On 22–23 October, Vilnius will host the 2026 Annual Summit of the Global Coalition to Fight Financial Crime (GCFFC). More than 200 representatives of international organizations, the public sector and the private sector will discuss how to combat financial crime in the digital age, as technology creates new opportunities not only for the financial sector but also for criminals.
The international organizations represented at the meeting will include the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which sets international standards for combating money laundering and terrorist financing; the European Union’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA); the Egmont Group, which brings together national financial intelligence units; the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Financial sector, risk management, and technology experts will also take part in the event.
This year’s meeting will focus on “Financial Crime Fighting in the Digital Age: AI, Cross-Border Threats and Data Privacy.”
The event is hosted by the Centre of Excellence in Anti-Money Laundering (AML Centre), in cooperation with Go Vilnius, Vilnius’ official business development agency, and ISM University of Management and Economics.
Artificial intelligence, digital assets, and cross-border payments are creating new opportunities for the financial sector. At the same time, they are giving criminals new tools to scale up fraud, steal identities and conceal the origins of illicit funds. As a result, professionals working to prevent and investigate financial crime increasingly need not only to respond to emerging threats but also to anticipate them.
Keeping pace in this technology race requires more than advanced tools. It also calls for knowledge-sharing, high-quality data, and closer international cooperation. In Vilnius, experts will discuss how artificial intelligence can be used to detect and investigate financial crime, how to reconcile personal data protection requirements with effective information sharing, and how to strengthen collective responses to global threats.
“Technology is changing both the nature of financial crime and the tools available to fight it. But technology alone will not deliver better outcomes. We also need the right conditions for trusted information sharing, international cooperation and responsible use of data. Bringing policymakers, authorities and industry together allows us to move beyond identifying the challenges and focus on practical approaches that can strengthen the fight against financial crime,” says Che Sidanius, Global Head of Financial Crime & Industry Affairs, LSEG and Founder & Vice-Chair, Global Coalition to Fight Financial Crime.
The two-day programme will feature discussions on artificial intelligence in financial crime prevention, large-scale fraud, trade-based money laundering, and financial investigations. Experts will examine ways to enhance information sharing, strengthen asset recovery, and disrupt criminal networks.
Crypto-assets will receive particular attention. The meeting will feature a presentation of the Virtual Asset Crypto Wallet Attribution Center, an initiative designed to help link crypto-asset wallet addresses to information relevant to investigations. The programme will also address the links between corruption and money laundering, illicit financial flows behind atrocity crimes, and criminal activities that harm the environment.
The second day of the meeting will focus on translating shared priorities into action. Experts will discuss how to reconcile data protection with financial crime prevention in Europe, the need for regional cooperation initiatives, investigations involving digital assets, and the use of blockchain data in legal proceedings. Participants will also consider the proposed GCFFC priorities for 2026–2027, covering artificial intelligence, data sharing, fraud, trade-based money laundering, and anti-corruption efforts.
These topics reflect a common challenge: financial crime frequently crosses national borders, while information needed for investigations is scattered across different authorities and private companies. A key part of the meeting will therefore focus on practical recommendations to strengthen international cooperation and coordinated action.
“Financial institutions and fintech companies in Lithuania serve more than 30 million customers worldwide, making effective financial crime prevention particularly important for our sector. This is also an opportunity to build and share expertise, strengthen the sector’s maturity, and contribute to the development of international solutions. We are delighted to welcome experts to Vilnius and provide a platform for sharing practical insights and identifying solutions that work in practice,” says Greta Barkauskienė, an expert at the Centre of Excellence in Anti-Money Laundering.
The GCFFC Annual Summit aims to foster international dialogue, the exchange of expertise, and the development of practical solutions. Working groups are expected to formulate recommendations to strengthen collective action and establish priorities for future cooperation. The meeting programme is available here: https://www.gcffc.org/annual-summit-2026.
About the Center of Excellence in Anti-Money Laundering
Launched on 17 May 2021, the Center of Excellence in Anti-Money Laundering operates on the principle of public-private partnership and aims to strengthen anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing by developing best practices and educating existing and new AML specialists.
The founders of the Center of Excellence in Anti-Money Laundering are the Bank of Lithuania, the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania, commercial banks (Revolut Bank, UAB, Swedbank, AB, AB SEB Bank, Luminor Bank AS Lithuanian branch, AB Artea Bank, OP Corporate Bank plc Lithuanian branch, AS Citadele banka Lithuanian branch, and UAB Urbo bank).
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