Criminals and terrorists are constantly coming up with new ways to finance their illegal activities or launder the proceeds. Globalization and new technologies make it easier than ever for them to move their money around all over the world and to set up international constructions. So if we are to combat money laundering and terrorism financing effectively, international cooperation is key.

FIU- the Netherlands invests in maintaining and intensifying its cooperation with international partners. We exchange both operational and other information, knowledge, and experience with FIUs all over the world, and we are active in various international collaborative structures, such as the Egmont Group and the Financial Action Task Force on money laundering (FATF).

Egmont Group: worldwide network of FIUs

The Egmont Group unites FIU- the Netherlands with 166 of its fellow FIUs all over the world. It supports its members by facilitating and improving cooperation and the exchange of information and knowledge between all the affiliated FIUs. The Egmont Group has developed its own platform to facilitate this information exchange and ensure it takes place securely.

For more information, see the Egmont Group’s website.

FATF: Financial Action Task Force on money laundering

The Financial Action Task Force on money laundering (FATF) was set up at the G7 summit meeting in Paris in 1989. The focus of the FATF is on international efforts to combat money laundering and, since 2001, also terrorism financing. As a member of the FATF, the Netherlands has committed itself to the FATF’s 40 recommendations. The recommendations concern preventive measures organizations and professional bodies can take to counter money laundering and terrorism financing, for instance, but also matters such as improving national legal systems and international cooperation.

The FATF also monitors the correct application and effectiveness of the relevant legislation and regulations. The members of the FATF are assessed and evaluated regularly on the basis of the FATF recommendations. The Netherlands’ most recent FATF evaluation was in 2022. You can read the official FATF report here.

European Union

In 2006 the EU’s FIU platform was set up in Brussels with the aim of intensifying and streamlining the exchange of information between the FIUs of all member states. Knowledge and experience can also be exchanged within the platform. Another important aspect is the harmonization of processes for implementing new guidelines or directives, which increases mutual cooperation still further.

RIEC Caribbean Netherlands

The Regional Information and Expertise Center for the Caribbean Netherlands (RIEC CN) is a collaboration of security partners to gain more insight into the manifestations of organized and subversive crime in the Caribbean Netherlands.

It is a structural collaboration of a number of covenant partners, the public entities Bonaire, St. Eustatius, Saba, the Public Prosecution Service BES, KPCN, KMar, Tax and Customs Administration CN, SZW, IND, the Coast Guard and FIU-Netherlands.

This sets a good foundation with the RIEC CN for better and more effective cooperation in tackling subversive crime.

Information exchange within the Kingdom of the Netherlands