Why Organized Illicit Finance Demands An Organized Global Response Share to Linkedin Illicit finance is a major threat to the security and prosperity of all nations. It not only enables criminals to profit from the most heinous crimes, but also finances terrorist atrocities. It causes an immense financial and human cost to society, business and government; a cost that we cannot, and should not, bear. getty Organized financial crime prevails over a disorganized system In an increasingly interconnected, digital world, those engaged in financial crimes are continuously evolving their international operations, working across multiple jurisdictions. They act with a speed and sophistication with which the siloed “system”— government, law enforcement, regulators, corporates, and financial institutions— struggle to keep pace. For example, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has identified just how quickly criminals have exploited the COVID-19 pandemic to commit fraud and money laundering.