Leverage industry insights to shape the future of financial crime prevention.
As the financial crime landscape grows more complex, so do the challenges to the global economy. Our fight against illicit finance requires collaboration, innovation, and shared expertise. As the voice of the global anti-financial crime (AFC) community, ACAMS is dedicated to fostering cooperation and knowledge-sharing to address these evolving challenges.
Our second annual Global AFC Threats Report 2025, based on insights from 200+ jurisdictions and territories, and 1,500+ survey responses from AFC professionals across various industries, and dialogues from conferences and executive-level roundtables in key financial hubs, provides a comprehensive view of the landscape.
Key findings:
- 86% of respondents ranked scams and fraud against individuals as a moderate to very high focus, the highest among all typologies.
- Sanctions evasion was the second-highest focus globally and the top priority in Europe and the Middle East, with respondents more likely to be ‘very focused’ on it.
- 50% of respondents cited a lack of skilled resources and ongoing training as a high or very high risk, a 7% increase from last year.
- Generative AI for malicious purposes, like deepfake fraud, was seen as the top external risk over the next two years, with 75% of respondents rating it as high or very high. US and Oceania respondents were most concerned (80%), while Europe and Asia were less concerned (74% and 67%, respectively).
The report covers anticipated regulatory reforms, internal concerns for AFC professionals, top threat typologies, financial crime resilience and readiness, and emerging threats. For 2025, we will also introduce regional analyses to offer localized perspectives alongside the global outlook.
We hope this report will serve as a valuable tool to guide your strategies, foster public-private collaboration, and empower our collective efforts to combat financial crime. Together, we can address these evolving threats and drive meaningful change for a more unified future.
Top AFC Threats:
1. Authorized Fraud: Organized Crime Harnessing the Power of Technology
Fueled by the fusion of fraud, technology, and organized crime, authorized fraud is now our most severe global threat. Tools like social media, messaging apps, generative AI, and cryptoassets enable criminals to scale their operations and profits, while governments, law enforcement, and industry are struggling to keep up.
2. Sanctions and Export Control Evasion: Where Risks Converge
Sanctions and export control evasion intersect with key threats like geopolitical polarization, underground banking, and data risk. While fraud ranked as the top focus globally, sanctions evasion was the top concern for respondents in Europe and the Middle East. Managing these risks means understanding changing expectations and expanding risk exposure.
3. Polarization, Geopolitics and Conflict: A Fractured Globe
Geopolitical tensions, conflict, and political violence surged in 2024, creating a more polarized and complex AFC landscape. Diverging views on how to frame AFC responses, including balancing risk exposure and de-risking, dominate discussions, leaving many bracing for a more unpredictable threat environment.
4. Criminal Use of AI: Digital Doomsday
Generative AI is reshaping the threat landscape, enabling quick-moving, sophisticated crimes like malware, social engineering, and deepfakes. AFC professionals face growing concerns over keeping pace with technology adoption as criminals exploit these tools at scale.
5. Underground Banking: The Shadow Financial System
Underground banking remains a dominant force the global movement of illicit proceeds. From hawala networks and bulk cash smuggling to modern mirror transactions and cryptoassets, these methods sever the financial trail, making it harder for law enforcement to follow the money.
Which businesses will find the ACAMS Global AFC Threats Report useful?
Financial crime can impact any business, no matter its size or geographic location. This report should be of interest to all organizations, in particular:
- Financial institutions
- Technology firms
- Law enforcement
- Financial supervisors
- Corporations
- Governments
- NGOs
Log in to discover the key takeaways and access the full report.
You must be a member of ACAMS to see this content. Please login or join today for full access to www.ACAMSToday.org and other exclusive member-only content.
