By PAUL O’DONOGHUE, Senior Correspondent
HENNIE Verbeek-Kusters has won the 2025 ‘Financial Crime Fighter of the Year’, awarded by the GCFFC (Global Coalition to Fight Financial Crime).
Ms Verbeek-Kusters is head of the FIU Netherlands and former chair of the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units. She will also soon join AMLA’s Executive Board.
The GCFFC said Ms Verbeek-Kusters has “led efforts to advance the secure sharing and exchanging of information by financial intelligence units and foster international cooperation”. It added: “Her leadership brought innovation and impact to FIU–NL and over 170 FIUs worldwide.”
Xolisile Khanyile, Chair of the GCFFC, said Ms Verbeek-Kusters “has made outstanding contributions to the global AML/CFT community”.
“She has demonstrated leadership marked by clarity, humility, and conviction, making a significant impact throughout the FIU community internationally,” she said.
“Her enduring legacy is a more robust and interconnected global system, which continues to benefit from the foundations she established. This recognition serves as testament to her exceptional commitment and service.”
The announcement came as MEPs in the European Parliament overwhelmingly approved Hennie Verbeek-Kusters as a new member of the AMLA Executive Board. She still needs the support of a qualified majority of EU governments via the Council of the European Union. However, this is widely viewed as a formality.
Ms Verbeek-Kusters takes up the vacancy created when Marcus Pleyer became a State Secretary in the German government.
The GCFFC’s annual ‘Financial Crime Fighter of the Year’ award recognises an individual or organisation. It is for exemplary leadership in AML/CFT, detection, harm reduction, innovation, or intersectoral collaboration. Nominations and voting are conducted by GCFFC members and subject matter experts.
This year, the GCFFC received over 20 nominations for the 2025 Financial Crime Fighter Award, a historic high. Past winners made the final decision.
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