We live in a world where global value flows are becoming more complex, with cryptocurrencies playing a significant role in moving funds. From the perspective of banks and other financial institutions, how can we address crypto-related financial crime risks and create thoughtful regulatory policy without hindering innovation?

Is financial crime really a security threat, as an increasing number of countries and experts now say? If so, in what sense? And what implications might that have for our efforts to fight it?

The issues around framing financial crime as a threat to national and international security were a key topic on the agenda of the first international Summit of the Global Coalition to Fight Financial Crime (GCFFC) in Stockholm, Sweden, on 10–11 September 2024.

These recommendations follow the 7th Global Conference on Criminal Finances and Cryptocurrencies on 26–27 October 2023. The conference was co-organised by Europol and the Basel Institute on Governance and took place in hybrid format at Europol’s headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands. 

The five recommendations highlight the need for accelerated action in order to combat the use of crypto assets, as well the allocation of more resources, better training and better collaboration.

They are to: 

This blog was originally published on the FCPA Blog, which was discontinued in February 2024.

The release on October 4 of the 11th Basel AML Index drew attention not only to its ranking of money laundering risks in 128 countries but for its stark message: in a fast-changing world, progress in addressing money laundering and terrorist financing risks is not moving fast enough.