From pivotal elections to advances in artificial intelligence (AI) to heightened geopolitical tensions, the events of the past year have only amplified the challenges of fighting financial crime. Our Financial Crime Report, based on data from over 600 executives across the globe, provides insight to help leaders prepare for what’s next.
With AI-powered cybercrime disrupting businesses across industries and regulators imposing billion-dollar penalties for compliance failures, more than 70% of executives expect financial crime risk to increase in 2025—compared to 67% in 2023—yet only 23% believe their organization’s compliance program is “very effective” in combating it.
These are among the key takeaways from Kroll’s 2025 Financial Crime Report, which surveyed over 600 business leaders in the U.S., the UK, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Respondents included CEOs, chief compliance officers, general counsel, and chief risk officers from leading financial services, accounting, insurance and legal services firms.
In addition to assessing financial crime expectations, concerns and readiness for the year ahead, the report examines how AI can fight—or enable—illicit activity and captures current sentiment around geopolitical threats, evolving regulations, supply chain risks and more.
In the coming months, new leadership across major economies could reshape financial crime regulatory and enforcement activity—with potentially significant consequences for how governments handle economic sanctions and anti-money laundering (AML) rules. These shifts come as the continued expansion of such requirements beyond the financial services sector deepens compliance pressures on regulated “gatekeeper” industries, from accountancy to legal services to gaming.
At the same time, swift advances in technology are deepening financial crime risk as organizations race to get ahead of bad actors. Cyberattacks and the increased use of AI by cybercriminals are the top two reasons why respondents expect financial crimes to increase in 2025. Respondents cite rapidly evolving technologies as the top hurdle causing governments to lose ground in the fight against financial crime.
Companies are also ramping up efforts to account for risk around digital currencies as cryptocurrency moves from the dark web to Main Street. Nearly 3 in 10 (29%) respondents accept, recognize or transact in crypto, and roughly another third (32%) are considering doing so—even as 59% of respondents say the financial crime threat it poses is a moderate or significant concern for their organization.
On the other hand, technology is an increasingly critical tool for fighting illicit economic activity. Fifty-seven percent of respondents believe AI will benefit their financial crime compliance programs, and nearly half expect to invest in both AI solutions and non-AI technology as part of their internal steps to tackle the expected increase in such risks.
Respondents are concerned about what may be on the regulatory horizon as well. Sixty-two percent expect cooperation between regulators and financial institutions to increase in the next 12 months, with similar forecasts for corporate transparency requirements and financial crimes enforcement action.
Last December, amid ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East—as well as potential turbulence stemming from the threat of higher U.S. tariffs and a deviation from U.S.-led free trade—the European Central Bank (ECB) made a timely announcement: In 2025, it would focus its supervisory work on geopolitical risks.
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With geopolitical uncertainty front of mind, rapidly advancing technology development, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI), the events of the past year have only amplified the challenges of fighting financial crime in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. Our latest research—based on a survey of executives across the region—can help leaders prepare for what’s next.
We invite you to join us on April 16 for our 2025 Financial Crime Report webinar. As a participant, you'll receive early access to the report ahead of the launch, with insights from over 600 executives across the globe.
Kroll’s global Financial Crime Advisory team is comprised of seasoned compliance, investigative and regulatory professionals to help enterprises around the world defend against the rapid growth of financial crime.
Kroll’s Investigations, Diligence and Compliance practice leverages our best-in-class multi-disciplinary team to help businesses, law firms, financial institutions, private equity firms, government agencies, non-profit organizations and individuals meet their most critical challenges.
End-to-end governance, advisory and monitorship solutions to detect, mitigate, drive efficiencies and remediate operational, legal, compliance and regulatory risk.
The Kroll Investigations, Diligence and Compliance team partners with clients to anticipate, detect and manage regulatory and reputational risks associated with global ethics and compliance obligations.
Kroll’s anti-money laundering (AML) solutions are designed to help minimize the risks associated with money laundering and other illicit activities and to ensure compliance through the development and management of ongoing compliance programs and processes.
