International Monetary Fund

Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT)

Money laundering and the financing of terrorism are financial crimes with economic effects.

Money laundering requires an underlying, primary, profit-making crime (such as corruption, drug trafficking, market manipulation, fraud, tax evasion), along with the intent to conceal the proceeds of the crime or to further the criminal enterprise. These activities generate financial flows that involve the diversion of resources away from economically- and socially-productive uses—and these diversions can have negative impacts on the financial sector and external stability of member states. They also have a corrosive, corrupting effect on society and the economic system as a whole. Because of the negative consequences of these forms of financial abuses on our members’ economies and financial systems, the IMF has been very active for over ten years in the AML/CFT area.

AML/CFT controls, when effectively implemented, mitigate the adverse effects of criminal economic activity and promote integrity and stability in financial markets.


“Effective anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism regimes are essential to protect the integrity of markets and of the global financial framework as they help mitigate the factors that facilitate financial abuse.”

Min Zhu, Deputy Managing Director of the IMF