Lithuania highly visible on the global Fintech innovation map also becomes a relevant risk management competence centre.
By the initiative of Minister of Finance Vilius Šapoka, nine national institutions joined forces for a common goal – to promptly anticipate Fintech potential risks and effectively manage them. On Monday these intentions were endorsed by signing the inter-institutional memorandum.
The Memorandum on Cooperation and Exchange of Information in Risk Management in Financial Innovation and Financial Technology was signed by Minister of Finance Vilius Šapoka, Minister of the Interior Eimutis Misiūnas, Chairman of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania Vitas Vasiliauskas, Director of the Special Investigation Service Žydrūnas Bartkus, Director of the Financial Crime Investigation Service Antoni Mikulskis, Deputy Commissioner-General of the Lithuanian Police Edvardas Šileris, Head of the State Tax Inspectorate Edita Janušienė, Director of the State Data Protection Inspectorate Raimondas Andrijauskas, Director of the state company Deposit and Investment Insurance Aurelija Mažintienė.
“Lithuania from the very beginning has put great emphasis on offering new opportunities for innovation and management of potential risks. By working together, we have achieved a great deal for Lithuania to become the Fintech centre. Our goal is to always be in the lead, therefore we further join our efforts to overcome future challenges. The institutions will rapidly exchange information in Lithuania and abroad, if necessary, – we will act immediately, regularly review legal acts and, if needed, we will initiate their amendments”,
says Minister of Finance Vilius Šapoka.
The institutions signing the Memorandum will cooperate with each other, including also exchange of information on unlawful conduct related to the supply of financial services, financial technology, observed hazards, tendencies, incidents, and measures taken to manage the risks.
Institutions will, under their remit, regularly provide the Bank of Lithuania with the aggregated information, also will identify regulatory shortcomings or regulatory needs to diminish or preclude negative effects on the financial system. They also plan to cooperate in developing or acquiring common regulatory and supervisory technology (regtech and suptech), including the area of identification of transactions in crypto-assets.
The Memorandum establishes that the institutions will strengthen administrative capacities of their staff members in supervision and management of potential financial innovation and financial technology-related risks, raise the levels of excellence in this area and will organize joint advanced training in supervision and management of potential financial innovation and financial technology-related risks.
Minister of Finance Vilius Šapoka, who brought together the Lithuanian institutions for common risk management in Fintech area, has repeatedly urged the ministers of the EU countries and leaders of the EU institutions to create an efficient EU anti-money laundering system.
Featured image credit: Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania
