NBI inks info sharing agreement with BSP, SEC, CICC in fight vs financial crimes, cyber-related offenses
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) signed on Friday, Feb. 20, an information sharing agreement with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC).
In a statement, the NBI said the agreement is “a united front in safeguarding the integrity of the Philippine financial system and protecting the public from financial and cyber-related exploitation.”
It also said the agreement sets up a strengthened and institutionalized mechanism for inter-agency coordination and timely exchange of relevant information in addressing financial crimes, cyber-enabled fraud, online investment scams, money laundering activities, and other emerging threats to the country’s financial and digital ecosystems.
The agreement was signed by outgoing NBI Acting Director Angelito DLP. Magno, NBI Fraud and Financial Crimes Division Chief Palmer Mallari, CICC Executive Director Renato A. Paraiso, CICC Director Alvin Navarro, BSP Consumer Account Protection (CAPO) Director Alain Bert Regis, and BSP General Counsel Roberto L. Figueroa.
Under the agreement, the NBI, BSP, SEC and CICC committed to a closer collaboration, subject to existing laws and confidentiality safeguards, to ensure that investigative and regulatory actions are supported by verified intelligence and coordinated enforcement efforts.
As financial transactions increasingly move to digital platforms, the NBI pointed out that “criminal activities have likewise become more sophisticated and transnational in nature.”
Thus, it stressed that the partnership among the four agencies reinforces a whole-of-government approach “to effectively detect, prevent, and prosecute violations.”