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UK Treasury requests case studies from financial and legal sectors to demonstrate anti-money laundering progress

Ministers are collecting examples of intercepted financial crime ahead of a global watchdog evaluation, despite ongoing estimates of massive illicit flows.

Updated Aug 30, 2026 · 12:19 UTC1 reports

The short version

  • The UK Treasury has issued a call for evidence asking bankers and lawyers for real-life case studies demonstrating how they have blocked dirty money since 2022.
  • The push aims to show the effectiveness of the UK's financial crime frameworks ahead of an evaluation by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
  • The move follows a poor assessment in 2018 and official estimates that £100 billion is still laundered through or within the UK annually.
  • The government plans to submit its evidence packet in October, followed by an on-the-ground review by FATF inspectors next summer.

Key facts

  • The UK Treasury is soliciting case studies from financial and legal professionals showing instances where high-risk clients were refused or reported to authorities.[The Guardian]
  • The government's deadline to submit its initial evidence packet to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is October, ahead of an in-person assessment scheduled for next summer.[The Guardian]
  • The National Crime Agency estimated last year that £100 billion in illicit funds is laundered through or within the UK every year.[The Guardian]
  • The UK legal sector has been categorized as high risk for money laundering and terrorist financing in every national risk assessment since 2017.[The Guardian]

What remains uncertain

  • It remains uncertain whether the Treasury's submission of industry case studies will satisfy FATF examiners regarding the overall systemic reduction of financial crime risks.[The Guardian]

Sources