Egmont Group

It began in 1995 when a small group of FIUs met in Brussels and agreed to cooperate. It now has well over a hundred and fifty members and a permanent secretariat. An FIU joins only if it meets the Group's definition of an FIU and accepts its principles on information exchange and confidentiality. Members swap intelligence through the Egmont Secure Web, a protected communication system, which lets one FIU ask another about a person or account linked to a case abroad. The Heads of FIU, who meet to set direction, are supported by the Egmont Committee, which coordinates the work and the working groups. The Group does not investigate cases itself, and it is separate from FATF, though they cooperate. A request through Egmont reaches a foreign counterpart directly, which is usually far faster than a formal letter between governments.

An FIU in one country receives reports showing that a local company has sent large sums to an account abroad. It uses the Egmont Secure Web to ask its counterpart in the other country what it knows about the account holder. The reply arrives in days, links the account to an earlier case, and lets police in both countries start a joint investigation.