What is the Financial Intelligence Agency?

The Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) is statutorily mandated to act as a central Agency responsible for requesting, receiving, analyzing and disseminating to an investigatory authority, supervisory authority or comparable body, disclosures of financial information, concerning suspicious transactions, required by or under any enactment in order to counter financial offenses; or concerning the financing of any activities or transactions related to money laundering, terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in order to protect the integrity and stability of the financial system at national and international level.

Functions

The Financial Intelligence Agency as a central Agency, receives financial information from specified parties, supervisory and accountable institutions to analyse such information and where there is a suspicion of money laundering, terrorist financing or the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction offence, it disseminates the disclosure of information to law enforcement agencies and supervisory authorities, for investigation and possible prosecution.

It is also mandated to coordinate Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) activities in the Country. The Agency also assists in informing policy direction by conducting research on trends of money laundering and terrorist financing and educating and informing the public about trends in money laundering and related crimes.

The FIA further exchanges and shares information with its foreign counterparts and undertakes typology studies on money laundering and terrorist financing techniques.

It is also mandated to coordinate Anti-Money Laundering, Combating the Financing of Terrorism and counter the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (AML/CFT/CPF) activities in the Country. The FIA informs policy direction by conducting research on trends of money laundering, terrorist financing and the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, while educating and informing the public about related crimes.

Legislation

• Financial Intelligence Act No. 2 of 2022
• Financial Intelligence Regulations 2022
• Financial Intelligence (Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions) Regulations
• Financial Intelligence Act (PDF) 2009
• Financial Intelligence Regulation 2013
• The Financial Intelligence (Amendment) Act 2018
• The Financial Intelligence (Amendment) Regulations, 2018
• Counter-Terrorism (Implementation Of United Nations Security Council Resolutions) Regulations, 2020
• Proceeds and Instrument of Crime Act
• Counter Terrorism Act

Publications

Reports

• FIA Annual Report 2023
• FIA Annual Report 2024
• Botswana’s Mutual Evaluation Report - 2007
• Botswana’s Mutual Evaluation Report - 2017
• Trusts Risk Assessment Report
• Non Profit Organizations Risk Assessment Report
• Legal Persons Risk Assessment Report
• FATF Report on Money Laundering and Illegal Wildlife Trade
• How can private sector help stop money laundering from illegal wildlife trade?
• A Study On Cross-Border Cash Declarations In Botswana
• Trends Report: 2016 - 2020
• Car Dealership Risk Assessment Report
• Trends Report: January - December 2021
• Trends Report: January - June 2023
• Trends Report: July - December 2023
• Financial Stability Report - October 2024

Guidance Notes

• Terrorism Financing Guidance Notes
• Guidance Notes for attorneys
• Guidance Notes for detection of Covid-19 related fraud
• Guidance Notes on Reporting of Suspicious Transactions
• Guidance Notes on Customer Due Diligence
• Counter Proliferation Financing Guidance Notes
• goAML Registration Guidance Notes
• goAML Suspicious Transaction Reporting Guidance Notes
• Notice of High Risk Countries (30th July 2021)
• Notice of High Risk Countries (25th October 2021)
• Notice of High Risk Countries (15th November 2022)
• Notice of High Risk Countries (28th June 2023)
• Notice of High Risk Countries (22nd November 2023)
• Notice of High Risk Countries (29th February 2024)
• Notice of High Risk Countries (08th July 2024)
• Notice of High Risk Countries (20th November 2024)
• Notice of High Risk Countries (24th February 2025)

Media Releases

• FIA Rebuttal on the Tuesday Grill Publication article titled 'Anglo American caught in a plot to topple Masisi'
• Media Release - Online Investment Scams
• Media Advisory - Virtual Assets and Illegal Investment Scams
• FATF Public Statement on the Financing of ISIL, Al Qaeda and Affiliates

Contacts

Financial Intelligence Agency
Private Bag 0190
Gaborone, Botswana
www.finance.gov.bw
Tel: +267 3998400
Email: fia-pr@gov.bw