Representatives of relevant authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina gathered at a follow-up workshop organised by the Council of Europe in Sarajevo to assess the current situation regarding money laundering and terrorist financing risk assessments for virtual assets and virtual asset providers, and review the corresponding Assessment Report prepared by the relevant Working Group.

The risk assessment was initiated in 2022 by the applying the Council of Europe’s sectorial risk assessment methodology. The process is coordinated by the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The final report will enhance the understanding of specific risks when it comes to virtual assets and virtual asset providers. It will further serve as the basis for developing an action plan that will, among others, specify measures for closing the gaps in the existing legislative and regulatory framework.

Around 30 participants attended the workshop, including representatives from the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Financial Intelligence Unit, entity-level Ministries of Finance, Indirect Taxation Authority of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entity-level Tax Administrations, Association of Banks of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entity-level Securities Commissions, Ministry of Interior of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska, High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brčko District police, intelligence services, as well as the private sector.

This workshop is a part of the Council of Europe's three-year initiative focused on combating corruption, money laundering, and terrorist financing in Bosnia and Herzegovina, funded under the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye III” and through a voluntary contribution of the Council of Europe.