UAE: Criminals Using AI To Launder Money Faster, Study Finds

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the way criminal networks operate in the UAE, enabling fraud-as-a-service tools, AI-powered phishing kits and automated money-laundering operations, according to a new analytical paper on cyber-enabled financial crime.

The paper, 'Anatomy of a Digital Threat', published by the General Secretariat of the National Anti-Money Laundering and Combatting the Financing of Terrorism and Proliferation Financing Committee (NAMLCFTPFC), in cooperation with Themis, describes AI as a "force multiplier" for financial crime.

The General Secretariat serves as the UAE's national coordinating body for Anti Money Laundering (AML) Combatting the Financing of Terrorism (CFT), Combatting the Financing of Proliferation Financing (CPF) strategy and policy, linking regulators, law enforcement and government agencies under a unified framework.

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Themis, meanwhile, is an AI-driven financial-crime intelligence firm that works globally with public and private organisations to identify hidden risks and strengthen compliance.

The findings were released during the 2025 edition of Abu Dhabi Finance Week, where the paper formed the basis of a panel session titled Criminal Code: Mapping the Cybercrime Economy.

According to the analysis, the UAE is seeing a rise in digitally enabled fraud schemes, with criminal groups combining AI-generated content, cross-platform social engineering and automation to target victims and obscure money flows. The trends mirror several recent cases involving UAE residents, where scammers used synthetic identities, spoofed communication channels and virtual assets to launder proceeds.

Dr Ebrahim Al Alkeem, director of the National Risks and Policies Department at the General Secretariat, said the rapid evolution of cyber-enabled crime demands a unified national response.“Given the sustained, rapid evolution of cyber-enabled financial crime, the integration of current research, such as this paper, is indispensable to the wider National Risk Assessment (NRA) efforts being executed within the UAE... (for) coordinated, comprehensive, and forward-looking preventative measures.”

The paper details how criminal networks now routinely pair encrypted communications with virtual assets, automated transactions and online marketplaces to commit fraud, traffic illicit goods and move proceeds across borders. It also outlines the UAE's ongoing reforms to strengthen AML/CFT/CPF supervision, enhance oversight of virtual-asset service providers and expand cyber-intelligence capabilities in line with federal legislation introduced this year.

The paper also notes that the UAE's digital economy continues to expand at pace. The fintech market is projected to reach $3.5 billion in 2025, and crypto inflows exceeded $34 billion last year. While these developments support growth and innovation, they also widen the attack surface for cyber-enabled money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing risks.

Dickon Johnstone, CEO of Themis, said criminals are adapting faster than many organisations expect. "As cyber-enabled financial crime accelerates, the need for intelligence-led and technology-driven solutions becomes ever more critical."

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