Senior experts from five Central Asian countries of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan participated in knowledge exchange

The Department of Revenue (DoR), in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), successfully organised the first-ever Capacity Building Programme for Central Asian Republics (CARs) on ‘Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) through Cryptocurrencies, Crowdfunding, and Non-Profit Organisations’. The two-day programme was held on 21^st-22^nd April, 2025.

Bringing together senior experts from five Central Asian countries — Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan — the programme served as a platform for knowledge exchange and regional cooperation in tackling terrorism financing. Participants benefited from a series of sessions led by Indian authorities, including representatives from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Cell of the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Home Affairs, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and the Financial Intelligence Unit – India (FIU-IND). Additionally, an expert from the Eurasian Group (EAG), a FATF-style regional body (FSRB), contributed valuable insights on Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) standards, with a focus on the non-profit and virtual asset sectors.

Customised to the specific needs of the Central Asian region, the programme aimed to build technical capacity and deepen understanding of emerging terrorism financing risks. Through interactive discussions, case studies, and the sharing of operational best practices, the initiative fostered a collaborative approach to addressing key challenges.

Technical sessions explored a broad range of issues, including the use of financial intelligence in terrorism-related investigations, the growing threat posed by the misuse of Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs), and the exploitation of crowdfunding platforms. Additional discussions covered the financing of radicalization and the abuse of Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs) for terrorist purposes.

This initiative marks a significant step forward in strengthening regional cooperation and resilience against terrorism financing, reflecting India’s commitment to global counterterrorism efforts.

Countering terrorism financing: regional capacity building on cryptocurrencies, crowdfunding and non-profit vulnerabilities strengthens AML/CFT cooperation. The programme concentrated on technical CFT measures to detect and disrupt misuse of virtual assets, crowdfunding, and non-profit organisations, presenting operational frameworks for using financial intelligence, identifying VASP and crowdfunding risks, and sharing investigative typologies and best practices to enhance detection, reporting, and inter-agency coordination; it convened Central Asian officials and AML/CFT experts to align regional practice with international standards and foster cooperative networks for cross-border information exchange.