Financial intelligence analysis is the work of turning raw financial information into findings that law enforcement and other authorities can act on. Its main home is the national financial intelligence unit, which receives each suspicious activity report filed by banks and other reporting entities, along with cash and cross-border transfer reports. Analysts link these to company registers, police records, tax data and information from foreign units to build a picture of who is moving money, how and why.
The standards of the Financial Action Task Force distinguish two kinds. Operational analysis follows specific people, accounts and transactions to identify targets and trace proceeds, often supporting asset tracing. Strategic analysis looks across many reports to identify trends, typologies and emerging threats, which feed national risk assessments and guidance to industry. Results are disseminated to investigators, prosecutors and supervisors. Banks carry out similar analysis internally during a suspicious activity investigation.