Focus & Scope
Advances in Financial Crime and Law (AFCL) is an international peer-reviewed journal that focuses on the advancement of knowledge and research in the fields of financial crime, criminal law, financial regulation, and legal-policy responses to economic and financial misconduct. The journal provides a scholarly platform for theoretical, empirical, comparative, and interdisciplinary studies that examine the complex relationship between law, finance, governance, technology, and criminal justice systems in preventing and addressing financial crimes.
AFCL welcomes high-quality research covering, but not limited to, the following areas:
1. Financial Crime and Economic Offenses
Studies addressing various forms of financial and economic crimes, including:
- Money laundering and illicit financial flows
- Terrorist financing and financial support networks
- Fraud, financial deception, and economic manipulation
- Corruption and bribery-related offenses
- Tax evasion, tax fraud, and tax crime enforcement
- Banking and financial sector crimes
- Securities and investment fraud
- Corporate crime and white-collar crime
- Insider trading and market abuse
- Asset misappropriation and financial misconduct
2. Criminal Law and Financial Crime Regulation
Research examining the legal frameworks and criminal justice approaches used to regulate and prosecute financial crimes, including:
- Substantive and procedural criminal law related to financial offenses
- Criminal liability of individuals and corporations
- Corporate criminal responsibility
- Criminal sanctions and sentencing policies
- Comparative criminal law approaches
- International criminal law cooperation
- Legal reform and development of financial crime legislation
- Judicial decisions and case analysis related to financial crime
3. Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing (AML/CFT)
Research focusing on policies, institutions, and mechanisms for preventing financial crime, including:
- AML/CFT regulatory frameworks
- Financial intelligence and reporting systems
- Suspicious transaction monitoring
- Compliance obligations of financial institutions
- Effectiveness of anti-money laundering regimes
- International AML/CFT standards and implementation
- Role of financial intelligence units and regulatory authorities
4. Financial Regulation, Governance, and Compliance
Studies exploring the role of regulation and governance in preventing financial misconduct, including:
- Financial market regulation
- Regulatory compliance and risk management
- Corporate governance and financial integrity
- Internal control systems and compliance mechanisms
- Regulatory enforcement and supervision
- Ethics, accountability, and transparency in financial institutions
- Governance challenges in preventing economic crime
5. Cyber-Enabled Financial Crime, FinTech, and Digital Assets
Research addressing emerging financial crimes associated with technological development, including:
- Cybercrime and digital financial fraud
- Cryptocurrency-related crimes
- Blockchain and virtual asset regulation
- Digital payment fraud
- FinTech compliance and regulatory challenges
- Cyber-enabled money laundering
- Digital evidence and technology-based law enforcement
6. Asset Recovery and International Cooperation
Research examining mechanisms for recovering criminal proceeds and combating transnational financial crime, including:
- Asset tracing and confiscation
- Recovery of proceeds of crime
- Cross-border financial crime investigations
- Mutual legal assistance and international cooperation
- International regulatory harmonization
- Law enforcement collaboration across jurisdictions
7. Financial Crime, Criminology, and Criminal Justice
Interdisciplinary studies connecting financial crime with criminological and justice perspectives, including:
- Causes and patterns of financial crime
- Behavioral aspects of offenders
- Organizational and institutional factors influencing financial crime
- Criminal justice responses
- Law enforcement strategies
- Victimization and social impacts of financial crimes
8. Public Policy and Legal Responses to Financial Crime
Research analyzing policy development and institutional responses, including:
- Public policy approaches to financial crime prevention
- Regulatory effectiveness evaluation
- National and international financial crime strategies
- Institutional capacity building
- Policy innovation in combating economic crime
- Evidence-based approaches to financial crime governance
AFCL encourages contributions from scholars, researchers, legal practitioners, policymakers, regulators, economists, criminologists, financial experts, and technology specialists. The journal particularly welcomes interdisciplinary perspectives that provide new insights into the evolving challenges of financial crime and the development of effective legal and regulatory solutions.