The FATF notes a rapid shift in hawala networks toward digital platforms, with traditional cash-based transfers increasingly coordinated and settled through digital technologies.

The FATF warns that informal money-transfer networks, including hawala and other non-bank methods (HOSSPs), remain a widespread global phenomenon and are growing.

The NECC is building a more proactive, intelligence-led crypto capability to inform cross-cutting responses, though concrete details have not been disclosed.

Operations such as Atlantic identified thousands of phishing victims and froze millions, while Destabilise led to hundreds of arrests and significant seizures linked to Russian-speaking money laundering networks.

A RUSI paper, summarized by Decrypt, suggests that compliance-based trust could unintentionally widen the use of privacy-enhancing technologies.

Cryptoassets now rank third among nine economic crime priorities for NECC, FCA, Home Office, and Treasury, signaling a shift in regulatory focus toward crypto.

Advanced settlement methods include value-added services and stablecoins (USDT, USDC, DAI), which can replace cash or bank settlements between operators.

Criminals are increasingly using crypto asset products to move illicit value at scale, with laundering networks operating across borders and blending traditional and new methods.

Artificial intelligence is used by professional money launderers to create plausible transaction patterns, including structuring and rapid virtual account activity.

Even with digitalisation, cash remains essential at entry and exit points, with bulk cash movements and cross-border transfers still playing key roles.

Underground banking and HOSSP-based money laundering have become more professional, functioning like sophisticated services.

Digital hawala enables cross-border operations with less physical presence and greater flexibility, though final settlements often occur in cash or through trade-based mechanisms.