Money launderers and terrorist organisations have considerable knowledge of the financial sector
and take extreme measures to hide their financial activities and make them indistinguishable from
legitimate transactions. A risk-based approach is designed to make it more difficult for these criminal
elements to make use of MSBs due to the increased focus on the identified higher risk activities that are
being undertaken by these criminal elements. In addition, a risk-based approach allows MSBs to more
efficiently and effectively adjust and adapt as new money laundering and terrorist financing methods are
identified.