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NCA Publishes 2025 National Strategic Assessment of SOC

28 March 2025

NCA Publishes 2025 National Strategic Assessment of SOC

The National Crime Agency released the 2025 National Strategic Assessment of Serious Organised Crime (SOC).

 

The assessment highlights the growing scale and complexity of financial crime threats facing the UK.

Key takeaways include:

➡️ Money laundering remains a major concern, with criminals exploiting professional services, cryptoassets, and complex corporate structures to conceal illicit funds;

➡️ Fraud is the most commonly reported crime in the UK, with authorised push payment (APP) fraud, investment scams, and phishing attacks—often powered by artificial intelligence (AI) —causing billions in losses;

➡️ The misuse of financial systems by state and non-state actors engaged in sanctions evasion and illicit finance is increasing, including through cryptoassets and weak international regulation; and

➡️ Professional enablers such as lawyers, accountants, and trust or company service providers (TCSPs) are often being used to help criminals launder money and obscure ownership structures.

✅ Firms should review the report as part of ensuring FCC frameworks are comprehensive and responsive to evolving financial crime threats.