Les porteurs discrets de la surveillance financiere

In: Critique internationale: revue comparative de sciences sociales, Heft 3, S. 77-95

Abstract

International anti-money laundering standards have been spreading across the planet for over two decades. This development obviously reflects the involvement of Western governments in the domain as well as the interest shown in the issue by private financial establishments. But it is worth examining the role played in spreading these standards by the transnational private firms that have developed services in connection with the diffusion of anti-money laundering practices: certification, advice and the provision of specialized computing tools. Research carried out in France in anti-money laundering circles reveals the extent to which, apart from the commercial aspect of their activities, these new "norm entrepreneurs" have imposed themselves by creating learning affects among professionals that ultimately reinforce the legitimacy and effectiveness of intergovernmental standards. Adapted from the source document.