With the support of the Action against economic crime, Macedonian authorities finalised the process of sectorial money laundering and financing of terrorism risk assessment of virtual assets and virtual asset service providers. The process commenced in December 2024 and was concluded in June 2025.

A dedicated working group comprising of representatives from the Financial Intelligence Office, Customs Office, Ministry of Interior, Agency for National Security, National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia, Financial Police, Securities and Exchange Commission and the banking sector, were guided by the expertise provided by the Action, in using the money laundering and financing of terrorism (ML/FT) sectorial risk assessment methodology for virtual assets and virtual assets service providers of the Council of Europe’s Economic Crime and Cooperation Division, and collecting and analysing available data regarding virtual assets in the country.

Completing the ML/FT risk assessment of virtual assets and virtual asset service providers is another step forward in the process of strengthening the AML/CFT system of the country. This assessment will help authorities better understand and mitigate the risks linked to emerging technologies, enabling a more effective, risk-based approach to supervision and policymaking.

This initiative was implemented by the Action against economic crime in North Macedonia, within the framework of the European Union/Council of Europe joint Programme Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye.