De-banking

De-banking, also known within the banking industry as de-risking, is the closure of people's or organizations' bank accounts by banks that perceive the account holders to pose a financial, legal, regulatory, or reputational risk to the bank.

Examples of this include the enforcement of anti-corruption and anti-money laundering laws, the closing of bank accounts of sex workers, and people considered to be politically exposed persons.

The closure of accounts is generally performed without giving a reason and without the prospect of appeal. De-banking can have severe consequences for individuals, as it cuts them off from many activities in society.

United Kingdom

Following the Nigel Farage Coutts bank scandal, in which Coutts & Co. removed Nigel Farage as a client, the British government has begun an investigation of de-banking practices within the UK banking industry. The Financial Conduct Authority reported that the UK banks were closing nearly a thousand of accounts daily, with just over 343,000 closed in 2022, compared to about 45,000 in 2017.

In September 2023, the FCA announced that it had found that banks had not been closing customers' accounts for political reasons. There had been four accounts that the FCA investigated for potentially having been closed for political reasons but it found that the reason had actually been for the way the individuals had acted towards the staff of the respective banks. Nigel Farage dubbed the outcome 'farcical'.

Accusations of disproportionate de-banking of British Muslims have also resulted in calls for political scrutiny. British Nigerian community has been reportedly affected as well. Poole-born Alexandra Tolstoy suspected that her account might have been closed by NatWest due to her Russian name. Baz Melia MBE accused NatWest of destroying his business by closing his and his family's accounts, which he suspected had happened because of a connection with a Saudi-based business partner. Examples of companies being de-banked for trading with Ukraine were reported by British Ukrainian business groups.

United States and Canada

Multiple instances of U.S. and Canadian banks reportedly dropping Muslim clients on questionable grounds have been covered in the media. In response to the Canada convoy protest of 2022, at least 76 bank accounts linked to the protests totaling CA$3.2 million were frozen under the Emergencies Act.

See also

• Deplatforming
• Know your customer
• Unbanked
• Underbanked

References

Further reading

• Durdner, Tracey; Shetret, Liat (November 2015). "Understanding Bank De-Risking and Its Effects on Financial Inclusion" (PDF). Global Center on Cooperative Security. Oxfam.