The fight against the financing of terrorism-selected challenges and potential solutions Category: Research Article

The fight against terrorism has been a significant challenge for civilised countries. Although the "war on terrorism" has been in full effect since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, terrorism continues to pose a threat to the global society. To investigate how current CFT measures could be improved, a qualitative study consisting of a preliminary study with 15 presumed providers of illegal financial services and 15 compliance experts was conducted. Based on the empirical findings, five novel counter the financing of terrorism measures in the form of a more extensive exchange of information between private actors and the authorities, administrative and legal cooperation, scrutiny of professional secrecy, undercover investigations and electronic searches are suggested. The intention is to give law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies, prosecutors, legislators and compliance experts first-hand insights into challenges that arise from the current CFT measures and how these challenges can be mitigated.