G7 Finance Chiefs Release Joint Communiqué
The G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors remain steadfast in our commitment to tackling financial crime, including money laundering, terrorist financing and the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (AML/CFT/CPF).
In 1989, the G7 created the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to “prevent the utilization of the banking system and financial institutions for the purpose of money laundering” and was soon joined by many other countries and jurisdictions which shared the same concerns and volunteered for a global effort against financial crime. Since its establishment, the FATF’s mandate and standards have expanded to include the combatting of financing of terrorism and the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The transnational nature of money laundering, malicious nature of its predicate crimes, and integrated nature of our economies necessitate a collective approach to combatting illicit finance. 2025 marks the 35-year anniversary of the FATF’s “40 Recommendations”, which were developed collectively by FATF members and are now being implemented in more than 200 jurisdictions worldwide thanks to the joint efforts of the FATF Global Network.
Organized criminals, including cartels, are exploiting gaps in global AML safeguards to launder the profits of their criminal activities such as drug trafficking (including fentanyl and synthetic opioids), fraud, cybercrimes, and human smuggling that generate billions in illicit revenue annually. These crimes are not only having a devastating impact on our communities, but they are also impacting national security and economic integrity as profits are re-invested into vast criminal networks that seek to undermine the rule of law and destabilize our governments and economies.
Financial crime is also harming global economic growth. The International Monetary Fund has found that illicit finance reduces productivity, widens inequality, inhibits legitimate investment and hinders an effective allocation of resources. The World Bank has found that financial crimes are a barrier to development sparking political instability, deterring private capital, undermining good governance and the rule of law, and generally eroding trust in governments and institutions. Illicit finance also robs treasuries of badly needed tax revenue at a time when so many economies around the world are facing historically high debt levels.
The World Bank sees tackling illicit finance in low-capacity countries as vital to their development priorities and requiring sustained engagement. Strengthening AML/CFT/CPF capacity in developing and low-capacity countries would improve financial inclusion and further deprive international organized crime groups of opportunities to launder their illicit proceeds or finance terrorism.
In this context, technically sound and effective AML/CFT/CPF frameworks contribute to safer communities, our collective security, and to stronger economies in the G7 and around the globe.
https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2025/05/g7-finance-ministers-and-central-bank-governors-communique.html