The Hawala Value Transfer System and its role in illicit financial flows, 22 October 2025

 

Latest in our CPD workshops that provide operational best practice for financial investigators and those involved in the investigation of financial crime.

 

This exclusive workshop provides financial investigators with an in-depth and operational understanding of the hawala system, an informal value transfer system (IVTS) that continues to play a significant role in both legitimate remittances and illicit financial flows.

 

Hawala remains one of the most resilient and opaque financial systems in the world, enabling fast, low-cost remittances but also posing significant risks for money laundering, terrorist financing, and tax evasion.

 

Understanding its mechanisms is essential for any serious financial crime investigation.

 

In the context of UK and global AML/CTF frameworks, hawala poses critical challenges due to its informal nature, cross-border reach, and frequent anonymity, making it a recurring focus of national risk assessments and FATF recommendations.

 

Overview of the Hawala system

This workshop will provide a comprehensive overview of the Hawala system from a technical and investigative standpoint, but also to contextualise its origins within its cultural and religious foundations, which are often misunderstood or overlooked in enforcement efforts.

 

We’ll explore the UK legal framework applicable to Money Service Businesses (MSBs), as well as the broader legislative and regulatory landscape concerning anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing, and tax evasion.

 

Abuse of Hawala and digital Hawala for illicit purposes

Special attention will be given to the abuse of Hawala and Digital Hawala.

 

In the final section, the course will focus on investigative methodologies that can be applied to identify hawala-type transactions, with a practical guide to detecting key red flags and leveraging tools such as Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs), OSINT, and financial data analysis.

 

Outline of the Day

Session One: Introduction to Hawala and Informal Remittance Systems

• Historical roots of hawala

• Operational features and trust-based mechanisms

• Informal Value Transfer Systems (IVTS): comparative overview

• Digital hawala and the role of technology

 

Session Two: Legal and Regulatory Framework (UK and International)

• FATF recommendations and global standards

• UK AML/CTF laws: POCA 2002, MLR 2017, Terrorism Act 2000

• Role and obligations of Money Service Businesses (MSBs)

• Legal grey areas: hawaladar registration, enforcement approaches

 

Session Three: Illicit Uses: Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing

• Case studies: layering, cash smuggling, tax evasion

• Terrorism financing through hawala networks

• Use of crypto-assets in modern hawala

• Organised crime and diaspora exploitation

 

Session Four: Investigative Methodologies and Red Flags​

• Red flags: financial, behavioural, and operational indicators

• Use of SARs, OSINT, and data analysis

• Role of UKFIU, JMLIT, and international coordination

• Undercover strategies and practical investigative techniques

 

Session Five: Lessons learned from real cases (UK and abroad)

• Practical walkthrough of a hawala investigation

 

Our Speaker

Antonio Rossi is a Certified Fraud Examiner with over a decade of experience in the fields of financial crime, fraud investigation, and anti-money laundering (AML).

 

After working for ten years with a Big Four firm across Europe, he now focuses on training and advisory services for law enforcement agencies, financial institutions, private sector and international organisations.

 

His areas of expertise include Islamic finance, with a particular emphasis on the intersection between informal financial systems and financial crime, including hawala networks and their use in terrorist financing and money laundering schemes.

 

Antonio has also conducted advanced training sessions on OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) techniques to support investigative strategies.

 

He regularly collaborates with public and private entities to deliver specialised training on illicit financial flows, cryptocurrency abuse, and risk-based approaches to AML/CTF compliance.

 

He holds internationally recognised certifications and is a frequent speaker at conferences and workshops across Europe.

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HOW TO BOOK

Cost: £199.50 + VAT (GBP) per delegate per workshop (LEA and Government Agency rate).  £249.50 + VAT (Industry rate), per delegate 

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Group bookings: We offer various discounts for group bookings depending on numbers, please contact us for details.

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Booking: Please send the delegates name(s), email address(es) and purchase order (made out to The Investigator) to booking@the-investigator.co.uk or telephone +44(0)844 660 8707 for further information. 

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Payment can be made by PayPal/debit/credit card. ​The meeting link will be sent out 7 days before the event.

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