HomeCirculars › RBI/2010-11/468

RBI flags AML/CFT risks from Iran and North Korea

No longer current — replaced by Know Your Customer (KYC) Direction, 2016 and subsequent amendments / Master Directions on KYC and PMLA obligat
Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2010-11/468 · issued 06 Apr 2011 · ~1 min read
Quick answerRBI has directed all authorised persons to factor in AML/CFT deficiencies when dealing with Iran and North Korea, following FATF's October 2010 statement. Iran faces a call for countermeasures; DPRK is listed for strategic deficiencies without an action plan.

What changed

RBI updated its earlier KYC/AML guidelines (from November 2009) by incorporating FATF's October 2010 statement. The circular now explicitly identifies Iran as a jurisdiction requiring countermeasures and DPRK as a jurisdiction with unaddressed AML/CFT deficiencies.

What it means for you

Banks and authorised persons must exercise enhanced due diligence for any transactions or relationships involving Iran or North Korea. The circular reinforces that non-compliance with these AML/CFT guidelines can attract penal provisions under FEMA and PMLA.

Historical instruction — do not use for current compliance. This is what was required at the time; it no longer reflects current RBI requirements. If no replacement rule is linked above, that only means none is recorded on our register yet — it does not prove no later applicable rule exists. Confirm on the official RBI source below.

What banks were required to do at the time

Who it affects

All authorised persons (banks, forex dealers, money changers), Compliance and AML teams, Principal Officers of authorised entities

❓ Common questions

Regulatory timeline

Built from our lineage records — each fact carries its provenance; missing history simply is not shown (never guessed).

What are the two groups of jurisdictions mentioned in this circular?

The first group is Iran, where FATF calls for countermeasures to protect the financial system. The second group is Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), which has strategic AML/CFT deficiencies and no committed action plan as of October 2010.

What legal backing does this circular have?

It is issued under Section 10(4) and Section 11(1) of FEMA, 1999, and under PMLA, 2002 (as amended). Non-compliance can attract penal provisions under these acts and related rules.

Do I need to report anything to RBI after reading this?

Yes, your Principal Officer must acknowledge receipt of this circular to the RBI as specified in paragraph 5.

📜 This document’s life story (1 recorded event, each backed by RBI’s own words)
Superseded by Know Your Customer (KYC) Direction, 2016 and subsequent amendments / Master Dire
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2010-11/468 A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 49 A.P. (FL/RL Series) Circular No. 11 April 06, 2011 To, All Authorised Persons Madam/ Dear Sir, Know Your Customer (KYC) norms/Anti-Money Laundering (AML) standards/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT)/Obligation of Authorised Persons under Prevention of Money Laundering Act, (PMLA), 2002, as amended by Prevention of Money Laundering (Amendment) Act, 2009- Money changing activities Attention of all Authorised Persons is invited to Paragraph 4.10 (b) of F-Part-I, Annex to A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No.17 {A.P. (FL/RL Series) Circular No.4} dated November 27, 2009 on the captioned subject. 2.         Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has issued a further Statement on October 22, 2010 on the subject ( copy enclosed ). It may be observed that the statement divides the strategic AML/CFT deficient jurisdictions into two groups as under: Jurisdictions subject to FATF call on its members and other jurisdictions to apply countermeasures to protect the international financial system from the ongoing and substantial money laundering and terrorist financing (ML/FT) risks emanating from the jurisdiction : Iran Jurisdictions with strategic AML/CFT deficiencies that have not committed to an action plan developed with the FATF to address key deficiencies as of October 2010. The FATF calls on its members to consider the risks arising from the deficiencies associated with each jurisdiction: Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). 3.        Authorised Persons are accordingly advised to take into account risks arising from the deficiencies in AML/CFT regime of these countries, while entering into business relationships and transactions with persons (including legal persons and other financial institutions) from or in these countries/ jurisdictions. 4.        Authorised Persons may bring the contents of this circular to the notice of their constituents concerned. 5.        Please advise your Principal Officer to acknowledge receipt of this circular letter. 6.        The directions contained in this Circular have been issued under Section 10(4) and Section 11(1) of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (42 of 1999) and also under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, (PMLA), 2002, as amended by Prevention of Money Laundering (Amendment) Act, 2009 and Prevention of Money-Laundering (Maintenance of Records of the Nature and Value of Transactions, the Procedure and Manner of Maintaining and Time for Furnishing Information and Verification and Maintenance of Records of the Identity of the Clients of the Banking Companies, Financial Institutions and Intermediaries) Rules, 2005 as amended from time to time. Non-compliance with the guidelines would attract penal provisions of the Acts concerned or Rules made there under. Yours faithfully, ( Smt. Sujatha Elizabeth Prasad) Chief General Manager
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2010-11/468 · issued 06 Apr 2011. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
🧰 Tools — save, print, templates & related

💬 Banker Discussion

Discuss this circular with fellow bankers — reply, upvote what helps, report what doesn’t belong. Be professional; no client data. Views are the commenter’s own, not BankPulse’s.

Loading comments…
BankPulse Compliance Evidence Pack — generated 03 Aug 2026 · status cross-checked against RBI’s official withdrawal register (refreshed weekly).
Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=6332&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by our expert reviewer, CA Amit Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; is our own plain-English paraphrase, not RBI’s original wording.
Public beta — plain-English informational summaries. Always verify against the official RBI source (circular number cited on every page) before making compliance, credit, treasury, audit, or operational decisions. · Join our WhatsApp channel ↗