Macroeconomic Impacts of Money Laundering
Summary
Money laundering exerts wide-ranging effects on national and global economies by obscuring the true scale of economic activity, eroding tax revenues and undermining the stability of financial systems. Illicit funds channelled through legitimate institutions distort price signals, alter credit allocation and raise the cost of capital for honest businesses. Shadow transactions weaken regulatory oversight and can exacerbate income inequality by concentrating unreported wealth in the hands of criminal networks. Over time, these distortions feed back into official statistics for growth, investment and employment, compromising the quality of policymaking. The systemic infiltration of illicit finance may also heighten the risk of financial contagion, as banks and non-bank intermediaries become exposed to opaque asset portfolios. Policymakers now seek to balance stringent anti-money laundering frameworks with measures that safeguard financial inclusion and sustainable development.
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Macroeconomic Impacts of Money Laundering publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in macroeconomic impacts of money laundering across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Money laundering: The process of converting proceeds of crime into assets that appear legitimate through layering, integration and placement phases.
Shadow economy: Economic activities that are unrecorded or under-reported to tax and regulatory authorities, including illicit and informal transactions.
Financial contagion: The transmission of financial shocks or distress from one institution, market or country to others, often amplified by interconnected balance sheets.
Gross domestic product (GDP): The total market value of all final goods and services produced within a country’s borders over a given period.
Foreign direct investment (FDI): Cross-border investment by a resident entity in one economy into an enterprise operating in another economy, typically involving long-term management interest.
References
- How do anti-money laundering systems affect FDI flows across the globe?. Cogent Economics & Finance (2022).
- ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING REGULATIONS AND BANKING SECTOR STABILITY IN Africa. Cogent Economics & Finance (2022).
- Anti-money laundering measures and financial sector development: Empirical evidence from Africa. Cogent Economics & Finance (2023).
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