Necessary but not sufficient: a critique of the FATF Asset Recovery Guidance and Best Practices 2025

Full credit, says Tristram Hicks, to the Financial Action Task Force for producing new guidance on asset recovery, which is very helpful, as far as it goes, but that is far from far enough. Drawing on direct experience of making asset recovery work in the United Kingdom, he suggests how the content should be augmented to become a blueprint for real, demonstrable change.

Tristram Hicks spent a decade on the UK Criminal Finance Board and in operational command of financial investigators. He now teaches and researches, and is co-author, with Nicholas Gilmour, of 'The War on Dirty Money'.

Full credit, says Tristram Hicks, to the Financial Action Task Force for producing new guidance on asset recovery, which is very helpful, as far as it goes, but that is far from far enough. Drawing on direct experience of making asset recovery work in the United Kingdom, he suggests how the content should be augmented to become a blueprint for real, demonstrable change.