The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) implemented a functional change in 2024, which aimed to ensure a rapid operational response while developing the ability to analyse at a tactical level and uncover broader criminal cases. Functional and tactical changes strengthened the daily prevention efforts of the FIU. A significant technical reform of the money laundering register was also implemented at the beginning of the year, which has also been reflected in the new reporting application for obliged entities. The total number of suspicious transaction reports received by the FIU decreased significantly, while the number of risk-based reports submitted by obliged entities in the financial sector increased by a third.
A significant part of the FIU’s daily investigative work and domestic inquiries received were related to various types of frauds. FIU received a total of 10,138 fraud-related reports, which accounted for over one-third of all risk-based reports. Approximately 92 percent of fraud-related reports were received from banks.
In 2024, the FIU’s main areas of focus included the war in Ukraine and sanctions, cyber-enabled frauds and street gangs. The number of suspicious transaction reports related to the war in Ukraine and sanctions continued to increase from previous years. The most common subject of reports typically involved possible evasion of sanctions by legal entities. The FIU’s countermeasures against the street gang phenomenon were related to maintaining situational awareness and seizing proceeds of the financial benefits generated by the gangs’ criminal activities.