Hong Kong Strengthens International AML Cooperation During Netherlands and Switzerland Visit

Hong Kong’s Commissioner of Police visited the Netherlands and Switzerland to discuss international law-enforcement cooperation, asset tracing, virtual assets and emerging financial technology crimes.

Hong Kong is seeking closer international cooperation in financial investigations as criminal proceeds move increasingly rapidly across institutions, asset classes and jurisdictions.

Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming led a delegation to the Netherlands and Switzerland in June 2026. The visit included meetings with senior officials from the Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland, the Swiss Federal Police, INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau in Switzerland and the Zurich Cantonal Police.

The discussions focused on cross-border money laundering, asset tracing, virtual-asset investigations, intelligence exchange and public-private cooperation.

International policing challenges discussed in The Hague

From 7 to 9 June, Chow attended the 19th Pearls in Policing conference in The Hague. The conference brought together law-enforcement leaders, academics and representatives of international organisations from 18 countries and jurisdictions.

Under the theme “Charting the Horizon: Law Enforcement Leadership in the Next Era,” participants examined how police organisations should prepare for emerging threats and changing public expectations.

Discussions covered values-based leadership, ethical policing, innovation, international cooperation and community safety. A representative of the Hong Kong Police Force’s Financial Intelligence and Investigation Bureau also participated in the conference’s International Action Learning Group.

The Netherlands segment of the visit was principally concerned with policing leadership and international collaboration. The more operationally focused financial-crime discussions took place during the delegation’s subsequent visit to Switzerland.

Meetings with Swiss financial-crime authorities

From 10 to 11 June, the Hong Kong delegation visited Zurich and met senior representatives from several Swiss authorities, including:

• The Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland;
• The Economic Crime Division of the Swiss Federal Police;
• INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau in Switzerland; and
• The Economic Crime Division of the Zurich Cantonal Police.

The two sides discussed opportunities for cooperation in financial investigations, particularly the analysis of fund flows, tracing of virtual assets and use of public-private partnerships.

They also exchanged views on intelligence sharing, cross-border money laundering, law-enforcement effectiveness and financial crimes involving emerging technologies.

No new bilateral agreement or joint operation was announced. The visit nevertheless provided a channel for developing professional relationships and identifying areas where operational cooperation could be strengthened.

Why Switzerland matters to asset tracing

Switzerland is a major international financial centre and an important jurisdiction for cross-border financial investigations. Its financial system may receive information, transactions or assets connected to cases originating elsewhere, even where the underlying offence occurred outside Switzerland.

The Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland, commonly known as MROS, serves as the country’s financial intelligence unit. It receives and analyses suspicious activity reports before disseminating relevant intelligence to competent authorities.

For Hong Kong investigators, engagement with MROS and Swiss law-enforcement agencies can support a better understanding of:

• How financial intelligence can be exchanged;
• What evidence is required to trace or restrain assets;
• How suspicious transactions spanning both jurisdictions may be analysed;
• How private-sector information can support investigations; and
• How cases involving virtual assets should be coordinated.

Personal relationships between investigators and financial intelligence officials can also improve communication when urgent cases arise. Criminal funds can be transferred through multiple accounts or converted into virtual assets within minutes, making delays particularly damaging.

Virtual assets complicate investigations

Virtual assets were among the subjects discussed during the Swiss visit.

Blockchain transactions can provide investigators with a permanent record of asset movements, but linking wallet addresses to identifiable individuals often requires information from exchanges, banks and foreign authorities.

A cross-border virtual-asset investigation may involve:

• A victim or predicate offence in one jurisdiction;
• A bank account receiving funds in another;
• A cryptocurrency exchange located in a third country;
• Wallets controlled through unidentified devices; and
• Conversion into privacy-enhancing assets or stablecoins.

Successful tracing therefore depends on combining blockchain analytics with customer records, device information, transaction data and international legal assistance.

The Hong Kong delegation also visited cybersecurity and information-security institutions in Zurich, reflecting the growing convergence of cybercrime, fraud and money laundering.

Public-private partnerships remain essential

The discussions included the role of public-private cooperation in financial investigations.

Banks, payment companies and virtual-asset service providers hold information that may reveal relationships between apparently unrelated transactions. Law-enforcement agencies and financial intelligence units, meanwhile, may possess intelligence about criminal groups, suspected mule accounts and broader transaction networks.

Neither side necessarily has a complete picture on its own.

Structured information-sharing arrangements can help regulated institutions improve transaction monitoring, identify linked accounts and submit more useful suspicious transaction reports. Authorities can then use the resulting intelligence to trace proceeds, identify suspects and prioritise restraint action.

Such cooperation must operate within applicable privacy, confidentiality and legal safeguards. Information also needs to be sufficiently specific and timely to support meaningful action.

From diplomatic engagement to operational results

International visits can strengthen relationships, but their effectiveness ultimately depends on operational outcomes.

Useful indicators would include:

• Faster responses to financial-intelligence requests;
• More joint or coordinated investigations;
• Successful identification and restraint of criminal assets;
• Improved cooperation in virtual-asset cases;
• Better-quality intelligence exchanged between jurisdictions; and
• More effective return of confiscated assets to victims.

Hong Kong and Switzerland both operate internationally connected financial systems. Continued cooperation between their financial intelligence and law-enforcement authorities could make it more difficult for criminals to exploit jurisdictional boundaries, particularly in cases involving rapid fund movements and digital assets.

The visit reflects a broader reality for AML enforcement: financial crime is increasingly transnational, while investigative powers and access to information remain largely national. Closing that gap requires trusted channels for intelligence exchange, compatible investigative methods and sustained cooperation between public authorities and the private sector.