An outcome of a policy consensus by developed countries has been the proliferation of money laundering countermeasures in the international arena which has occurred in a relatively short period of time. This consensus has resulted in a comprehensive global anti-money-laundering regime. A regime that emerged over the past 14 years resulting from the 1988 United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. In relation to the emergence of this global anti-money-laundering regime, the development of alternative “hard” and “soft” (ethical principles and recommendations) legal tools have emerged as countermeasures. The consequence of these hard and soft legal tools is that the duties for reporting suspicious transactions have been extended beyond banks and other financial institutions to “intermediary” professionals. These individuals are thought to be potentially responsible for providing the apparent sophistication and respectability to some laundering operations. Notes, references