G7 Financial Crime Call to Action Update

December 2025

On May 22, 2025, G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors endorsed a Financial Crime Call to Action to spur further progress in tackling financial crime, including money laundering, terrorist financing and the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (AML/CFT/CPF).

This Update highlights initiatives taken in support of the Call to Action in 2025.

Strengthening our Frameworks

The G7 remains committed to the founding principles of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and continues to strengthen the effectiveness of its respective AML/CFT/CPF regimes. For example:

• G7 countries are participating in the FATF's Fifth Round of Mutual Evaluations to showcase recent reforms and operational successes and to receive recommendations for further improvement. The mutual evaluations of Italy, Canada, and the United States are currently underway with reports to be adopted in 2026. Others are scheduled for later in the round.
• Canada is investing in federal law enforcement, enhancing the Canada Border Services Agency and will introduce legislation to stand up a Financial Crimes Agency by Spring 2026. These investments will ensure that Canada is strong domestically and well-equipped to combat financial crimes. Canada has also introduced proposed legislative reforms to combat transnational organized crime, stop the flow of illegal fentanyl and crack-down on money laundering.
• The United Kingdom has announced reform of the AML/CFT regime for professional services firms. The current complex regime of 23 different supervisors will be consolidated, with a single public body supervisor taking responsibility.
• Japan has introduced a renewed comprehensive policy package to protect citizens from increasingly sophisticated fraud and scams, and to prevent the laundering of the criminal proceeds. The package includes initiatives to facilitate rapid account freezing through enhanced information sharing among banks regarding accounts suspected of fraudulent use, and to prevent illegal sale of bank accounts through awareness raising activities. Japan is also revising its regulations to prevent illicit use of services and infrastructure such as bank accounts, which includes strengthening identity verification such as mandatory use of chip-embedded identification.
• The United States is implementing a regulation that will require disclosures, including beneficial ownership information, for non-financed (including "all-cash") transfers of residential real estate involving legal entities or trusts, starting in March 2026. The United States is also updating its regulatory framework to strengthen the AML/CFT obligations for stablecoins issuers under the GENIUS Act.
• France adopted a new bill to support the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime^{Footnote 1}, which extends AML/CFT supervision of Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions and virtual assets services providers, strengthens Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) capacities and creates new tools for law enforcement and asset freezing regimes.
• Germany has introduced new national rules to significantly improve the quality and consistency of Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs). The regulation ensures more complete and comparable reporting, thereby enhancing the analytical value of SARs, streamlining FIU processing, and supporting faster and more effective investigations into money laundering and terrorist financing.
• Italy's Ministry of Economy and Finance established a new Directorate for Financial Crime Prevention within the Department of the Treasury. This marks a further step in reinforcing Italy's capacity to prevent financial crimes and safeguard the transparency, stability and reliability of its financial system. Its mandate includes also the supervision of non-financial sector.
• The new European Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLA) began operations on July 1, 2025. Its establishment is the core institutional pillar of the European Union (EU)'s recent AML reform package, which significantly enhances the EU's approach to combating financial crime. AMLA has two main areas of activity: ensuring consistent and integrated risk-based AML/CFT supervision at EU level, as well as coordinating and supporting the work of EU FIUs, by facilitating information exchange and joint analysis.
• Along with other EU members, Italy continues to implement the EU regulatory framework for digital finance, particularly the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). This includes introducing measures enabling the transition from the previous registration system for virtual asset service providers to the new EU authorization regime for crypto-asset service providers. Italy is also enhancing its supervisory capacity in view of the increased complexity and scale of the digital asset sector, and advancing implementation of the recent EU AML reform package.
• In early 2025, Canada and the United States designated certain transnational criminal organizations as terrorist entities. These designations provide law enforcement additional tools to combat cartels, to curtail their support for terrorist activities, and to cut off their access to the international financial system. The United States also used the FEND Off Fentanyl Act to designate three foreign financial institutions as a primary money laundering concern in connection with illicit opioid trafficking, and restrict their related fund transfers.
• The European Commission adopted its Protect EU Internal Security Strategy to better tackle security threats such as terrorism and its financing, organized crime and surging cybercrime, including online fraud. The Strategy's objectives include dismantling criminal networks and their enablers, updating law enforcement tools, enhancing cooperation with third countries whose financial systems are being misused by criminals for underground banking operations and supporting Member States in implementing strengthened asset recovery and confiscation rules.

Enhancing International Cooperation

The G7 is enhancing international cooperation to stay abreast of emerging risks and deepening the responsible exchange of information to make it harder for criminals to access the financial system and evade detection. For example:

• G7 experts, with the United States and Japan serving as co-leads, contributed to the FATF's new report on Complex Proliferation Financing and Sanctions Evasion Schemes. This report enhances international understanding of current threats and vulnerabilities in countering the financing of weapons of mass destruction, as well as opportunities to strengthen CPF controls in a risk-based and targeted manner.
• G7 experts also contributed to the FATF's Comprehensive Update on Terrorist Financing Risks report. This report outlines recommendations aimed at enhancing the Global Network's efforts in understanding and responding to terrorist financing, including strengthening international cooperation and developing targeted public private partnerships.
• Furthermore, G7 experts, co-led by Italy and the United States, contributed to the FATF's Asset Recovery Guidance and Best Practices, which will assist jurisdictions to align their national frameworks with the new FATF asset recovery standards. This reflects Italy's, and other G7 members', long-standing asset recovery experience and active support for other jurisdictions in strengthening their institutional capacities. Italy was also the first country to request INTERPOL's Silver Notice to facilitate cross-border cooperation in asset recovery cases.
• G7 countries, along with the Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands, released a report about the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s cyber and information technology (IT) worker activities in October through the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT). The report revealed detailed information on the actual methods of crime applied by DPRK for malicious cyber activities, including cryptocurrency theft and money laundering. Japan also issued an updated alert for companies regarding DPRK's IT workers, in conjunction with the related joint statement with the United States and the Republic of Korea and the trilateral public-private event.
• Japan, as the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) Co-Chair, led APG initiatives to address challenges related to DPRK such as crypto-asset theft. For example, Japan hosted several meetings including a seminar on virtual assets at its annual meeting held in Tokyo. Japan is also contributing to the OECD project aimed at preventing DPRK's crypto-asset thefts, which has delivered the "Cybersecurity and Geopolitical Risks in Financial Markets Report".
• Through the G7 Indo-Pacific Directors' Contact Group, Canada hosted a G7+ Subject Matter Experts' Dialogue on scam centres in Southeast Asia. This dialogue elevated the understanding of threats imposed by scam centres, which have become highly coordinated transnational operations exploited for money laundering, and discussed opportunities for further international cooperation and capacity building.
• To break down silos, Canada introduced a new private-to-private information sharing framework. This will allow reporting entities to responsibly exchange information with each other to more effectively detect and deter money laundering, terrorist financing and sanctions evasion, mitigating negative impacts of fraud, while maintaining privacy protections for personal information.

Addressing Financial Crime as a Barrier to Growth and Stability

The G7 recognizes that financial crime acts as a barrier to growth, development and stability. The G7 is stepping up efforts to strengthen frameworks in lower capacity countries, supporting proportionate risk-based measures, and exploring the role of technology in AML/CFT/CPF implementation. For example:

• G7 countries have encouraged the FATF Global Network action, by contributing to the work and capacity building of FATF-Style Regional bodies (FSRBs). They have also supported FATF's Presidency action to increase FSRB voices and participation in FATF work and to strengthen cohesion within the Global Network.
• Japan, as the APG Co-Chair, is prioritizing supporting capacity building focusing on low-capacity jurisdictions, including Pacific Island countries, with a budget of approximately JPY 240 million for APG in 2025. Under this priority, Japan promotes political commitment and capacity-building through the Co-Chairs' High-Level Visits and workshops. Japan also initiated a panel on leadership in AML/CFT reforms at the Tokyo APG Annual Meeting, in collaboration with FATF and its Middle East and North Africa regional body, as well as jurisdictions that have exited the FATF "grey list".
• The UK has a longstanding record of providing financial contributions to support the FATF's Global Network and the crucial work it undertakes worldwide. Most recently, this has included a voluntary contribution of approximately £600,000 to the FATF to promote the implementation of AML/CTF/CPF measures across the Global Network, with a particular focus on countries eligible for official development assistance.
• Canada announced C$4.8 million, over five years, starting in 2025-2026, in new technical assistance to help developing economies strengthen AML/CFT/CPF frameworks. This funding contributes to initiatives at the IMF and the World Bank, and supports the FSRBs in overseeing the implementation of the FATF standards.
• Italy joined the AML/CFT Trust Fund of International Monetary Fund, with a financial contribution of €2 million to further promote the capacity building program to continue together to strengthen preventive measures, further combat financial crime, and significantly support the growth of healthy economies.
• Italy's militarized law enforcement agency, the Guardia di Finanza, hosted the FATF standards training course. Judicial, law enforcement, financial intelligence unit, other experts—as well as policy makers—from around the globe came together to enhance and to strengthen their expertise to fight money laundering, terrorist financing and other financial crimes. 
• France (along with the FATF) organized and hosted a technical assistance peer exchange meeting in June 2025, to bring together FSRBs, donors and providers to address strategic issues relating to technical assistance and capacity building, notably how to demonstrate the impact of AML/CFT assistance and how to cooperate to make the most of limited resources. France has also renewed its voluntary contribution to FATF (approximately €1 million annually from 2025 to 2027), which is particularly oriented to supporting FSRBs.
• Germany launched a new program in Latin America to broaden its existing wide range of global, regional and bilateral engagement in countering illicit financial flows and organized crime. Germany also continues its ongoing programs, including work efforts to strengthen development finance in Africa, combat human smuggling and trafficking in the Western Balkans, as well as reinforce institutional resilience and regulatory frameworks in line with FATF standards. Germany prioritizes prevention, financial investigations, and asset recovery, with a strong focus on cross-border and interagency cooperation.
• In 2025, the EU Action SecFin Africa, funded by Germany, France and the EU, initiated and delivered AML/CFT support in 25 Sub-Saharan African countries, with over €6 million per year in technical assistance engaged until 2028. With a total budget of €46.5 million and up to 49 Sub-Saharan African countries, SecFin activities focus on strengthening national compliance with FATF standards while improving inter-agency cooperation, enhancing regional coordination with FSRBs and supporting civil society initiatives that report on criminal activities and supervise financial integrity.
• The European Commission also continued through the EU Global Facility on AML/CFT, with an yearly budget of €4 million, to support the adoption by third countries of enhanced measures designed to prevent money laundering and cut off access to funding for individual terrorists and terrorist organizations, through increased compliance with the EU AML/CFT Framework, FATF Recommendations and relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.
• To ensure risk-based and proportionate AML/CFT/CPF measures that promote economic development and financial inclusion, the United States and other G7 countries continue to appropriately tailor their regulations by focusing on the highest risk entities and reducing burdens on legitimate small businesses.

Looking Forward

This fight against financial crime is not over. G7 members are committed to continuing and amplifying this work under the French G7 Presidency in 2026, as well as under the United States G20 Presidency, which will focus in part on promoting innovation, combating fraud and enhancing risk-based supervision. The G7 members will continue to report on additional actions taken to implement the Call to Action.

We encourage all countries to join us in the Call to Action. The international community can, and must, strengthen our collective response to financial crime and its impact on communities, security, and prosperity.