Lex Publica
Vol. 12 No. 2 (2025)

Strengthening the Gatekeeper Function of Banks: The Role of KYC in Anti-Money Laundering Legal Framework

Simanjuntak, Efendi Lod (Unknown)
Jha, Gautam Kumar (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
13 Dec 2025

Abstract

This study critically examines the role of Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance within Indonesia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CFT) framework. Employing a normative juridical approach, the research analyzes key regulatory instruments, including Law Number 8 of 2010, POJK Number 12/POJK.01/2017, and the institutional role of PPATK, alongside relevant legal doctrines and international standards, particularly those of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The study addresses three core issues: the structuring of KYC obligations within Indonesia’s legal framework, the implementation of KYC principles by financial institutions as part of risk management strategies, and the challenges encountered in practice. The findings demonstrate that KYC functions as a central legal and operational instrument, enabling customer identification, transaction monitoring, and reporting of suspicious activities, thereby reinforcing the banking sector’s role as a gatekeeper in preventing financial crimes. However, its effectiveness is constrained by data quality issues, technological limitations, uneven institutional capacity, and increasingly sophisticated laundering techniques. The study concludes that strengthening regulatory enforcement, enhancing technological adoption (including RegTech and AI), and improving inter-agency coordination are essential to optimize KYC effectiveness.

Copyrights © 2025






Journal Info

Abbrev

lexpublica

Publisher

Subject

Law, Crime, Criminology & Criminal Justice Social Sciences

Description

Lex Publica (e-issn 2579-8855; p-issn 2354-9181) is an international, double blind peer reviewed, open access journal, featuring scholarly work which examines critical developments in the substance and process of legal systems throughout the world. Lex Publica published biannually online every June ...