Overview
- At its Mexico City plenary, the watchdog labeled scams a global epidemic and set combating fraud as a top focus through 2028, with an immediate two-year push.
- FATF updated asset-recovery guidance and amended Recommendation 16 on payments and Recommendation 1 on financial inclusion to embed anti-fraud controls.
- Members approved two virtual-asset reports warning about risks from stablecoins and unhosted wallets, citing data that stablecoins made up 84% of illicit transaction volume in 2025.
- A coordinated effort across 11 jurisdictions using the Frontier platform processed over 9,000 related scam reports, logged more than €192 million in reported losses, led to over 1,800 arrests and seized upwards of €17 million.
- Strategic priorities for 2026–2028 will go to ministers in April, and the body elected the UK’s Giles Thomson to take over the presidency in July for a two-year term.