Securities Commission of The Bahamas publishes first dedicated legal structures assessment, rates money laundering vulnerability medium and terrorist financing risk medium-low

The Securities Commission of The Bahamas has published the country’s first comprehensive national assessment of money laundering and terrorist financing risks involving legal persons and legal arrangements. Covering 2021 to 2025, it assesses legal persons and arrangements as generally having medium money laundering vulnerability, driven mainly by complex cross-border ownership, layered structures and nominee arrangements. Terrorist financing risk is rated medium-low across entity types, with no related cases identified during the review period. Beneficial ownership compliance increased from about 72% in 2021 to 98% in 2025, supported by the Beneficial Ownership Secure Search System, professional gatekeeping and supervisory controls. Law enforcement identified four criminal matters involving legal persons, including three ongoing prosecutions, with about BSD 4.1 million in suspected proceeds under investigation and no convictions recorded. Residual money laundering vulnerability rises to medium-high in areas including financial and corporate service providers, trust service providers and unrestricted investment fund administrators because of their international clients and structural complexity. The assessment recommends maintaining high beneficial ownership compliance, applying enhanced due diligence and risk-based supervision to complex, cross-border and high-value structures, and strengthening information sharing among regulators and law enforcement. It also calls for periodic reviews of sector practices and international typologies.