The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), as the country’s financial intelligence unit (FIU), has recently concluded its hosting of the 2025 Plenary of FIU-member countries of the Financial Intelligence Consultative Group (FICG) in Makati on 25-27 June 2025. 

The AMLC is a founding member and an active participant of the FICG.   The AMLC Executive Director, Atty. Matthew M. David, is the FICG Co-Chair, together with Deputy CEO Intelligence John Moss of the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), the Australian FIU. 

The FICG is a collective regional body of FIUs from Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. It collaborates and shares risk assessments/studies, strategic analysis, and actionable intelligence to improve the effectiveness and capability of the FIUs to combat money laundering, terrorism financing, and other serious transnational crimes, to strengthen the security of the financial systems in the region. The FICG Secretariat is based in Australia. 

The 2025 Plenary included representatives from the FIUs of Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, New Zealand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Vietnam. Representatives from the Fiji FIU and the Japanese FIU also attended as observers.  

“This year’s Plenary discussed and reviewed operational and strategic priorities, endorsed working group outcomes, and established priorities for the following year,” said Executive Director David. 

“These series of discussions and meetings culminated in the identification of strategic priorities for 2025-26. These include reducing the regional threat of cyber-enabled transnational crime, such as scams, human trafficking, child sexual abuse and exploitation, narcotics trafficking, illegal online gambling, enabled by cryptocurrencies and/or online payment platforms. In addition, the FICG is exploring new strategic partnerships to engage international cooperation, and continuing its collaboration with the 15-member Pacific Financial Intelligence Community (PFIC),” he added.    

• Declaration of 22 - 24 July 2025 as Non-Reporting Days