On July 16, 2015, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) issued a consultation paper on a proposed revised version of its general guide to account opening.

The guide was first published in February 2003. The proposed revised version takes into account the significant enhancements that have been made to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations and related guidance since it was first published.

The guide focuses on account opening. It is not intended to address every possible situation, but instead focuses on some of the mechanisms that banks can use in developing an effective customer identification and verification program that enables them to meet their obligations under anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CTF) requirements. The guide also sets out the information that should be gathered at the time of account opening and will help the bank to complete the customer risk profile. The aim is to support banks in implementing the FATF standards and guidance, which require the adoption of specific policies and procedures, in particular on account opening.

When finalized, the revised version of the guide will be added as an annex to the BCBS’ guidelines for a sound management of risks related to money laundering and financing of terrorism, which were published in January 2014.