https://www.gadgets360.com/cryptocurrency/news/india-uae-qatar-fiu-money-laundering-terror-financing-virtual-digital-assets-6956754

Misuse of virtual digital assets (VDAs) for money laundering has been a top concern for regulators globally since cryptocurrencies began attracting widespread investor interest. India and the UAE, two regions seeing significant growth in the VDA sector, have now joined forces to address this issue. This week, the Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) of both nations met in New Delhi to finalise an agreement aimed at combating the illicit use of crypto assets by criminal entities for money laundering activities.

During the meeting, the FIUs of India and the UAE acknowledged the growing threat posed by money laundering, with evidence pointing to an increase in such activities. Another critical issue addressed was the use of virtual digital assets (VDAs) in terrorist financing. Due to the largely untraceable and still relatively unregulated nature of crypto transactions, illicit actors are increasingly exploiting these assets to move illegal funds.

“The meeting was enriching for both the sides as they discussed and touched upon various areas such as the IT systems used by respective jurisdictions, public-private partnership initiative of FIU-IND (FPAC), private- private partnership for reporting entities in India for AML/CFT strategic analysis and (the exchange of) tools used by the two FIUs,” the release detailing the meeting said.