Collaboration Between The Sentry and Moody’s Analytics to Fight Illicit Financial Flows

The Sentry and Moody’s Analytics Collaborate to Drive Greater Transparency on Criminal Activities in Business

 

February 9, 2022 (New York / Washington, DC) – Today, The Sentry, an investigative and policy organization that seeks to disable multinational predatory networks that benefit from violent conflict, repression, and kleptocracy, announced that it is collaborating with Moody’s Analytics, a global integrated risk assessment firm. By joining forces, The Sentry and Moody’s Analytics will work together to share critical data and information that will improve financial transparency and support the fight against illicit financial flows.

Justyna Gudzowska, Director of Illicit Finance Policy at The Sentry, said: “With the increased deployment of sanctions to combat corruption and human rights abuses, early access to information on the perpetrators and their networks of facilitators is essential, enabling financial institutions to spot high-risk business partners even before they are sanctioned and thereby avoid potential legal, regulatory, and reputational risk. Due to a lack of transparency in certain jurisdictions, it can be difficult for compliance professionals to obtain the critical data – including corporate records, personal identifiers, and family network relationships – required to make positive matches with entries in their systems. Access to the Sentry’s hard-to-obtain data means that Moody’s clients will be armed with the knowledge necessary to curb illicit financial activity that otherwise might evade detection.”

 

Keith Berry, General Manager of Moody’s KYC business unit, said: “Moody’s is committed to promoting transparency in finance by helping organizations better understand the people and companies they are doing business with. We are honored to work with The Sentry on this important initiative to drive greater transparency on illicit activities and related financial crime in Africa. Having access to the right data and insights is key to running a successful Know Your Customer (KYC) and compliance program, and this collaboration will enhance our industry-leading database of risk-relevant data on individuals and organizations and give The Sentry’s investigative and policy team a powerful tool when conducting their investigations.”

Current and emerging financial crime risks are driving a demand for data and insights that help organizations improve their knowledge and properly evaluate the risk of their business ecosystem. Through this collaboration, Moody’s Analytics clientele of financial institutions and compliance professionals will get a clearer view of those with whom they are transacting, enabling them to better protect the international financial system from corrupt and criminal networks. In turn, access to the Moody’s Analytics global data of adverse media, sanctions, watchlists, and politically exposed persons (PEPs) will serve as another tool in The Sentry’s arsenal for identifying and investigating those criminal enterprises.

Michelle Kendler-Kretsch, Investigative Coordinator and Data Specialist at The Sentry, said: “Through this powerful new alliance, our investigators will gain access to Moody’s Analytics wealth of global data of adverse media, sanctions, watchlists, and politically exposed persons, enhancing our ability to dig deeper into the activities of illicit networks and ultimately deny kleptocrats, war profiteers, and human rights abusers access to the international financial system. access to the international financial system. With an enriched understanding of the corporate networks and associated relationships, our findings can be even more precise and verifiable. In a truly virtuous cycle, we can now share data with Moody’s Analytics that is integrated into their current data set, advancing the ability for compliance professionals to understand the risks in the region and play an even more effective role in protecting the international financial system from exploitation.”

 

John Prendergast, Co-Founder of The Sentry, said: “Today, corrupt officials and war profiteers take advantage of information gaps to obscure their identities, blur their connections to family members and associates, and loot the natural resources of their countries, and compliance professionals are the tip of the spear in the fight against these illicit financial flows. The collaboration between Moody’s Analytics and The Sentry will bring to bear an array of new capabilities to disrupt and degrade the ability of criminals to hide their ill-gotten gains so that the public wealth of vulnerable jurisdictions can stay where it belongs – with the people.” 

 

For more information on the collaboration between Moody’s Analytics and The Sentry, please visit Moody’s Analytics blog post.

 

For media inquiries or interview requests, please contact: Greg Hittelman, Director of Communications, [email protected]

 

About The Sentry
The Sentry is an investigative and policy organization that seeks to disable multinational predatory networks that benefit from violent conflict, repression, and kleptocracy.

Pull back the curtain on wars, mass atrocities, and other human rights abuses, and you’ll find grand corruption and unchecked greed. These tragedies persist because the perpetrators rarely face meaningful consequences. The Sentry aims to alter the warped incentive structures that continually undermine peace and good governance. Our investigations follow the money as it is laundered from war zones to financial centers around the world. We provide evidence and strategies for governments, banks, and law enforcement to hold the perpetrators and enablers of violence and corruption to account. These efforts provide new leverage for human rights, peace, and anti-corruption efforts.

Co-founded by George Clooney and John Prendergast, The Sentry is a strategic partner of the Clooney Foundation for Justice. Learn more at www.TheSentry.org.

 

About Moody’s Analytics

Moody’s Analytics provides financial intelligence and analytical tools to help business leaders make better, faster decisions. Our deep risk expertise, expansive information resources, and innovative application of technology help our clients confidently navigate an evolving marketplace. We are known for our industry-leading and award-winning solutions, made up of research, data, software, and professional services, assembled to deliver a seamless customer experience. We create confidence in thousands of organizations worldwide, with our commitment to excellence, open mindset approach, and focus on meeting customer needs. For more information about Moody’s Analytics, visit our website or connect with us on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Moody’s Analytics, Inc. is a subsidiary of Moody’s Corporation (NYSE: MCO). Moody’s Corporation reported revenue of $5.4 billion in 2020, employs over 13,000 people worldwide and maintains a presence in more than 40 countries.