Morocco ranked among vigilant nations in 2025 global economic crime index

The 2025 Global Economic Crime Index, published by Secretaria, a firm specializing in legal consultancy and risk management, ranked Morocco 75th out of 177 countries, with a score of 2.14 points.

The Kingdom was placed in the category of “Vigilant Countries,” which are recognized for implementing effective measures to combat financial crimes and for continuously enhancing their regulatory frameworks to better address emerging risks.

The index, featured in Secretaria’s annual report on projections for financial and economic crime risks in 2025, ranked three Scandinavian countries—Finland, Denmark, and Iceland—at the top globally, classifying them as “Transparent Countries.” Norway, Sweden, Canada, and Singapore were also included in this category, representing the countries with the lowest incidence of such crimes worldwide.

Conversely, Myanmar was ranked at the bottom of the global index, falling under the “Poorly Regulated” category alongside 15 other nations, including Yemen, Libya, Iran, Syria, Chad, Sudan, and Venezuela. These countries are characterized by the widespread prevalence of financial crime and deeply rooted corruption within their economic systems.

The Global Economic Crime Index categorizes countries into four distinct groups based on the nature and severity of risks associated with financial crime. This assessment integrates three key dimensions: money laundering, corruption, and organized crime. Morocco was placed in the second tier, alongside 63 other countries, including the United States, Germany, and Japan.

The report by Secretaria emphasized that crimes such as money laundering, fraud, and market abuse are on the rise, driven by rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, virtual assets, and decentralized finance.

It projected that illicit financial flows worldwide could reach approximately USD 6 million by 2030, underscoring the urgent need for financial institutions to adopt regulatory technology (RegTech) solutions to enhance compliance and proactively combat financial crime. The report also highlighted the importance of developing mechanisms to detect and respond to AI-driven online financial fraud.

The report anticipated a 60% surge in AI-enabled financial fraud by the end of this year. It noted that the emergence of real-time payment systems and Automated Clearing House (ACH) transfers has significantly increased instances of financial fraud. At the same time, deepfake technology has enabled fraudsters to impersonate clients or executives, authorizing illicit transactions or crafting realistic messages to deceive employees into transferring funds or sharing sensitive information.

Secretaria recommended strengthening anti-impunity measures and employing advanced screening and monitoring technologies to uncover hidden ownership structures and suspicious transactions. The company also urged financial institutions to bolster internal governance and accountability, provide employee training on financial crime prevention, and leverage artificial intelligence for comprehensive risk management.