The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), headquartered in Paris, France, has warned that terrorist groups are increasingly exploiting social media, instant messaging and streaming platforms to raise and move funds, as digital technologies create new avenues for financing terror activities.
In a latest report, the global anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing watchdog said the rapid evolution of social media, messaging and streaming platforms (SMSPs) has significantly expanded the financial tools available to terrorist networks.
"Once used primarily for communication and propaganda, these platforms now incorporate payment systems, virtual assets, creator monetisation features and cross-border financial services, making them attractive channels for fundraising and financial transfers," it noted.
The report, Detecting and Disrupting Terrorist Financing Activity Through Social Media, Instant Messaging Applications and Streaming Platforms (SMSPs), a copy of which is with TNIE, builds on the FATF’s 2025 Comprehensive Update on Terrorist Financing Risks and highlights a range of emerging financing methods employed by terrorist organisations.
"According to the FATF, terrorist groups are increasingly using fraudulent humanitarian crowdfunding campaigns, creator-economy features, virtual asset donations, live-streaming and tipping functions to solicit funds," the report highlighted.
“Such entities are also exploiting QR codes and rotating cryptocurrency wallets to receive donations while using encrypted messaging, disappearing content and coded language to evade law enforcement and financial intelligence agencies. In some cases, commercial entities are being used to disguise or facilitate terrorist financing activities,” the report read.
The anti-terror global watchdog said the growing integration of artificial intelligence, decentralised finance (DeFi), virtual assets, encrypted communications and embedded payment systems have made terrorist financing more sophisticated, requiring stronger collaboration among governments, financial institutions and technology companies.
The report also found significant gaps in countries’ preparedness to address these evolving risks.
Fewer than 30 per cent of reporting jurisdictions currently include terrorist financing risks associated with social media, messaging and streaming platforms in their national risk assessments.
“Through its work, the FATF has found that less than 30 per cent of reporting jurisdictions are covering terrorist financing risks through SMSPs in their national risk assessments, so it is essential to step up global efforts to identify and counter this evolving threat,” it said.
FATF President Elisa de Anda Madrazo, in a statement, said the shift to digital platforms has dramatically expanded the reach of terrorist financing networks.
“Terrorist financing has gone digital, and with it, the ability to reach billions of people and magnify the impact of attacks has never been greater. No single jurisdiction or authority can address this threat alone, so we need to work closely together to prevent criminals from misusing these platforms to cause harm around the world,” she said.
The FATF said it worked with major technology companies and specialist think tanks in preparing the report to better understand emerging vulnerabilities and develop practical responses.
Among its recommendations, the watchdog called for stronger public-private partnerships, enhanced information sharing, improved coordination among national agencies, better understanding of platform monetisation features, more robust risk assessments and greater integration of financial and digital intelligence.
While social media, messaging and streaming platforms themselves are not directly covered under FATF's anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing standards, the organisation noted that financial activities conducted through these platforms may already fall within the scope of existing international regulations.
This underscores the need for countries to strengthen enforcement as terrorist financing increasingly shifts to the digital ecosystem.
