Who is required to file a suspicious transaction report in the UAE?
The obligation to report suspicious transactions falls on financial institutions, designated non-financial businesses and professions, and virtual asset service providers. Where any of them suspects, or has reasonable grounds to suspect, that a transaction or funds represent proceeds of crime or are linked to money laundering, terrorist financing or proliferation financing, they must notify the Financial Intelligence Unit without delay and directly, regardless of the amount involved.
The report must be a detailed submission containing all available data about the transaction and the parties to it, filed through the electronic system designated by the Unit, which in the UAE is the goAML platform. Entities must also provide any additional information the Unit requests and cannot rely on confidentiality provisions to withhold it. A limited exemption applies to lawyers, notaries, other legal professionals and independent legal auditors where the information is subject to professional secrecy.
All such reports go exclusively to the Financial Intelligence Unit, which is the single national body responsible for receiving, analysing and disseminating them. Filing promptly and completely is a core compliance obligation.
Legal Reference (UAE):
· Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025, Article 18 — requires FIs, DNFBPs and VASPs to report suspicions to the FIU without delay.
· Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025, Article 11 — makes the FIU the exclusive recipient of suspicious transaction reports.
For more details, consult the full text of Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 or seek guidance from your AML compliance officer.