Scoping the regulatory environment for harnessing normative anti-money laundering laws in LDCs

Purpose The paper aims to explore the regulatory environment in less developed countries (LDCs) to evaluate their preparedness to harness normative anti-money laundering (AML) regimes. The global AML/CFT regimes are evolved at a global level but implemented within sovereign states – different regulatory environments and the possibility of regulatory disparities. The fundamental question this paper seeks to answer is whether the global AML framework can be as carefully designed as to afford a level playing field to all participating countries? Is this a possible prospect and if not what should be the way forward? The paper articulates the regulatory environment in LDCs to evaluate its implications on individual state's ability to harness normative AML regimes.