Risks and indicators of suspicious activity
Understanding your money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing (ML/TF/PF) risk is key to protecting your business from criminal exploitation and meeting your anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) obligations.
Changes to AML/CTF laws will also require you to consider your exposure to proliferation financing risks as part of your ML/TF/PF risk assessment.
We publish resources and indicators of suspicious activity to help you identify and manage potential money laundering, terrorism financing, proliferation financing and other serious and organised criminal activity.
You must take into account AUSTRAC guidance and feedback that is relevant to your money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing risks when you develop or update your ML/TF/PF risk assessment.
On this page
- Latest insights on risks
- Indicators of suspicious activity for current regulated entities
- Indicators of suspicious activity for entities soon to be regulated – coming soon
- Related pages
Latest insights on risks
We recently published 2 national risk assessments on money laundering and terrorism financing. These risk assessments provide insight into the scale, sophistication and threat of money laundering and terrorism financing in Australia.
These resources are designed to help businesses understand the methods that criminals use to launder proceeds of crime or fund extremist violence. They cover entities that are already regulated as well as higher risk services soon to be captured under the new laws.
These risk assessments highlight that some professional services soon to be regulated by AUSTRAC namely lawyers, accountants and trust and company service providers, pose a significant money laundering vulnerability.
In 2022, we also published a national risk assessment on proliferation financing.
Proliferation financing is when a person makes an asset available, provides a financial service or conducts a financial transaction that is intended to facilitate the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, regardless of whether the activity occurs or is attempted. In Australia, such activity is prohibited under a range of laws.
Indicators of suspicious activity for current regulated entities
View indicators specific to your industry:
- Banking
- Bookmakers
- Bullion dealers
- Casinos
- Digital currency (cryptocurrency)
- Financial planners
- Life insurance
- Not for profits
- Online betting agencies
- Pubs and clubs
- Remittance service providers
- Securities and derivatives
- Superannuation
- Non-bank lenders and financiers
Indicators of suspicious activity for entities soon to be regulated – coming soon
From 1 July 2026, AML/CTF obligations will apply to certain higher-risk services provided by real estate professionals, conveyancers, lawyers, accountants, trust and company service providers, and dealers in precious stones, metals and products.
We are working with industry to develop products on risks in these industries. This includes indicators of suspicious activity to help these newly regulated entities to understand their risks and implement effective AML/CTF measures.
Related pages
The content on this website is general and is not legal advice. Before you make a decision or take a particular action based on the content on this website, you should check its accuracy, completeness, currency and relevance for your purposes. You may wish to seek independent professional advice.