Methods and Trends

Crowdfunding for Terrorism Financing

31 Oct 2023

This report analyses how terrorists have exploited fundraising platforms and crowdfunding activities on social media to seek funding for their terrorist cause from a global audience. It highlights challenges, good practices and risk indicators to help public and private sector entities identify potential attempts at terrorist financing using crowdfunding.

Countering Ransomware Financing

14 Mar 2023

This FATF report analyses the methods that criminals use to carry out their ransomware attacks and how payments are made and laundered. The report also proposes a number of actions that countries can take to more effectively disrupt ransomware-related money laundering. This report is complemented by Countering Ransomware financing: potential risk indicators which will help public and private sector entities identify suspicious activities related to ransomware.

Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing in the Art and Antiquities Market

27 Feb 2023

Criminals, organized crime groups and terrorists have abused the market of art and antiquities to launder money and fund their activities. This report examines the link between money laundering and terrorist financing and the market of art and antiquities. It also highlights best practices and risk indicators that could help to improve global responses to such threats.

Other recent work:

Ethnically or Racially Motivated Terrorism Financing

This report aims to increase the understanding of terrorist financing risks related to extreme right wing actors. It encourages countries to continue to develop their understanding of this increasingly transnational criminal activity, including by considering ethnically or racially motivated terrorism financing in their national risk assessments.

Environmental Crime

Environmental crime is one of the most profitable criminal enterprises, generating around USD 110 to 281 billion in criminal gains each year.  It covers a wide range of unlawful activities such as illegal logging, illegal wildlife trade and waste trafficking.

These activities can have far-reaching implications for the environment, economy, public health and safety. The FATF is focussing on the link between environmental crime and money laundering.  This work aims to raise awareness about the financial flows that fuel environmental crime and how they are laundered.

The FATF's work on environmental crime builds on earlier work by the FATF on how countries can combat money laundering from the illegal wildlife trade. The illegal wildlife trade is a major transnational organised crime, which generates billions of criminal proceeds each year. One of the most effective ways to identify the broader criminal networks, and take the profit out of this crime, is to follow the financial trails of wildlife traffickers.  The FATF’s 2020 report highlighted the need for every country to assess their money laundering risks related to the illegal wildlife trade and to ensure that there is a robust legal framework to go after the finances of wildlife traffickers, and to pursue financial investigations.

FATF's work on money laundering from environmental crimes aims to raise awareness about the financial flows that fuel crimes such as illegal logging, illegal wildlife trade and waste trafficking and will also inform possible future policy development.

Publications about methods and trends in money laundering, terrorist financing and the financing of proliferation