The Central bank has reinstated Absa Bank Kenya’s foreign exchange trading license after it was penalized for failing to observe anti-money-laundering rules on some trades.
In a statement Thursday, the lender said following discussions with the regulator they have resolved the concerns.
“We have worked through their (CBK) concerns and are pleased to inform our customers and stakeholders that, effective Thursday, 16 April 2020,” said Absa Kenya.
The central bank said it took action over forex trades the bank had undertaken in March.
Unfortunately, it failed “did not have satisfactory assurance of the underlying commercial transactions supporting these trades as is required, nor did the bank ensure the standard checks on anti-money laundering and combating financial terrorism.”
As a result, Absa Kenya was required by April 15 to put in place a robust framework that ensures all relevant documents for such foreign exchange transactions are available as required.
In its Thursday statement, Absa Kenya maintains that it is, “Committed to being a constructive participant in Kenya’s financial markets for the benefit of all our customers and stakeholders.”
