Deutsche Boerse's Clearstream Faces US Money-laundering Probe

German stock market operator Deutsche Boerse said Wednesday that Clearstream, its clearing and settlement unit, is the subject of a money-laundering investigation in the US.

“Clearstream Banking has been informed that the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York has made Clearstream subject of criminal investigation in connection with alleged violations of US money laundering and Iran sanction laws,” Deutsche Boerse said in a statement.

Luxembourg-based Clearstream was cooperating with the investigation which was still at a ‘very early stage,’ the statement added.

In late January, the US Treasury said that Clearstream had agreed to pay a US$152m penalty to settle accusations it illegally helped Iran’s central bank access the US financial system.

The Treasury said that in 2007 and 2008, Clearstream held an account in a bank in New York on behalf of the Central Bank of Iran that contained US$2.8bn worth of securities, violating US controls on financial dealings with Tehran.

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