Financial crime risks can no longer be managed in isolation. Fraud, cyber intrusion, sanctions evasion, and money laundering have converged into a single, interconnected threat environment — one that exploits institutional siloes, fragmented data, and delays in detection. For regulators and financial institutions alike, this convergence is reshaping expectations of effectiveness, accountability, and control.

Now in its fifth year, the AML Tech Barometer 2026 forms part of Regulation Asia’s longitudinal research programme, tracking how financial institutions across the region are responding to the convergence of financial crime risks over time — and where persistent gaps in capability and execution remain. Drawing on survey responses from more than 130 senior financial crime practitioners, alongside expert interviews, the report identifies a widening disconnect between strategic ambition and operational effectiveness.

In this report, you will learn:

• How the financial crime threat landscape has structurally changed
  Why industrialised scams, mule networks, and virtual assets now serve as primary entry points into the financial system — and what this means for traditional AML and fraud controls.
• The five strategic imperatives separating leaders from laggards
  A practical roadmap focused on breaking organisational siloes, strengthening data foundations, reframing sanctions risk, deploying AI with discipline, and scaling cross institution collaboration.
• Why institutions are retreating from ungoverned AI experimentation
  How a “flight to safety” is reshaping technology strategies as firms balance innovation with stability, explainability, and regulatory scrutiny.
• Why speed has become a supervisory concern, not just an operational one
  The growing expectation for real time monitoring and intervention — and the risks institutions face when detection and response lag behind payment velocity.
• How regulatory expectations are evolving
  Why supervisors are increasingly focused on demonstrable effectiveness across risk domains, rather than formal compliance with individual rule sets.

The report also features exclusive interviews with senior leaders from INTERPOL, ANZ, EY, and the Financial Integrity Hub, offering perspectives on enforcement trends, institutional challenges, and the future direction of financial crime controls.

Download the AML Tech Barometer 2026 to understand how convergence is redefining financial crime risk — and what regulators and industry leaders increasingly expect institutions to do next.