime can help banks strengthen transaction monitoring, ensure regulatory compliance, and fulfill their social responsibilities.
During the seminar, participants were updated on the relation between wildlife crime and money laundering through an analysis of common methods and typologies used in the transportation, payment, and laundering of illicit proceeds generated from IWT in Viet Nam and globally. WCS Viet Nam experts emphasized the critical role of the financial sector in detecting and disrupting these illegal financial flows.
Dr. Phan Dang Hai, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Law, Banking Academy, provided an update on Viet Nam’s anti-money laundering regulations, Ha Noi, June 2026.
The workshop also introduced key provisions of the 2022 Anti-Money Laundering Law and its implementing regulations, focusing on the responsibilities of credit institutions regarding Know Your Customer (KYC), risk assessment, transaction monitoring, and suspicious transaction reporting. Through case studies, experts shared examples of red flags and money laundering typologies, enabling bank staff to relate these indicators to real-world banking practices.
Another key session focused on financial flow analysis in support of financial investigations related to wildlife trafficking cases. Experts presented techniques for identifying suspicious transactions, analyzing transaction networks, detecting intermediary accounts and shell companies, and recognizing high-risk transactions. The session underscored the important role of banks in monitoring and analyzing customer data and in supporting competent authorities in identifying and investigating criminal networks.
Through this activity, WCS Viet Nam and SeABank Academy aim to further strengthen cooperation in enhancing the capacity of banking professionals to identify and mitigate financial risks associated with wildlife crime. This contributes to efforts to combat illegal wildlife trade and supports broader biodiversity conservation objectives.
The training was conducted within the framework of the project “Scaling up efforts to counter wildlife trafficking in Viet Nam” funded by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), United States Department of State, and implemented by WCS Viet Nam.