{"id":6536,"date":"2026-03-16T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T05:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hub.hslu.ch\/economiccrime\/?p=6536"},"modified":"2026-03-02T11:04:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T10:04:40","slug":"interpol-silver-notices-speeding-up-the-tracing-of-criminal-assets-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hub.hslu.ch\/economiccrime\/interpol-silver-notices-speeding-up-the-tracing-of-criminal-assets-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Interpol Silver Notices: Speeding up the tracing of criminal assets"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Von Rita Sim\u00f5es<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Criminal funds can be moved across jurisdictions, layered through shell companies, or converted into digital assets in a matter of hours. By contrast, international legal cooperation frequently moves at a far slower pace. The mismatch between the speed of asset flight and the pace of enforcement is one of the central reasons why several international bodies estimate that a very high proportion of criminal assets<\/a> ultimately remain unrecovered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

INTERPOL\u2019s Silver Notices seek to narrow this gap. They provide law enforcement with an early, structured mechanism to identify and trace assets across borders, strengthening one of the weakest stages of asset recovery: the initial identification of criminal assets<\/a>. For practitioners dealing with fraud, corruption, money laundering, and organised crime, Silver Notices reflect a shift toward treating asset recovery as an enforcement priority rather than merely a consequence of criminal conviction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The state of play<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

INTERPOL launched the Silver Notice as a pilot initiative in January 2025<\/strong>, involving 52 jurisdictions across all regions<\/strong>. As of November 2025, 133 Silver Notices and 35 Diffusions<\/strong> had been published at the request of 39 countries<\/strong>, linked to suspected financial harm exceeding EUR 30 billion<\/strong>, according to INTERPOL<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Switzerland does not currently participate in the pilot and therefore does not issue Silver Notices. However, Swiss authorities may still receive Silver Notices and share information through existing police cooperation channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In November 2025<\/strong>, during the 93rd INTERPOL General Assembly in Marrakech<\/strong>, delegates approved the extension of the Silver Notice pilot, allowing additional jurisdictions to participate. For practitioners, this expansion matters: broader participation directly increases the likelihood that assets can be identified and preserved before they are moved beyond the reach of enforcement authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the Silver Notice?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

INTERPOL Notices enable countries to share critical criminal intelligence and request operational assistance across borders. A Silver Notice is a non-coercive intelligence tool designed to support the identification and tracing of assets linked to serious criminal offences. It does not, by itself, authorise the freezing, seizure, or confiscation of assets. Any such measures must be taken in accordance with national law and applicable judicial procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In practice, Silver Notices may be used to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n