Anti-money laundering refers to a set of laws, regulations, and procedures intended to prevent criminals from disguising illegally obtained funds as legitimate income. 

Generally this means financial institutions (such as banks and fund managers) and businesses providing financial adviser services (such as lawyers, accountants, and real estate agents) need collect information on their customers in order to detect and deter money laundering and terrorism financing

However, different countries approach AML in different ways, for an overview of AML measures by region click here
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