On 1 November 2023, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) published a report on crowdfunding for terrorism financing.

The majority of crowdfunding activity is legitimate, but events around the world have demonstrated that it can also be exploited for illegal purposes. This includes terrorists and terrorist groups who exploit fundraising platforms and crowdfunding activities on social media to seek funding for their terrorist cause from a global audience.

This FATF report analyses how terrorists misuse crowdfunding platforms. The report, which draws on experiences from the FATF Global Network, industry experts, academia and civil society examines the challenges faced in detecting and preventing terrorist financing through the crowdfunding ecosphere. Challenges include the complexity of crowdfunding operations, the use of anonymising techniques, and lack of training and terrorist financing expertise within the crowdfunding industry to detect suspicious activity.

The report highlights good practices, starting with the inclusion of crowdfunding in national terrorist financing risk assessments, outreach to the crowdfunding sector, and strong domestic and international information sharing mechanisms.