International partners
While ever-evolving technology allows people to do business and move money around the world more quickly and easily, it also creates opportunities for criminals who are constantly looking for ways to take advantage of the global financial system.
In response to this ever-present threat, AUSTRAC contributes to international efforts to combat money laundering, terrorism financing, and other serious financial crimes.
AUSTRAC contributes to the international AML/CTF response by:
- Playing an active role in regional and global AML/CTF forums such as the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units.
- Supporting international partners - including financial intelligence units (FIUs) and AML/CTF regulators - through programs that provide technical assistance, training, and systems-uplift to increase the program recipient’s compliance with international standards by developing stronger AML/CTF capabilities.
- Exchanging information and intelligence with FIUs and regulators around the world, notably through written agreements (exchange instruments) with foreign jurisdictions and organisations - see list of exchange instruments.
- Co-chairing the ASEAN Financial Intelligence Consultative Group (FICG), and the Pacific Financial Intelligence Community (PFIC) comprising FIUs from ASEAN, and the Pacific.
By contributing to international forums and engaging with intelligence, investigative, and regulatory counterparts around the world, AUSTRAC strengthens domestic, regional, and global resistance to AML/CTF threats.
International Programs – Indo-Pacific
AUSTRAC delivers tailored programs across the Indo-Pacific region. These programs focus on building and sharing financial intelligence and analytic expertise to increase practical cooperation, strengthen regional resilience, and provide AUSTRAC with actionable intelligence to fight financial crime.
AUSTRAC delivers programs across the following key locations:
The Pacific
- The AUSTRAC Pacific Islands Partnership Program (APIPP) provides AML/CTF capacity building activities for counterparts across the Pacific region.
- Through Project Taipan, AUSTRAC works with Pacific FIUs to develop and install new IT systems that uplift their capability.
Watch the video to learn more about the Taipan system.
The Mekong
- The Mekong-Australia Partnership on Transnational Crime (MAP-TNC), coordinated by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), aims to counter transnational crime and enhance border security in the Mekong subregion through targeted capacity building programs.
The Philippines
- The Strengthening Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Responses in the Philippines Program (SARPP) is a partnership between AUSTRAC and the Philippines FIU, the Anti-Money Laundering Council of the Philippines (AMLC). SARPP activities support the Philippines to strengthen their response to terrorism and enhance their AML/CTF framework to meet international standards.
Regional Leadership
The Egmont Group of FIUs
AUSTRAC is a founding member of the Egmont Group of FIUs, an international organisation comprising FIUs from more than 177 jurisdictions plus observers. FIUs around the world are obliged by international AML/CTF standards to exchange information and engage in international cooperation. As an international FIU forum, Egmont Group both facilitates and promotes sharing of financial intelligence amongst its member FIUs to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and associated predicate crimes.
We take a leadership role in a wide range of Egmont Group work to drive AUSTRAC and the Australian Government’s international priorities. Through Egmont, we exchange operational information and collaborates with counterpart FIUs and other members of the global AML/CTF community of practice to strengthen operational best practice globally - noting that operationally strong FIUs significantly contribute to global efforts to fight financial crime.
The Egmont Group aims to improve stakeholders’ understanding of financial crime risks and draws upon diverse operational experience to support international efforts to implement the resolutions and statements of the United Nations Security Council, Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and G20 Finance Ministers.
Financial Intelligence Consultative Group (FICG)
The Financial Intelligence Consultative Group (FICG) is a collective regional body, consisting of heads and senior representatives of FIUs from ASEAN, New Zealand, and Australia. FIU Japan was recently welcomed as an observer to the forum. The FICG promotes, enhances, and strengthens collaboration on AML/CTF to combat serious financial crime in the region.
Pacific Financial Intelligence Community (PFIC)
The Pacific Financial Intelligence Community (PFIC) brings together 15 Pacific FIUs, including Australia and New Zealand. The PFIC promotes greater collaboration among its members, covering operational engagement, research activities, capacity building, and technology enhancement to combat the region’s financial crime challenges.
International presence
AUSTRAC Liaison Officers are based in key locations around the world to support multilateral and bilateral initiatives. AUSTRAC has officers located in:
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Beijing, China
- London, UK
- Washington DC, USA
- Suva, Fiji
The liaison officers build working relationships with our counterpart FIUs as well as other regional and global AML/CTF partners to promote AUSTRAC as a partner of choice internationally.
The liaison officer network is supported by Australia-based Program Managers who deliver targeted capacity-building initiatives and programs across the Pacific, Mekong, and the Philippines.
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