Regimes of Permission: Export Credit Agencies, Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing

his study shines a light on Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) - powerful public financial institutions that play a key role in enabling international trade, yet often operate with far less oversight than banks. ECAs frequently support high-risk projects with public means, exposing them to possible links with money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Yet they are not held to the anti-financial crime standards that other financial actors are bound by. Through interviews, legal analysis and case research, the report finds that ECAs’ current compliance systems are limited, and that their close ties with clients hinder critical scrutiny. Given the impact of financial crime on undermining people’s rights and good governance, the results call for a stronger gatekeeping role for ECAs, to protect public money and the integrity of the financial system.