40 FATF 40 Recommendations
40

Recommendation 40 · Group G · International Cooperation

Former: R.40

Other international cooperation

Recommendation 40 — the closing recommendation of the framework — requires every country to ensure that its competent authorities can rapidly, constructively and effectively exchange information with foreign counterparts, beyond MLA and extradition. This covers FIU-to-FIU exchange (Egmont), supervisor-to-supervisor cooperation (Basel/IOSCO/IAIS MoUs), customs cooperation (WCO), law-enforcement collaboration (INTERPOL, Europol), and asset-recovery network exchange (CARIN, ARIN-AP, RRAG).

Who must comply?

  • Financial intelligence units (FIU-to-FIU exchange)
  • Supervisors and regulators (cross-border supervisory cooperation)
  • Law enforcement and customs authorities
  • Asset-recovery offices in international networks

Key requirements

  1. 1

    Effective information exchange

    Competent authorities must be able to exchange information rapidly, constructively and effectively with foreign counterparts — for AML/CFT purposes — both spontaneously and on request.

  2. 2

    Sound legal basis

    Exchange must rest on clear legal authority — domestic law, MoUs, conventions or memoranda of cooperation — and not be blocked by overly restrictive secrecy or privacy rules.

  3. 3

    Use of information must be permitted

    Information received from a foreign authority must be usable for AML/CFT purposes, including investigation, prosecution and supervision — subject to data-protection safeguards and the originating authority's consent for further dissemination.

  4. 4

    FIU exchange

    FIUs must be capable of exchanging information through Egmont Group channels, bilateral MoUs and specific case requests — covering financial intelligence, STRs and supporting documents.

  5. 5

    Supervisor exchange

    Supervisors must be able to cooperate cross-border on AML/CFT supervision — through Basel Concordat principles, IOSCO/IAIS MoUs and bilateral arrangements — including conducting joint inspections.

  6. 6

    Law-enforcement exchange

    Police, prosecutors and customs must use INTERPOL, Europol, regional networks and bilateral arrangements to exchange operational information — supporting parallel investigations and coordinated operations.

  7. 7

    Asset-recovery network participation

    Asset-recovery offices should participate in international networks (CARIN, ARIN-AP, ARIN-WCA, RRAG) to facilitate identification, tracing and recovery of cross-border criminal assets.

  8. 8

    No tipping-off in cooperation

    Information exchanged with foreign authorities must remain confidential — disclosure to subjects of investigations is prohibited, just as in domestic STR confidentiality (R.21).

Practical example

Example: Mexico cooperates on a transnational fraud case

A transnational fraud network operates between Mexico, the US and Spain. Mexico's UIF receives an Egmont request from FinCEN with details of suspicious wires. The CNBV simultaneously responds to a request from Spain's CNMV under an IOSCO MoU. The FGR coordinates with Spain's Audiencia Nacional through the Mexico-Spain MLA treaty (R.37) to extradite a suspect (R.39) and freeze assets (R.38). Indep meanwhile coordinates with the asset-recovery network RRAG. All these channels operate in parallel — exactly the multi-channel, multi-authority cooperation that Recommendation 40 demands.

How Mexico implements it

Country-specific section in Spanish — Mexican regulatory references (LFPIORPI, CNBV, SAT, UIF).

México opera en múltiples redes internacionales para el intercambio ALA/CFT:

UIF — Egmont Group

México es miembro del Grupo Egmont desde sus inicios. La UIF intercambia información con más de 170 UIFs miembros. El portal seguro Egmont (ESW) es el canal estándar para solicitudes y diseminaciones espontáneas.

UIF: qué es, funciones y cómo opera

CNBV — MoUs con supervisores

La CNBV mantiene MoUs con SEC y OCC (EUA), FCA (Reino Unido), BaFin (Alemania), CNMV (España), ESMA (UE) y otros. Permiten cooperación supervisora cross-border, incluyendo inspecciones conjuntas y intercambio de información sobre grupos transfronterizos.

FGR — INTERPOL y redes regionales

La FGR opera la Oficina Central Nacional de INTERPOL México (NCB-México). Participa en Ameripol y otras redes regionales. Coopera con DEA, FBI, HSI (EUA), Guardia Civil (España), Polizei (Alemania) y muchos otros.

Indep — RRAG (Red de Recuperación de Activos de GAFILAT)

El Indep participa en la Red de Recuperación de Activos de GAFILAT (RRAG), que conecta oficinas de recuperación en América Latina. Facilita identificación y rastreo cross-border de activos delictivos.

GAFILAT — Cooperación regional

Como miembro fundador de GAFILAT (2000), México coopera con los 17 miembros del organismo regional. La presidencia mexicana del GAFI (2024-2026, Elisa de Anda Madrazo) ha reforzado los puentes regionales y multilaterales.

GAFI: qué es y cómo funciona en México

Milestones

  1. 1995

    Egmont Group founded — first formal FIU exchange network

  2. 1990

    Original Recommendation 40 on other forms of cooperation

  3. 2012

    Updated with broader supervisor-cooperation expectations

  4. 2024

    Mexico assumes FATF presidency — strengthening multilateral bridges

  5. 2025

    October 2025 update emphasises virtual-asset cross-border cooperation

Related Recommendations

Other Recommendations in Group G — International Cooperation

36 R.36 International instruments 37 R.37 Mutual legal assistance 38 R.38 MLA: freezing & confiscation 39 R.39 Extradition

Official citation

FATF (2012-2025), International Standards on Combating Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism & Proliferation, Recommendation 40, FATF, Paris, France. Last updated October 2025.

Read the official text on fatf-gafi.org