UAE participates in Eurasian Group's Plenary Meeting on Anti-Money Laundering
2 June 2025 20:34
MOSCOW (WAM) The United Arab Emirates participated in the 42nd Plenary Meeting of the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering (EAG) and its accompanying forum, which was co-organised by the Eurasian Group and the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF) in Moscow, Russia.The joint forum on regulation and risks marked the first-ever event to bring together two regional FATF-style bodies, reflecting the growing strategic partnership and international cooperation in addressing global risks associated with money laundering and terrorist financing. The forum focused on the theme 'Risk Management in the Era of Modern Technology,' with participation from over 200 high-level representatives from anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing authorities, regulatory bodies, financial intelligence units, the private sector, international organisations, and academia.The UAE delegation was led by Hamid Al Zaabi, Secretary-General and Vice Chairman of the UAE's National Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing and Financing of Illegal Organisations Committee, and Vice President of MENAFATF. He also participated in the main panel discussion titled 'Future Trends – Global Challenges and Digital Threats.'The UAE delegation, also attending as an observer to the Eurasian Group, showcased the latest developments in the country's efforts to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, including national initiatives leveraging artificial intelligence and digital innovation to strengthen the UAE's capabilities in tackling financial crimes.As part of the visit, the UAE Embassy in Moscow hosted a 'Youth Circle' session, where Al Zaabi delivered an awareness presentation to Emirati youth and scholarship students. The session focused on sharing knowledge about the UAE's anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing framework while highlighting promising career opportunities in this vital sector, which is closely tied to financial system integrity and national security.
The forum provided a high-level platform for dialogue on evolving regulatory approaches, public-private partnership strategies, and regulatory responses to technological change. It also contributed to enhancing cooperation between the Eurasian Middle East and North Africa regions in combating money laundering and terrorist financing.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Middle East Eye
3 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
British Palestinians demand UK action as Gaza relatives face starvation
Basem Farajallah speaks with his sister in Gaza every day. She is diabetic and surviving on scraps of bread. He has 80 family members still alive in Gaza - but 40 others have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 2023, including 25 who were wiped out in a single strike. Farajallah emphasised that he is not alone. He is the co-founder of the UK Gaza Community, a group of some 350 British Palestinians with relatives in Gaza. For the last 18 months, they have been forced to watch them disappear under the rubble of their homes under relentless Israeli bombardment. Now, they are watching them starve amid Israel's ongoing blockade on the territory. Since Israel's war on Gaza began in October 2023, the group has been fruitlessly pushing to bring their families to the UK, launching a petition that garnered over 100,000 signatures demanding the government create a Ukraine-style visa scheme to reunite them. While UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pronounced Israel's blockade on Gaza 'intolerable', Farajallah said they have been 'neglected' by the government, which has rejected their calls for the creation of the scheme. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters 'For us, its like torture,' Farajallah told Middle East Eye. 'We are not talking about huge numbers, when we created our list of the family members we wanted to bring to the UK, it was less than 2000 people'. Farajallah spoke alongside a panel of British Palestinians and their families, patched in from Gaza via Zoom calls, at a conference on Thursday calling on the UK government to impose sanctions and a total arms embargo on Israel. 'Nearly every member of the community here in the UK has close family members in Gaza, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters' Farajallah said. 'For the last 600 days, we have lived in constant fear, checking with our families every day, not a single day passed without fear.' 'Today, after 600 days of uncertainty, we know one thing for sure, if this starvation continues, our families will not survive, not for weeks, but days'. 'I'm losing myself' Ali Mousa, a 30-year-old British Palestinian who lives in Manchester, struggles to stay in contact with his sister Hend, a teacher at an Unrwa school in Gaza. Internet and power outages mean calls are sporadic. In the periods of silence, he fears she could have been killed in a strike or have collapsed from hunger. Hend, a 29-year-old mother of three who addressed the conference via a patchy Zoom call, said she was at her home near Mawasi, west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, expecting imminent forced expulsion orders. 'If this happens, where will my family and I go?' she said. She described how her three-year-old asks her every morning if they will have breakfast. 'Unfortunately, my answer is always no,' Hend said. Gaza: US-backed aid group suspends food distribution for a second day Read More » As a school teacher, Hend said she is also confronted with her students' suffering on a daily basis. She conducts her classes with students sat on the floor, which she also uses as a blackboard. In one of her classes, a student lost consciousness because he hadn't eaten for two days. When another student didn't complete an online test, Hend contacted the boy's mother to ask what had happened. The mother replied that he had been killed. 'I feel like I'm losing myself,' she said. Wafaa Shamallakh, 38, an Arabic interpreter who works for Kingston Council and whose siblings are in southern Gaza, described how her husband-in-law and her 15-year-old nephew were forced to walk over an hour just to reach an aid distribution point. 'Hundreds of thousands of people had come there from the north and south of Gaza, desperate to find a bag of flour, a little sugar, maybe some pasta,' Shamallakh said. Drones flew overhead, firing at them. 'They came back empty handed; no food, no flour, nothing. They had to run for their lives'. 'This is what it means to survive in Gaza,' Shamallakh said. 'Beyond anything I've seen' Dr Rossel Mohrij, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon who volunteered at Gaza's Nasser Hospital in December 2024, described amputating limbs with blunt instruments and without sterile dressing. 'We used cling film to dress wounds, vinegar for infection,' she told the conference. The doctor recalled being inundated with casualties following an air strike targeting a nearby school where displaced families were sheltering. 'It was beyond anything I've seen, I will carry it with me forever,' Mohrij told the conference. 'A flood of the dead, dying, the dismembered. Children too stunned to cry, staring at their missing body parts'. She described standing at the bed of a child, who had been stuck under the rubble and presented late with severe burns to his legs. 'They were so severe, the blood supply to his legs was restricted'. 'Me, some other visiting surgeons, some local surgeons, stood at his feet, debating how to make his death less excruciating,' she said. "A flood of the dead, dying, the dismembered. Children too stunned to cry, staring at their missing body parts," - Dr Rossel Mohrij, plastic and reconstructive surgeon 'He did not understand our words but I guess he felt our despair. He quietly covered his face with a white cloth to block the world out. He died the next morning'. For Farajallah, and many other British Palestinians, Starmer's pledges to ensure the flow of aid to Gaza and to secure a ceasefire are no more than a 'political show'. Despite Starmer's condemnation of Israel's attacks on Palestinian aid seekers over the past week, the government is so far resisting calls for a total arms embargo and recognition of Palestine. At the conference, the voices from Gaza were shaking with grief, but were also defiant. They were not asking for pity, but for action. 'Let this be not another press conference where we beg for basic humanity. Let this be a turning point where Britain stops whispering about international law and starts upholding it. Because the people of Gaza are not waiting for your sympathy,' Shamallakh said. Mousa turned to his sister, Hend, saying, 'I want to speak directly to you. We are here for you, and we will never leave you, even if your whole world does'.
Filipino Times
9 hours ago
- Filipino Times
Abu Dhabi approves AED4.62 billion housing package for over 3,000 Emiratis
A new AED4.62 billion housing package has been approved in Abu Dhabi to support 3,052 Emirati families with home loans and debt relief, under the directives of President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The announcement comes just before Eid Al Adha and is part of the country's ongoing efforts to improve the lives of its citizens, especially in building stronger families and communities. Out of the total amount, AED4.4 billion will go to housing loans for 2,862 citizens, while AED212 million will cover loan exemptions for 190 low-income retirees and families of deceased citizens. This is the second housing aid released in 2025, raising the year's total housing benefits in Abu Dhabi to AED11.38 billion. The Abu Dhabi Housing Authority said the package is meant to provide better homes and reduce the financial burden on Emiratis, helping families live more comfortably and securely. Officials also highlighted earlier housing support efforts, including the AED250,000 community subsidy and the option to cut monthly loan payments by up to 50%.
Gulf Today
11 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Sheikh Khaled clears Dhs4.62b housing benefits for 3,052 citizens
Under the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in his capacity as Ruler of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, has approved a housing benefits package worth Dhs4.62 billion, benefiting 3,052 Emirati citizens across the emirate. The approved housing benefits package includes housing loans amounting to Dhs4.4 billion benefiting 2,862 citizens, and exemptions from housing loan repayments totalling Dhs212 million benefiting 190 citizens, limited-income retirees and beneficiaries of deceased citizens. The disbursement of the second housing package of 2025 comes ahead of Eid Al Adha and reflects the leadership's ongoing commitment to comprehensive development, enhancing the well-being and stability of Emirati families, empowering them to actively contribute to the nation's progress, in line with UAE Year of Community objectives aimed at strengthening social cohesion and reinforcing community solidarity. This package brings the total housing benefits delivered to citizens in Abu Dhabi in 2025 to Dhs11.38 billion. Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Abu Dhabi Housing Authority, said, 'The new housing benefits package reflects the leadership's commitment to empowering citizens through the provision of quality housing that promotes family stability and elevates quality of life. On this occasion, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and to His Highness Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, for their enduring support to advance the housing sector and foster a thriving and cohesive society.' Hamad Hareb Al Muhairi, Director-General of Abu Dhabi Housing Authority, said, 'The second housing package of 2025 highlights the depth of our leadership's strategic vision to build a prosperous future, enhancing quality of life and providing sustainable housing solutions that meet Emirati citizens' needs and aspirations. 'The generous support from President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, reaffirms the leadership's steadfast commitment to fostering social and family stability and ensuring a fulfilling life for Emirati families.' The housing benefits package follows the recent endorsement of an additional community support subsidy of Dhs250,000 for existing beneficiaries of housing loans, including a reduction of up to 50 per cent in monthly loan instalments, and a wide range of other services and facilities. WAM
