OSCE supports Moldova in developing national risk assessment on virtual assets

In a significant step towards enhancing financial system security and integrity in Moldova, the Office for Prevention and Fight against Money Laundering (FIU Moldova), with the support of the OSCE, unveiled the country’s National Risk Assessment on Virtual Assets on 11 March, in Chisinau.

This assessment, developed by the FIU and a dedicated working group under the guidance of an OSCE expert, provides an in-depth analysis of the emerging risks associated with virtual assets and Virtual Asset Service Providers in Moldova. In addition, the assessment provides recommendations on how to address and mitigate these risks.

“This assessment is a concrete result and it is very important that it reaches all relevant institutions,” said Andrian Munteanu, Deputy Director of the FIU. “It provides a basis for the next steps to take and for us to propose a regulation in the domain of virtual assets in Moldova,” he added.

Following the presentation of the assessment, the OSCE facilitated a two-day workshop on virtual assets dedicated mainly to financial institutions, the FIU and the National Bank of Moldova. The workshop focused on regulatory compliance, emerging threats, transaction monitoring and collaboration with law enforcement.

“Empowering financial institutions with knowledge of the virtual assets ecosystem is not just about compliance—it’s about enabling innovation, mitigating risks, and fostering a more inclusive and transparent financial future,” underlined Vera Strobachova Budway, Senior Economic Officer and Head of the Economic Governance Unit at the OSCE.

The presentation and the workshop were organized as part of the extra-budgetary project “Innovative Policy Solutions to Mitigate Money-Laundering Risks of Virtual Assets”, implemented by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities and financially supported by Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, the United Kingdom and the United States.