Over the last two decades, there has been considerable focus in the international community on countering the financing of terrorism (CTF). Part of a global counter-terrorism strategy, CTF is meant to “disrupt the financial support network for terrorists and terrorist organisations” and “prevent and suppress the financing of terrorist acts.” These efforts have resulted in extensive regulatory regimes that impact companies globally, particularly and increasingly financial and communication technology companies.
Why CTF Matters for Tech Companies
Countering the financing of terrorism is a set of policies and activities aimed at reducing funds available to terrorist groups, cells, and individuals for organisational or operational activities. CTF activities have five objectives: detecting terrorist financing, denying terrorists access to funds, deterring terrorists from raising funds, disrupting financing activities, and destroying terrorist resources. CTF activities are meant to detect, deny, deter, disrupt, and destroy terrorists, their support networks, their ability to raise, use, move, store, manage, and obscure funds, and their organisational and operational activities and structures.