PR93123

ANNAPOLIS, Md., Nov. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

TRACE [

https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3362327-1&h=1125846576&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.traceinternational.org%2F&a=TRACE

], a globally recognized business association dedicated to anti-bribery, good

governance and compliance, has released the 2021 Bribery Risk Matrix [

https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3362327-1&h=2572134081&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.traceinternational.org%2Ftrace-matrix&a=Bribery+Risk+Matrix

], which measures business bribery risk in 194 economies. According to this

year's data, North Korea, Turkmenistan, Eritrea, Venezuela and Somalia present

the highest commercial bribery risk, while Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and

New Zealand present the lowest.

Other notable findings:

     - Over the past 10 years, the business bribery risk environment worsened

       significantly in countries that also experienced democratic backsliding:

       Egypt, Venezuela, Turkey, Poland and Hungary.

     - Over the past five years, the business bribery risk environment in the

       United States worsened significantly when compared with global trends.

     - From 2020 to 2021, all of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries

       saw increases in commercial bribery risk.

     - Over the past five years, the countries that have shown the greatest

       trend toward improvement in the factors underlying commercial bribery

       risk are Uzbekistan, the Gambia, Armenia, Malaysia and Angola.

Originally published in 2014 to meet a need in the business community for more

reliable information about bribery risk worldwide, the TRACE Matrix addresses

the likelihood of encountering bribe demands when doing business in a given

jurisdiction.

"Coming out of a record year for U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act fines and

penalties, anti-bribery compliance is top of mind for multinational companies,"

TRACE President Alexandra Wrage said. "We are pleased to bring another edition

of the TRACE Matrix, which companies rely on to identify considerations for

managing bribery risk in the markets where they operate."

The TRACE Matrix helps companies examine the conditions that allow commercial

bribery to flourish: (1) the nature and extent of government interaction with

the private sector; (2) societal attitudes toward bribery and the government's

ability to enforce anti-bribery laws; (3) governmental transparency; and (4)

civil society's ability to monitor and expose corruption.

The TRACE Matrix is publicly available at TRACEinternational.org/trace-matrix [

https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3362327-1&h=709342109&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.traceinternational.org%2Ftrace-matrix&a=TRACEinternational.org%2Ftrace-matrix

]. Access the Matrix Data Browser at matrixbrowser.TRACEinternational.org [

https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3362327-1&h=3290575411&u=https%3A%2F%2Fmatrixbrowser.traceinternational.org%2F&a=matrixbrowser.TRACEinternational.org

].

View a 90-second video [

https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3362327-1&h=3602850384&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dj9qjiKlmdKQ%26feature%3Dyoutu.be&a=video

] about the TRACE Matrix.

About TRACE

TRACE is a globally recognized business association dedicated to anti-bribery,

compliance and good governance and leading provider of shared-cost third party

risk management solutions. Members and clients include over 500 multinational

companies located worldwide. TRACE is headquartered in the United States and

registered in Canada, with a presence on five continents. For more information,

visit www.TRACEinternational.org.

SOURCE  TRACE

CONTACT: Gigi O'Connell, goconnell@traceinternational.org