More than 50 representatives from the public and private sectors took part in an online meeting dedicated to the presentation and discussion of the outcomes of the fourth Taskforce Meeting on Public-Private Partnership in Fighting Financial Crime in Ukraine, which took place on 9–10 December 2025. As a result of this meeting, a report was prepared. The discussions were summarised and the key recommendations were formulated by Olivier Kraft and Marta Popyk.

The report “Leveraging Partnerships and Technology to Tackle Money Mules” covers the following thematic areas:

1. Understanding the Threat. The report analyses money mule typologies, threat levels, predicate offences, and the role of criminal ecosystems. Particular attention is paid to developing a shared understanding of the problem among all relevant stakeholders.
2. Detection and Response. The report examines practical aspects of countering money mule schemes in Ukraine, including individual measures taken by banks as well as joint initiatives such as memorandum of understanding and the development of a money mule register. Special focus is placed on the potential of partnerships and technology, including regulatory aspects, data protection compliance, and the role of technological solutions such as secure information-sharing channels, real-time transaction monitoring, and federated learning.
3. Upstream Prevention. The report outlines the role of awareness-raising activities, deterrence measures, and public-private partnerships in increasing awareness and preventing individuals from being recruited into money mule schemes.

During the second part of the meeting, Daniel Thelesklaf, Head of the Financial Intelligence Unit of Germany, presented AFCA (the Anti-Financial Crime Alliance). AFCA is a German public-private partnership aimed at establishing strategic and long-term cooperation in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing. Founded in 2019, the Alliance currently brings together around 60 active members. Germany’s experience will be highly valuable for the development and implementation of Ukraine’s own public-private partnership model.

Following the presentations, participants outlined and discussed next steps to strengthen public–private partnership in Ukraine.

This roundtable discussion is a part of the Ukraine Illicit Finance Capacity Development Implementation Programme, implemented jointly with DAI Global and supported by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). The meeting was organised jointly by the Center for Financial Integrity and the Centre for Finance and Security at RUSI.