UKFIU SARs Annual Report 2024-25 and updated SARs guidance
IPA Insolvency Practitioner newsletter, January 2026
The UK Financial Intelligence Unit (UKFIU) has published its SARs Annual Report for 2024-25, showing another strong year for the UK’s AML regime with record asset denial outcomes.
Key headlines
Volumes remain stable – 866,616 SARs received (down just 0.6% from 2023-24), demonstrating consistent reporting across the regulated sector, whilst the accountancy sector is 0.71% of the total, This remains in line with expectations that the banking sector accounts for 85% of SAR submissions.
DAML number steady – 57,666 DAML requests received (up 1%), reflecting reporters’ improved understanding of the £1,000 threshold provisions introduced in 2023.
Record asset denial – £382.6 million denied to criminals (up 59% from £240.1m), the highest ever recorded in a single year. This represents 2,048 successful Account Freezing Orders, forfeitures and restraints.
What this means for IPA members:
The significant increase in funds denied despite stable SAR and DAML volumes underscores a critical point: quality of SARs matters more than quantity. Law enforcement is achieving better outcomes from well-targeted, intelligence-rich reports.
As AML supervisor, our continued focus is on quality SARs submission:
- Include comprehensive detail and context
- Clearly articulate your knowledge or suspicion
- Provide all relevant transaction information
- Consider what makes your report actionable for law enforcement
The system is working effectively when reporters provide high-quality intelligence that enables law enforcement to act decisively. This report demonstrates the real-world impact of effective SAR reporting in protecting the UK economy and denying criminals access to the proceeds of crime.
The full report is available here and contains detailed breakdowns by sector, crime type and international cooperation statistics.
New UKFIU SARs best practice guidance
The UKFIU has issued updated SARs best practice guidance covering: using the SAR Portal, submitting a SAR, and understanding DAMLs and DATFs. The UKFIU advises that the updated guidance replaces all previous guidance.