Does the UAE AML law criminalise the financing of weapons proliferation?
Yes. Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 introduces proliferation financing as a distinct criminal offence, aligning the UAE with the Financial Action Task Force standards. This is one of the headline additions in the new law compared with the previous 2018 framework.
A person commits proliferation financing where they intentionally provide, collect or make available funds, directly or indirectly, knowing they will be used for the manufacture, acquisition, development, supply, transport, storage or use of weapons of mass destruction, their means of delivery, or related dual-use goods and technology. The offence also captures any act carried out to implement United Nations Security Council resolutions issued under Chapter VII concerning the prevention and suppression of proliferation and its financing. As with terrorist financing, the required knowledge may be inferred from the objective circumstances of the case.
Regulated entities should ensure their risk assessments, sanctions screening and targeted financial sanctions procedures specifically address proliferation financing, not only money laundering and terrorist financing.
Legal Reference (UAE):
· Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025, Article 3(3) — defines and criminalises the offence of proliferation financing.
For more details, consult the full text of Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 or seek guidance from your AML compliance officer.