ACAMS, a service provider to the AML, fraud and sanctions communities, published its annual Global Anti-Financial Crime Threats Report identifying the top financial crime threats for the coming year. The report is based on a survey of 1,400 global AFC professionals across more than 200 jurisdictions.
It shows convergence of technology, geopolitics and criminal innovation is creating new threats of unprecedented scale and complexity. These threats are outpacing financial crime defences and underscoring the critical role of education and collaboration in AFC preparedness. At the same time, financial crime professionals cited a number of barriers they face in the fight against fraud, including lack of advanced analytic tools, staff morale and fatigue, silos across internal teams, and data system fragmentation.
This year’s report identified 10 key threats facing AFC professionals, with the top five as:
Generative AI and LLMs have become force multipliers for transnational criminal networks
For the third consecutive year, the malicious use of generative AI was ranked as the most significant external risk to financial crime functions, with 75% of professionals considering it a “high” or “very high” risk. This ranked 9% above the second place threat in the 2026 report compared to 5% in 2025, illustrating a growing gap between generative AI-related concerns and all others.
AI-powered identity fraud is eroding trust and security
Respondents cited the lack of advanced analytics tools as their most significant challenge in combating fraud, continuing its lead over last year’s findings. 78% of professionals in the United States consider AI technology regulation to likely change in the next 12 months — higher than any other region.
“The threats facing AFC professionals continue to intensify and expand into new sectors year over year,” said Justine Walker, executive vice president of thought leadership at ACAMS. “The challenges are significant, but collaboration and knowledge sharing remains one of our most crucial defenses to mitigate these risks.”
The geopolitical environment is multipolar, competitive and volatile, making global consensus increasingly elusive
When ranking the risks posed by geopolitical tensions, respondents displayed significant regional variation. Respondents in Europe were by far the most likely to consider this risk ‘high’ or ‘very high’ — 7% more likely than any of their peers. Respondents in Oceania were more likely than any of their peers to consider fragmentation of the global payments system a risk, while respondents in the USA were least likely to do so.
Managing sanctions and export control evasion has shifted from a niche compliance concern to a systemic risk
More than six in 10 professionals (64%) view sanctions and export control regulation as a threat to the effectiveness of financial crime functions. Respondents in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe are focusing a higher percentage of resources on sanctions and export controls than their global peers.
Underground banking networks are embracing technology, redefining the boundaries of financial crime
Roughly 70% of respondents considered cryptoasset/virtual asset regulation to be likely or very likely to change. At the 2025 ACAMS Assembly Las Vegas, half of surveyed professionals cited “digital assets and Web3” as their most critical capability gap.
“The scale and sophistication of financial crime attacks is overwhelming for professionals to navigate alone,” said Neil Sternthal, CEO of ACAMS. “These report findings solidify the importance of the work that ACAMS is doing across its global community, and also serve as a call to action to the industry. Increasing cross-border collaboration, harmonizing standards, and continuing to train anti-financial crime professionals must be prioritized to protect the integrity of the global financial system.”