04 February 2025
EC ¦ ‘Next-Generation’ FIU.net
Next‑Generation FIU.net Goes Live: A Faster, Safer Backbone for Europe’s Financial Intelligence
A major leap for FIUs and Europol Europe’s fight against financial crime entered a new phase yesterday, 3 February 2025, with the go‑live of the Next‑Generation FIU.net. This upgraded platform gives Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) across the EU, plus Norway and Europol, a faster, more reliable, and more secure way to exchange and cross‑match data. In a threat landscape where criminals rapidly exploit new technologies to launder money, move illicit proceeds, and finance terrorism, the ability to share and analyse information quickly and accurately is critical.
Why this upgrade matters now
FIUs sit at the frontline of anti‑money laundering and counter‑terrorist financing. They turn suspicious transaction reports into actionable financial intelligence for investigators and prosecutors. The new FIU.net helps them do that job better: it reduces friction in cross‑border collaboration, supports analysis of large datasets, and tightens security around highly sensitive information. By cutting the time it takes to discover links between cases and jurisdictions, it boosts the chances of disrupting networks behind drug trafficking, corruption, human trafficking, child sexual exploitation, and terrorist financing.
What FIU.net does
Operational since 2002 and hosted by the European Commission since 2021, FIU.net is the secure channel FIUs use to exchange information with each other and with Europol. Its core features include case file exchanges for bilateral or multilateral information sharing; cross‑border reporting to forward suspicious transaction reports filed by obliged entities operating in multiple Member States; cross‑border disseminations that let an FIU push relevant extracts from an STR to peers; and “Ma³tch”, a hit/no‑hit capability that checks pseudonymised datasets in real time to see if a subject is known elsewhere, without exposing unnecessary personal data.
What’s new in the Next‑Generation release
Built since early 2023 in close collaboration with the FIU community through a dedicated Advisory Group, the new system is shaped by field‑driven requirements. Under the hood, modern architectures and protocols deliver notable gains:
- Performance and stability: quicker ingestion, processing, and transfer of large datasets, plus a more resilient environment.
- Flexibility and interoperability: a more adaptable application that integrates more easily with national FIU systems and tooling.
- Security: stronger, modern connection methods and safeguards for data in transit and at rest.
The network is expanding as well. Liechtenstein and Iceland are joining, bringing the total to 30 FIUs (all EU FIUs, plus Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein), alongside Europol.
A stronger legal and operational framework ahead
The EU’s new AML/CFT framework gives FIU.net a firmer legal base, including pathways for non‑EU FIUs to connect, subject to strict conditions. It also designates the Anti‑Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) to manage, maintain, and develop FIU.net, ensuring the platform continues to evolve with operational needs. The European Commission will hand over the Next‑Generation FIU.net to AMLA by 10 July 2027. With AMLA at the helm, and the potential to onboard selected non‑EU partners, FIU.net is positioned to become an even more effective engine for cross‑border financial intelligence.
Bottom line for compliance and investigations
For banks, payment firms, and other obliged entities, this upgrade should translate into more consistent cross‑border feedback loops and faster, better‑targeted requests from FIUs. For investigators and prosecutors, it promises speed, reduced duplication, and earlier detection of links across jurisdictions. For criminals, it narrows the window of opportunity to exploit seams in Europe’s financial defenses.
Dive deeper
- EC ¦ ‘Next-Generation’ FIU.net ¦ Link