A research paper analyzing digital risks.. The UAE is strengthening its national system against electronic financial crimes
Abu Dhabi, December 10 / WAM / The General Secretariat of the National Committee to Combat Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism and the Financing of Proliferation, in cooperation with Themis, issued a new analytical paper entitled “Anatomy of a Digital Threat: Understanding and Confronting Electronic Financial Crimes in the UAE.”
The paper provides one of the most detailed assessments in the country to date of the impact of rapid technological transformation, including the development of artificial intelligence, virtual assets, electronic games, e-commerce, and digital payment systems, in reshaping the financial crime risk environment. It also explains how criminal networks exploit digital tools on a large scale, while emphasizing the importance of continued cooperation between the public and private sectors to enhance the national ability to address these threats.
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Alkim Al-Zaabi, Director of the National Policies and Risks Department at the General Secretariat, stressed the need for a unified and strong national response to emerging risks.
He said: Given the rapid and continuous development of electronically supported financial crimes, the integration of modern research such as this paper is necessary within the efforts of the National Risk Assessment (NRA) being implemented in the country. The publication of the general summary of the National Risk Assessment for this year also confirms our commitment to managing risks based on data, and the competent authorities work within a comprehensive national framework that ensures proactive and effective dealing with threats arising from technological development through coordinated, integrated and forward-looking preventive measures.
For his part, Deacon Johnston, CEO of Themis, said, “As cyber-enabled financial crimes accelerate, solutions based on intelligence, analysis, and technology become more important than ever, and this paper highlights the urgent need to prepare for the rapidly changing threat landscape as a result of digital transformation.”
The paper was released during Abu Dhabi Financial Week 2025, where its results were presented in a discussion session entitled “Crime Law: Mapping the Cybercrime Economy.”
This initiative comes within the state’s ongoing efforts in 2025 to enhance economic security, including the issuance of Federal Decree Law No. 10 of 2025 regarding combating money laundering, terrorist financing, and financing of proliferation, and continued investment in strengthening cyber capabilities and developing cross-border cooperation between law enforcement agencies.
The most notable results included:
Cyber-enabled financial crime is accelerating globally, with more than $2 trillion estimated to be laundered annually and more than $1 trillion stolen through fraud, with criminals increasingly using artificial intelligence, deepfakes, cryptocurrency mixers, automation, and cross-platform social engineering techniques.
There is a noticeable growth in financial technology activities and virtual assets in the UAE, as the size of the national financial technology market is expected to reach $3.5 billion in 2025, while encrypted flows exceeded $34 billion last year.
Artificial intelligence technologies have become a multiplier factor in money laundering operations, as they enable criminals to expand the scope of their activities and increase the level of automation compared to traditional methods. Artificial intelligence-supported fraud is also witnessing a significant increase, with the availability of ready-made fraud tools “as a service”, in addition to artificial intelligence-powered phishing groups, coinciding with a sharp increase in automated fraud attempts in the UAE.
The original crimes became more technically sophisticated. Fraud and drug trafficking remain major predicate crimes, with criminal networks increasingly resorting to a combination of encrypted communications, digital payments, virtual assets, and online markets to commit fraud, drug trafficking, and launder illicit proceeds.
The paper highlights that the UAE continues to implement comprehensive reforms to enhance supervision of combating money laundering, terrorist financing, and financing of proliferation, develop oversight of virtual asset service providers, expand cyber information capabilities, and build an integrated national approach linking law enforcement agencies, supervisory authorities, and partners in the private sector.
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