The New York State has threatened to revoke Standard Chartered Bank’s licence after charging the UK-based global banking giant of operating as a “rogue institution” and hiding over 60,000 transactions worth $250 billion with Iran.
While the bank has refuted the charges saying that more than 99.9 per cent of its Iran-related transactions complied with the US regulations, the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) has charged StanChart of exposing the US financial systems to terrorists, drug kingpins and weapon dealers through its transactions with Iran for about 10 years.
In a 27-page order, the Superintendent of Financial Services Benjamin Lawsky of DFS said that “grounds exist for revocation of Standard Chartered Bank’s licence to operate in the State of New York and that interim measures must be taken to protect the public interest.”
The order accused Standard Chartered of operating as a “rogue institution” which was “motivated by greed’’.
The bank “acted for at least 10 years without any regard for the legal, reputational, and national security consequences of its flagrantly deceptive actions.
“Led by its most senior management, SCB designed and implemented an elaborate scheme by which to use its New York branch as a front for prohibited dealings with Iran — dealings that indisputably helped sustain a global threat to peace and stability,” the DFS order said.
Reacting to the regulator’s order, Standard Chartered said it “strongly rejects” the position and portrayal of facts made by DFS.
The bank said that over 99.9 per cent of its Iran-related business was in compliance with the relevant regulations and the total value of transactions in non-compliance was less than $14 million, and the bank stopped all its new businesses with Iranian clients over five years ago.