Condemning the Pahalgam terrorist attack, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Monday reaffirmed its support to various countries to build and enhance their counter-financing of terrorism (CFT) measures.

FATF is the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog that sets international standards that aim to prevent these illegal activities and the harm they cause to society. 

“Terrorist attacks kill, maim and inspire fear around the world. The FATF notes with grave concern and condemns the brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April 2025. This, and other recent attacks, could not occur without money and the means to move funds between terrorist supporters,” it said.

This marks the third time the FATF has explicitly condemned a major terrorist attack, following previous condemnations in 2015 and 2019. The Pahalgam attack, which tragically claimed the lives of 26 tourists, targeted innocents in a horrifying manner – they were killed at point-blank range in front of their families after being forced to confirm their religion.

Further the statement said that the FATF has been working for 10 years to help countries stay ahead of terrorist financing risk – for example relating to abuse of social media, crowd funding and virtual assets.  “To improve this picture, the FATF will soon release a comprehensive analysis of terrorist financing, compiling cases provided by our Global Network. It will also host a webinar to help public and private sectors understand the risks and stay alert to emerging threats,” the statement said.

As highlighted by the FATF President at the recent ‘No Money for Terror Conference’ in Munich, “No single company, authority, or country can combat this challenge alone. We must be unified against the scourge of global terrorism. Because terrorists need to succeed only once to achieve their goal, while we have to succeed every time to prevent it.”

The FATF has enhanced its focus on the effectiveness of measures countries have put in place. That is how FATF has identified gaps that need to be addressed. It has developed guidance on terrorist financing risk to support experts that contribute to evaluations of the 200+ jurisdictions in the Global Network.

Published on June 17, 2025