Cook Islands
Overview
The Cook Islands’ AML/CFT framework is centered on the Financial Transactions Reporting Act 2017, supported by the Financial Intelligence Unit Act 2015, FTR Regulations 2017, proceeds-of-crime legislation and targeted-financial-sanctions instruments. The current FSC/FIU legislation page maps the integrated statutory package.
CDD and beneficial-owner identification sit within the FTRA preventive framework and sector practice guidelines for banks, lawyers, accountants, real estate, trustees and high-value dealers. The 2018 APG MER remains the key external effectiveness baseline.
The FTRA requires covered institutions to maintain AML/CFT systems and report suspicious activity and threshold cash/electronic-funds transactions to the FIU. The FIU publishes practice guidelines across DNFBP and financial-sector categories.
Compliance Calendar2
Requirement
Banking / Credit InstitutionsPayments / EMI / Money Transfer
Cash and electronic funds threshold reports
Authority / Report toCook Islands Financial Intelligence Unit (CIFIU)
Deadline / triggerFile according to the FTRA 2017 / Regulations reporting timetable; mapped sources verifies the NZ$10,000 threshold but does not assign a numeric filing clock without current article-level confirmation.
Requirement
- Sector scope
- Banking / Credit InstitutionsPayments / EMI / Money Transfer
- Subject scope
- Reporting institutions subject to FTRA threshold transaction reporting.
- Trigger
- Cash transaction or relevant electronic funds transfer over the NZ$10,000 statutory threshold, subject to the applicable FTRA/Regulations scope and exclusions.
- Filing channel
- CIFIU prescribed threshold-reporting process.
Impact
- Consequences of non-compliance
- Failure to submit required threshold reports may attract statutory enforcement under the FTRA.
- Enforcement authority
- CIFIU / Financial Supervisory Commission
- Operational impact
- Detect threshold transactions at source and route them to CIFIU while separately validating the filing timetable applicable to the report type.
Requirement
Suspicious Activity Report (SAR)
Authority / Report toCook Islands Financial Intelligence Unit (CIFIU)
Deadline / triggerAs soon as possible, and no later than 2 working days after forming the suspicion.
Requirement
- Subject scope
- Reporting institutions within the Financial Transactions Reporting Act 2017 perimeter.
- Trigger
- Reasonable grounds to suspect that activity is connected with financial misconduct or a serious offence under the FTRA reporting test.
- Filing channel
- Report to CIFIU in the form/manner required by the FTRA and FIU guidance.
Impact
- Consequences of non-compliance
- Failure to report is an offence and may attract statutory penalties under the FTRA.
- Enforcement authority
- Cook Islands Financial Intelligence Unit / Financial Supervisory Commission
- Operational impact
- Start the clock when reasonable suspicion is formed and ensure internal escalation cannot consume the two-working-day filing window.
Authorities & FIU1
FATF Assessment
Measures how fully the jurisdiction has implemented FATF’s technical requirements. It does not measure practical effectiveness.
Measures whether the AML/CFT system achieves its intended results in practice. Follow-up reports do not normally replace these ratings.
Explore 40 FATF RecommendationsSee every Technical Compliance rating and what it means.+
Explore 11 Immediate OutcomesSee how FATF rates whether the AML/CFT system works in practice.+
Regulatory Timeline36
FATF revised Recommendation 16 to standardise payment information and strengthen fraud/error controls in cross-border payments.
Current relationship. This is regional assessment network participation, not direct FATF membership. The GLOBAL standard remains separate from evidence of domestic implementation.
FATF Global Network ↗FATF amended Recommendation 1 and related interpretive material to strengthen proportionality and simplified measures under the risk-based approach.
Current relationship. This is regional assessment network participation, not direct FATF membership. The GLOBAL standard remains separate from evidence of domestic implementation.
FATF Global Network ↗FATF revised Recommendations 4, 30, 31 and 38 and related interpretive material to make asset recovery a stronger operational priority, expand tools to trace and confiscate criminal property and improve domestic and international cooperation.
Current relationship. This is regional assessment network participation, not direct FATF membership. The GLOBAL standard remains separate from evidence of domestic implementation.
FATF Global Network ↗At its February 2023 Plenary FATF revised Recommendation 25 and its Interpretive Note to strengthen transparency and beneficial-ownership requirements for trusts and similar legal arrangements, complementing the 2022 strengthening of Recommendation 24 for legal persons.
Current relationship. This is regional assessment network participation, not direct FATF membership. The GLOBAL standard remains separate from evidence of domestic implementation.
FATF Global Network ↗FATF strengthened Recommendation 24 on beneficial ownership transparency for legal persons.
Current relationship. This is regional assessment network participation, not direct FATF membership. The GLOBAL standard remains separate from evidence of domestic implementation.
FATF Global Network ↗FATF amended Recommendations 1 and 2 and their Interpretive Notes so countries and covered private-sector entities must identify, assess and mitigate risks of breaches, non-implementation or evasion of proliferation-related targeted financial sanctions.
Current relationship. This is regional assessment network participation, not direct FATF membership. The GLOBAL standard remains separate from evidence of domestic implementation.
FATF Global Network ↗The Basel Committee revised its ML/TF risk-management guidelines to add principles for information exchange and cooperation between prudential and AML/CFT supervisors in authorisation, ongoing supervision and enforcement.
A Basel supervisory publication does not become domestic law merely because it is GLOBAL. National adoption, supervisory use or incorporation must be evidenced by a LOCAL milestone or source.
Basel Committee on Banking Supervision ↗FATF adopted detailed implementation requirements for virtual assets and VASPs in June 2019, including the application of wire-transfer information requirements commonly described as the Travel Rule. This operationalised the virtual-asset perimeter introduced through the 2018 Recommendation 15 revision.
Current relationship. This is regional assessment network participation, not direct FATF membership. The GLOBAL standard remains separate from evidence of domestic implementation.
FATF Global Network ↗In October 2018 FATF revised Recommendation 15 and added the definitions of virtual asset and virtual asset service provider, formally bringing virtual-asset activity into the global AML/CFT standards architecture. Detailed implementation requirements followed in 2019.
Current relationship. This is regional assessment network participation, not direct FATF membership. The GLOBAL standard remains separate from evidence of domestic implementation.
FATF Global Network ↗The 2017 Act and Financial Transactions Reporting Regulations 2017 replaced the 2004 Act and modernised reporting-institution compliance requirements.
The FIU Act enables the CIFIU to operate as a national central unit and independent unit of the Financial Supervisory Commission.
The Basel Committee issued Sound management of risks related to money laundering and financing of terrorism, superseding its 2001 CDD and 2004 consolidated KYC papers and integrating ML/TF risk management with prudential supervisory expectations.
A Basel supervisory publication does not become domestic law merely because it is GLOBAL. National adoption, supervisory use or incorporation must be evidenced by a LOCAL milestone or source.
Basel Committee on Banking Supervision ↗FATF adopted a consolidated revised set of 40 Recommendations integrating AML, CFT and proliferation-financing safeguards.
Current relationship. This is regional assessment network participation, not direct FATF membership. The GLOBAL standard remains separate from evidence of domestic implementation.
FATF Global Network ↗Resolution 1737 imposed binding measures concerning Iran’s proliferation-sensitive nuclear activities, including an asset freeze on designated individuals and entities. Together with the DPRK regime, it forms a foundational UN counter-proliferation targeted-financial-sanctions architecture.
This profile is not in the mapped current UN Member State set. Applicability of the Security Council measure must be established from the resolution and the profile’s international/legal status.
UN Charter · Article 25 ↗Following the DPRK nuclear test, Resolution 1718 imposed binding sanctions including an asset freeze on designated persons and entities connected to the nuclear programme. It became a central UN targeted-financial-sanctions pillar for counter-proliferation financing.
This profile is not in the mapped current UN Member State set. Applicability of the Security Council measure must be established from the resolution and the profile’s international/legal status.
UN Charter · Article 25 ↗FATF de-listed Cook Islands from the NCCT list on 2005-02-11.
FATF added a ninth Special Recommendation addressing cash couriers and cross-border movement of currency.
Current relationship. This is regional assessment network participation, not direct FATF membership. The GLOBAL standard remains separate from evidence of domestic implementation.
FATF Global Network ↗Resolution 1540 requires all States to adopt and enforce laws and domestic controls to prevent non-State actors from acquiring or using weapons of mass destruction and related materials. It forms a binding global legal pillar of the proliferation-financing control environment later reflected in FATF CPF standards.
This profile is not in the mapped current UN Member State set. Applicability of the Security Council measure must be established from the resolution and the profile’s international/legal status.
UN Charter · Article 25 ↗FinCEN-sourced historical membership data records Cook Islands's FIU among Egmont admissions in 2004. The current Egmont roster carries a different raw admission value (2010-06-01), which is preserved separately rather than used to overwrite the historical relationship start.
The Cook Islands operated its predecessor AML/CFT reporting framework under the Financial Transactions Reporting Act 2004.
The UN General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against Corruption on 31 October 2003. UNCAC addresses prevention of money laundering, laundering of corruption proceeds, confiscation and a dedicated asset-recovery framework; the Convention entered into force globally on 14 December 2005.
Current UN depositary relationship to 2003 UN Convention against Corruption. This is not a claim that the jurisdiction was already a Party on the GLOBAL event date; the national accession/ratification date is a separate LOCAL/STATUS fact.
UN Treaty Collection ↗FATF comprehensively revised its AML/CFT Recommendations, strengthening preventive measures and extending coverage.
Current relationship. This is regional assessment network participation, not direct FATF membership. The GLOBAL standard remains separate from evidence of domestic implementation.
FATF Global Network ↗The Basel Committee issued Customer due diligence for banks, setting minimum supervisory expectations for customer acceptance, identification, ongoing monitoring and risk management. It became an influential global banking KYC/CDD benchmark and was later reflected in FATF standards.
A Basel supervisory publication does not become domestic law merely because it is GLOBAL. National adoption, supervisory use or incorporation must be evidenced by a LOCAL milestone or source.
Basel Committee on Banking Supervision ↗FATF expanded its standards to terrorist financing through eight Special Recommendations.
Current relationship. This is regional assessment network participation, not direct FATF membership. The GLOBAL standard remains separate from evidence of domestic implementation.
FATF Global Network ↗Resolution 1373 requires all States to prevent and suppress terrorist financing, criminalise the provision or collection of funds for terrorist acts, freeze terrorist assets without delay and prohibit making funds or financial services available to terrorists and related entities.
This profile is not in the mapped current UN Member State set. Applicability of the Security Council measure must be established from the resolution and the profile’s international/legal status.
UN Charter · Article 25 ↗Cook Islands was welcomed as a new APG member at the May 2001 Annual Meeting in Kuala Lumpur.
The Palermo Convention was adopted on 15 November 2000 and broadened the international money-laundering framework beyond drug proceeds through criminalisation and preventive measures tied to transnational organised crime. It entered into force globally on 29 September 2003.
Current UN depositary relationship to 2000 Palermo Convention. This is not a claim that the jurisdiction was already a Party on the GLOBAL event date; the national accession/ratification date is a separate LOCAL/STATUS fact.
UN Treaty Collection ↗FATF identified Cook Islands as a Non-Cooperative Country or Territory (NCCT) on 2000-06-22.
The UN General Assembly adopted the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism on 9 December 1999, creating the treaty framework for criminalising terrorist financing and international cooperation. It entered into force globally on 10 April 2002.
Current UN depositary relationship to 1999 Terrorist Financing Convention. This is not a claim that the jurisdiction was already a Party on the GLOBAL event date; the national accession/ratification date is a separate LOCAL/STATUS fact.
UN Treaty Collection ↗Resolution 1267 imposed an assets freeze and other targeted sanctions in the Taliban context and created the Security Council committee that became the foundation of the UN 1267 sanctions architecture. It is a key global precursor to modern terrorist-financing targeted financial sanctions.
This profile is not in the mapped current UN Member State set. Applicability of the Security Council measure must be established from the resolution and the profile’s international/legal status.
UN Charter · Article 25 ↗FATF revised the Forty Recommendations to reflect evolving money-laundering methods and countermeasures.
Current relationship. This is regional assessment network participation, not direct FATF membership. The GLOBAL standard remains separate from evidence of domestic implementation.
FATF Global Network ↗Representatives of 13 financial intelligence units met in Brussels on 9 June 1995 and founded what became the Egmont Group. The milestone created the operational global network for FIU-to-FIU cooperation and exchange of financial intelligence.
Current profile relationship to the Egmont network. This does not imply membership in 1995; admission history is a separate LOCAL/STATUS fact.
Egmont Group · Member FIUs ↗FATF issued its original Forty Recommendations, establishing the first global AML standard framework.
Current relationship. This is regional assessment network participation, not direct FATF membership. The GLOBAL standard remains separate from evidence of domestic implementation.
FATF Global Network ↗The G7 established FATF in 1989 to examine and develop measures to combat money laundering. FATF became the central global standard-setting body whose recommendations are implemented through national and regional AML/CFT frameworks.
Current relationship. This is regional assessment network participation, not direct FATF membership. The GLOBAL standard remains separate from evidence of domestic implementation.
FATF Global Network ↗The Vienna Convention was adopted on 20 December 1988 and created the first treaty-level international obligation to criminalise laundering conduct linked to drug-trafficking proceeds, alongside confiscation and international-cooperation measures. It entered into force globally on 11 November 1990.
Current UN depositary relationship to 1988 Vienna Convention. This is not a claim that the jurisdiction was already a Party on the GLOBAL event date; the national accession/ratification date is a separate LOCAL/STATUS fact.
UN Treaty Collection ↗The Basel Committee published a Statement of Principles for banks aimed at reducing the risk that banking institutions would be used by criminals or as channels for money laundering. This helped establish the preventive and supervisory side of AML alongside the emerging criminal-law framework.
A Basel supervisory publication does not become domestic law merely because it is GLOBAL. National adoption, supervisory use or incorporation must be evidenced by a LOCAL milestone or source.
Basel Committee on Banking Supervision ↗