Speaking abroad, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant recently said the global scale of laundered money was such that it could buy a laptop for every person in the world. Data backs this up: global illegal money flows reached $4.4 trillion in 2025, or 3.8% of world GDP, and are rising rapidly, with much of the money never recovered.Bank frauds are also getting bigger. In India, 4,622 cases were filed under the anti-money laundering law in the past five years, but less than 1% resulted in convictions.Here’s a lowdown on how the world’s dirty money flows, by Anoushka Sawhney.ET BureauIllicit money flows are rising faster than world GDPET BureauOrganised crime, drug networks form a bulk of this dark worldET BureauMost fraud types are growing at 20% per yearET BureauA tiny fraction of the defrauded amount is recoveredET BureauEconomic crimes are rising in IndiaET BureauPMLA cases hit a 4 year high in FY26
ET Graphics: The $4.4 trillion illicit money machine, in numbers
Global illegal money flows reached $4.4 trillion in 2025, impacting world GDP significantly. Bank frauds are increasing, with many types growing at twenty percent annually. Organized crime and drug networks fuel much of this illicit financial activity. In India, anti-money laundering cases hit a four-year high in FY26. A very small fraction of defrauded amounts is ever recovered by authorities.
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