FinCEN: Recognizing 20 Years of Protecting the U.S. and International Financial Systems from Abuse

Since its creation in 1990, FinCEN has played a critical role in enhancing U.S. national security and combating financial crimes, through its efforts to deter and detect criminal activity and safeguard financial systems from abuse by promoting transparency in the U.S. and international financial systems. Established to combat money laundering, track illicit financing and serve as a nexus for information gathering and sharing among Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies, FinCEN has evolved over the last two decades to include new missions to help combat terrorist financing, fraud, and other increasingly sophisticated financial crimes. Recently, in its collaborations with the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force, information collected and analyzed by FinCEN has proven to be a critical component in the fight against financial crime.

Original Department of the Treasury Order Establishing the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network