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SWIFT with 13 global banks develop AI-powered tools to share fraud intelligence securely across borders, doubling real-time detection and providing a blueprint for global FC prevention

September 15, 2025

The trials, involving over 10 million test transactions, demonstrated the effectiveness of privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) in facilitating secure data sharing among institutions. In one use case, the PETs enabled participants to verify intelligence on suspicious accounts in real-time, a development which could speed up the time taken to identify complex international financial crime networks and avoid fraudulent…

Wolfsberg Group issues ‘Guidance on the provision of banking services to fiat-backed stablecoin issuers’ to help FIs manage financial crime risks associated with these services

September 8, 2025

It emphasizes applying established risk management principles and assessing issuers’ controls and compliance. The guidance addresses unique challenges such as reserve verification and on-chain behavior monitoring, offering a balanced approach to innovation and robust financial crime controls…

OECD revises BEPS Action 5 transparency framework to enhance tax ruling exchanges, update peer review processes, and introduce a new XML schema for implementation from 2027

September 8, 2025

The report on the BEPS Action 5 transparency framework sets out revisions to strengthen the spontaneous exchange of information on tax rulings, including updated terms of reference effective from the 2025 review cycle and a revised peer review methodology to be applied from 2026. It also introduces a revised Exchange on Tax Rulings (ETR) XML Schema and User Guide, which will apply to all exchanges from 1 January 2027.

FATF’s President Elisa de Anda puts Shell Companies on notice: reform or face FATF scrutiny

September 5, 2025

FATF has urged governments to strengthen transparency around shell companies, warning that continued opacity may lead to international censure. FATF President Elisa de Anda Madrazo described anonymous legal entities as the “getaway car” for money laundering and sanctions evasion, highlighting their role in concealing illicit financial flows. Her remarks coincide with the launch of FATF’s latest round of mutual evaluations, which will place greater scrutiny on national systems for identifying and verifying beneficial ownership…

FATF launches a ML NRA Toolkit to help countries identify and address key ML risks, focusing on high-risk areas – corruption, virtual assets, opaque structures, and informal channels

September 1, 2025

This toolkit provides countries with cross-country risk insights, such as proceeds of crime estimates and most common types of predicate offences and money laundering on a domestic and international level, to help governments and the private sector address the highest risks to ensure that crime does not pay. The toolkit highlights the international, cross-border nature of money laundering…

Wolfsberg publishes Part II of its Statement on Effective Monitoring for Suspicious Activity, outlining a framework for FIs to responsibly adopt AI and other innovative tech in AML programs

August 27, 2025

The statement marks a clear evolution toward innovative, effective and transparent suspicious activity monitoring. It encourages FIs to responsibly transition from rigid, legacy transaction monitoring to dynamic, AI-enabled systems—with measurable effectiveness, governance, explanation, and regulatory alignment at their core…

GI-TOC highlights that organised crime in South Caucasus is going transnational, exploiting trade routes, political tolerance, and digital tools to fuel sanctions evasion and global illicit networks

August 13, 2025

While Azerbaijan has largely absorbed criminal networks into the state apparatus, Georgia and Armenia see groups operating with tacit political tolerance. Thieves-in-law remain influential, maintaining international operations in extortion, illicit trade, and money laundering. Armenia and Georgia have emerged as hubs for Russian goods and sanctions evasion, while Azerbaijan facilitates Russo-Iranian commerce…

BIS Bulletin Aug 25 proposes a new AML model for cryptoassets, including stablecoins, by assigning each unit a compliance score based on its transaction history to track illicit activity

August 13, 2025

Recognizing the limitations of traditional AML methods in permissionless, decentralized networks, the BIS suggests leveraging blockchain transparency to gauge the risk each asset poses. These risk scores—ranging from “clean” to “tainted”—would be used at crypto-to-fiat conversion points (“off-ramps”) to block suspicious funds, thus fostering a duty-of-care culture among exchanges and issuers…

INTERPOL hosts Youth Cybercrime Awareness Webinar engaging 800+ participants across Asia-Pacific, providing expert guidance on online safety, emerging cyber threats, and responsible digital behavior

August 12, 2025

Discussions highlighted the increasing targeting of youth by cybercriminals offering fraudulent scholarships, gaming rewards, and job opportunities, often facilitated by sophisticated generative artificial intelligence tools like deepfakes. Participants were encouraged to adopt critical thinking, utilize privacy settings, maintain strong passwords, and report suspicious activities to enhance their online security…

GI-TOC analysis warns by 2035, the Western Balkans could become a nexus for cybercrime, combining blockchain and AI innovation with organised crime in “criminal states” and resource-scarce markets

August 6, 2025

This evolution is being driven by several converging factors: entrenched state capture and corruption that allows criminal actors to influence governance and economic decisions; rapid adoption of advanced technologies, including cybercrime tools, blockchain, and encrypted communications; and climate-driven resource scarcity, which opens new opportunities for control over water, energy, and rare minerals…

OECD’s July 2025 CARF XML update streamlines global crypto tax reporting with error-aware, standardised data exchange ahead of 2026 enforcement

July 30, 2025

The document provides technical guidance on the updated XML schema for the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF), facilitating standardised and automated exchange of crypto-asset tax information. Its aim is to ensure consistent, accurate, and efficient cross-border reporting by aligning data submission processes with global tax transparency standards.

GI‑TOC Research report maps East and Southern Africa as a major conduit for heroin, illicit gold, and wildlife trafficking, fueled by global crime networks, insurgents, and weak border controls