Global AFC Threats Report 2025

The Anti-Financial Crime Threats Shaping Your Organization’s Future

As financial crime grows more complex, so do challenges to the global economy. Our fight against illicit finance requires collaboration, innovation, and shared expertise. As the voice of the global AFC community, ACAMS is dedicated to fostering cooperation and knowledge-sharing to address these evolving challenges.

Thank you to the AFC professionals in our membership across the globe that participated in and contributed to this anti-financial crime threats report.

Our second annual Global AFC Threats Report 2025, based on AFC industry insights from 200+ jurisdictions and territories and 1,500+ survey responses, highlights critical risks shaping the future and the top 10 threats that are projected to be high on the radar for the coming year – empowering you with the knowledge to navigate an ever-evolving financial crime landscape.

The ACAMS Global AFC Threats Report 2025 is available exclusively to individual and Enterprise members, with the full report also offered in French, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese.

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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).

Top AFC Threats

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.

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 expanding risk exposure and changing expectations.

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.

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.

Underground Banking: The Shadow Financial System

Underground banking remains a dominant force in 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.