The UAE's National Anti-Money Laundering and Combatting the Financing of Terrorism and Proliferation Financing Committee has released its 2025 performance indicators, revealing significant gains across enforcement, supervision and international cooperation as the country tightens its grip on financial crime.
The results, approved by the Higher Committee for Oversight of the National Strategy, reflect progress under the National Strategy for AML/CFT/CPF (2024–2027) and follow major legislative reform, including the issuance of Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025.
Khaled Mohamed Balama, Governor of the Central Bank and Chair of the National Committee, said the indicators reflect the UAE's commitment to building a secure global financial environment backed by a supervisory framework capable of anticipating emerging threats.
The numbers tell a compelling story. Incoming extradition requests jumped 25.3% to 559, while mutual legal assistance requests rose 4.9% to 516. Financial intelligence requests received by the Financial Intelligence Unit climbed 20.7% to 1,522. Pre-emptive freezing orders surged 46.7%, with the value of frozen assets tripling to AED 150 million.
On the enforcement front, 781 inspections were conducted across financial institutions and virtual asset service providers, with penalties reaching AED 384 million. Suspicious Transaction Reports rose 28% to around 80,000, with banks accounting for over 82% of filings.
Beneficial ownership compliance saw a standout improvement. Legal persons lacking ownership data fell from 4,038 to just 336, a 91.7% improvement year on year.
In financial investigations, intelligence packages disseminated rose 83.7% to 428, while domestic confiscations reached AED 4.23 billion. A further AED 750 million was returned to victims.
Secretary-General Hamid Saif Al Zaabi said the results confirm that national coordination and international partnerships are delivering measurable impact in combating cross-border financial crime.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
