FinCEN Joins Twelve Other FIUs in Issuing Public Statement
on Formation of Counter Terrorist Financing Taskforce – Israel (CTFTI)
Counter Terrorist Financing Taskforce – Israel (CTFTI)
FIU Task Force Public Statement
We, the Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) of Australia, Canada, Estonia, France, Germany, Israel, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States (the “Task Force Members”), and other like-minded FIUs, established an international task force immediately following the brutal terror attacks by Hamas against Israel on October 7.
Led by four Co-Chairs, including FIUs Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, and the United States, the purpose of the task force is to combine and strengthen the efforts to disrupt the international money flows related to Hamas and support global anti-terrorism efforts through the coordination of financial intelligence and information sharing. The October 7 terror attacks on Israel served as a grave reminder of a core mission of our FIUs: to detect, disrupt and prevent the financing of terrorism.
To effectuate disruption of the financing of Hamas and other terrorist groups, the Task Force Members commit to taking concrete actions to:
1. Enhance financial intelligence on terrorist-financing related matters and associated financial flows and economic activities;
2. Expedite and increase sharing of financial intelligence in terrorist financing-related matters and associated financial flows and economic activities;
3. Discuss FIU best practices, lessons learned, and opportunities for additional actions and partnerships to combat and disrupt terrorist financing activities; and
4. Strengthen and facilitate working relationships between FIUs and competent public authorities and the private sector addressing this threat.
The Task Force Members recognize the importance of the private sector in achieving these goals, particularly in identifying and mitigating terrorists’ use of the global financial system. Close coordination with financial institutions and technology companies, to the furthest extent our respective authorities allow, is critical to identify and stop terrorist funding channels.
The Task Force Members also commit to coordinating closely with domestic law enforcement, prosecutors, and other competent government authorities, within the Task Force Members’ respective legal authorities, to achieve the goals of this task force.