Pacific financial intelligence and regulatory leaders will gather in Sydney this week to strengthen regional cooperation against organised crime, money laundering, fraud, scams and other financial crime threats affecting countries across the Pacific.
Starting today, the 2026 Pacific Financial Intelligence Community (PFIC) Plenary and Pacific Supervisors Forum (PSF) will bring together Pacific Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) and anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) regulators to address shared financial crime risks and AML/CTF supervision challenges facing the region.
Hosted by AUSTRAC and FIU Naoero as co-chairs, the forums will focus on intelligence sharing, capability building and practical collaboration to combat cross-border crime. AUSTRAC CEO and PFIC Co-chair Brendan Thomas said the threats facing Pacific nations were increasingly shared, making cooperation essential.
"Criminals don't see borders the way governments do. They move money, profits and criminal activity across jurisdictions, and they look for weaknesses they can exploit," Mr Thomas said.
"The Pacific faces many of the same threats as Australia, including drug and human trafficking, fraud, scams and the misuse of emerging technologies."
"When our neighbours are better equipped to detect and disrupt criminal money flows, we're all safer."
PFIC comprises 15 Pacific financial intelligence units, including Australia and New Zealand, and provides a forum for members share intelligence, build capability and coordinate responses to emerging threats.
This year's plenary will be the fifth in-person gathering of PFIC members in five years and includes a joint session with the Pacific Supervisors Forum to strengthen cooperation between intelligence and regulatory agencies.
PFIC and Pacific Supervisors Forum (PSF) co-chair and head of the Financial Intelligence Unit of Naoero Rajas Swamy said there are no borders when it comes to transactional crimes.
“The evolving complexity of transnational organised crime and the criminal actors behind them poses significant challenges to law enforcement, regulatory agencies and the global financial Institutions,” Mr Swamy said
“Therefore, Public Private Partnership has become an important tool in our regional efforts to deal with criminals and their ill-gotten gains.
The success of the Fintel Alliance of Australia and Financial Crime Prevention Network (FCPN) of NZ are great examples to demonstrate this.
“PFIC members must remain united and continue the joint efforts in intelligence and information sharing in order to protect our blue pacific borders in accordance with the Blue Pacific Strategy.”
The PSF, established in 2019, brings together AML/CTF supervisory agencies from across the region to promote consistent responses to common regulatory challenges, share resources and strengthen cooperation.
The forum provides a platform for members to learn from each other and improve the efficiency of AML regulators across the Pacific by sharing resources, effective practices and supervision of common businesses.
AUSTRAC’s DCEO of Regulation Katie Miller is the PSF Co-Chair.
"Many of the regulatory challenges facing Pacific countries are shared across the region," Ms Miller said.
"The Pacific Supervisors Forum gives regulators the opportunity to learn from one another, share practical experience and strengthen regional capability.
"Strong AML/CTF regulation helps protect financial systems from criminal exploitation and supports confidence in the region's financial sector.”
The PFIC Plenary will be held from 12 to 14 October, followed by the Pacific Supervisors Forum on 15 October, with a joint PFIC-PSF session on 14 October.
The forums bolster the Australian Government's broader commitment to combating serious organised crime in the Pacific which recently received a $600 million in funding from the federal government.
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