20 August 2025 –
As international standards are strengthened and new tools take shape, the 19th meeting of the UNCAC Coalition’s Asset Recovery Working Group brought together experts from INTERPOL, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and civil society to reflect on what is changing in the world of asset recovery (and what comes next).
The meeting addressed two main developments: the launch of INTERPOL’s new Silver Notice Pilot for asset tracing, and FATF’s revised Standards and upcoming guidance on asset recovery. The session also featured civil society updates on ongoing cases and upcoming opportunities for engagement, especially in the lead-up to the 11th UNCAC Conference of States Parties (CoSP) in Doha in December.
INTERPOL’s new Silver Notice: Early lessons from a global pilot
INTERPOL presented its new Silver Notice, a tool that is currently being piloted to help national authorities trace criminal assets more effectively across borders. Piloted earlier this year with 51 countries, the Silver Notice is designed to complement existing INTERPOL notices but focuses specifically on identifying assets rather than individuals.
The INTERPOL Silver Notice focuses on asset tracing. The Notices can apply to a wide range of asset types, ranging from real estate, bank accounts, virtual currencies, to high-value items such as artwork or jewelry. The pilot notices are shared only with national authorities through INTERPOL’s secure systems, with transparency, governance, and trust-building being integral to the ongoing development of the Silver Notice.
Many countries across all regions of the world have already issued Silver Notices, involving a wide range of predicate offences from drug trafficking to fraud and organized crime.
FATF’s revised Standards and upcoming Guidance on asset recovery
The FATF Secretariat provided an overview of recent changes to FATF’s Standards on asset recovery and related international cooperation, and shared updates on draft guidance under development to help countries put the new Standards into practice.
In 2023, FATF introduced significant revisions to its Recommendations, providing new powers for quick interventions and seizures of suspicious or potentially illegal funds, and making non-conviction-based confiscation and extended confiscation mandatory. The changes also permit more flexibility for countries to cooperate informally (outside of formal mutual legal assistance channels) and efficiently (through the enforcement of foreign judgments).
The revised Standards also call on countries to prioritise asset recovery in their AML/CFT systems, both through policies and operational frameworks, and to have measures in place for managing assets to preserve their value, especially as cross-border cases take time to conclude. They emphasise the proactive sharing of financial intelligence and information which may generate or enrich asset recovery proceedings, and the importance of returning assets to prior legitimate owners and compensating victims of crime.
The FATF highlighted its forthcoming Asset Recovery Guidance and Best Practices. This comprehensive product will elaborate on the changes to the Standards and help countries implement them. Crucially, it will bring together best practices, country case studies, and practical tips which national authorities can use to tangibly improve their asset recovery frameworks and results.
During the meeting, the FATF Secretariat discussed the importance of partnerships, including with civil society, in recognition of the role NGOs can play in supporting asset recovery: from prompting authorities to initiate investigations and advocating for legal reforms, to helping ensure that assets are returned to victims or societies transparently and with accountability.
The Guidance will also help countries navigate safeguards which should be in place in the design and the use of confiscation powers to ensure that fundamental rights are protected, such as by incorporating due process and ensuring proportionality.
What comes next
As momentum builds around asset recovery reforms, the Working Group will continue tracking developments, especially around INTERPOL’s Silver Notice and FATF’s upcoming Guidance and Best Practices. Civil society groups were encouraged to connect with national authorities, stay engaged through the UNCAC Coalition, and contribute to global standards on asset return.
With the 11th CoSP approaching, members were also invited to start preparing advocacy messages, contribute written inputs where possible, and consider how to best raise issues such as asset transparency, victim-centred returns, and long-term monitoring of returned funds.
This blog reflects discussions held during a UNCAC Coalition Working Group meeting. Views expressed are those of participants and do not necessarily reflect the Coalition’s positions.