The accommodation transnational bribery once enjoyed has given way to an international effort to eliminate it. There are now several international instruments and a wide array of rules regulating transnational bribery. The plurality of rules raises the question whether a common standard has been achieved. This article approaches the question by first examining the pivotal Foreign Corrupt Practices Act that laid the foundations of the international rules. The article goes on to describe the international framework as well as the specific rules regarding transnational bribery. Key elements are analysed and the rules are categorised into strict and liberal models of regulation. The article finally suggests that while the rules have by and large achieved a common standard in content, they do not achieve a similar standard in application.