INTERPOL Launches Silver Notice to Combat Transnational Financial Crime
A New Era in Asset Recovery
INTERPOL has introduced the Silver Notice, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at tracing, freezing, and recovering assets linked to organised crime, corruption, and money laundering. This innovative tool enhances international cooperation by streamlining the process of tracking illicit funds across jurisdictions, marking a significant step forward in the fight against financial crime.
With the launch of the Silver Notice, INTERPOL strengthens its colour-coded Notices and Diffusions system, which already supports global law enforcement in various areas, including fugitive tracking (Red Notice) and public safety threats (Orange Notice). The Silver Notice is specifically designed to target criminally derived assets, making it a crucial mechanism for combating transnational financial crime.
How the Silver Notice Works
The Silver Notice is designed to assist law enforcement agencies by:
Locating and identifying illicit assets across multiple jurisdictions.
Facilitating rapid information exchange between financial intelligence units, law enforcement agencies, and asset recovery offices worldwide.
Providing a global alert mechanism to track and freeze criminally obtained funds, preventing their laundering or reinvestment into further illegal activities.
Enhancing legal cooperation among jurisdictions to support the confiscation and repatriation of stolen assets.
With an estimated $2 trillion laundered globally each year, financial crime remains one of the biggest challenges facing law enforcement agencies. The Silver Notice seeks to close loopholes exploited by criminals, ensuring that financial institutions, regulatory bodies, and government agencies can act swiftly to seize illicit funds.
Global Participation and Oversight
The Silver Notice pilot programme, launched in January 2024, involves 52 countries and territories across key regions, including Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas. Some of the nations participating in the trial include:
Australia, Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Kenya, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The trial phase will run until November 2025, during which participating countries can collectively issue up to 500 Silver Notices and Diffusions. To ensure the integrity and legitimacy of the initiative, INTERPOL’s General Secretariat will rigorously review all Silver Notice requests in line with Article 3 of INTERPOL’s Constitution, which prohibits politically motivated activities.
Addressing the Global Asset Recovery Gap
The launch of the Silver Notice comes at a critical time, as financial crime continues to undermine economies and enable organised crime, terrorism, and corruption. According to Financial Action Task Force (FATF) President Elisa de Anda Madrazo, 80% of countries struggle to seize criminal assets, and less than 2% of the world’s illicit financial flows are successfully recovered. This failure allows criminal organisations to operate with impunity, often reinvesting their illicit gains into further illegal activities.
INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza highlighted the importance of stripping criminals of their financial resources, stating:
> “Targeting illicit financial flows is one of the most effective ways to dismantle organised crime networks. The Silver Notice will provide law enforcement with a powerful new tool to trace, freeze, and recover assets that criminals attempt to hide.”
Strengthening the Global Fight Against Financial Crime
The Silver Notice is expected to complement existing AML/CFT (Anti-Money Laundering/Counter-Financing of Terrorism) frameworks by strengthening cross-border asset tracing efforts and helping nations recover billions of dollars lost to fraud, corruption, and financial crime.
This initiative represents a major step forward in global financial enforcement, marking a shift towards proactive, intelligence-driven asset recovery. As the Silver Notice trial progresses, INTERPOL will assess its impact and refine its implementation to ensure maximum effectiveness.
For law enforcement agencies, financial regulators, and compliance professionals, the Silver Notice provides a crucial tool to close financial crime loopholes, strengthen the rule of law, and disrupt the illicit economies that fuel transnational crime.
For more updates on AML enforcement, asset recovery, and global financial crime trends, visit Minerva RegTech.