TITLE: United Kingdom Home Office Launches Call for Evidence on Economic Crime Information Sharing
BODY:
On 9 March 2026, the United Kingdom Home Office launched a Call for Evidence on economic crime information sharing, seeking input from public, private, and third sector stakeholders on how information is currently shared to tackle economic crime and how systems could be improved.
The consultation addresses legal, operational, and cultural barriers affecting information sharing across three primary channels: private-private sharing, private-public sharing, and public-public sharing, as well as cross-border arrangements. The Home Office identified that while legal gateways exist for information sharing—including provisions under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA 2023), the Crime and Courts Act 2013 (CCA 2013), and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA 2002)—these mechanisms remain underutilised due to complexity, operational challenges, and lack of confidence among organisations.
Key areas under consultation include: the effectiveness of private-sector information sharing under ECCTA 2023 sections 188 and 189; the Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) regime and whether the suspicion threshold should change to "reasonable grounds to suspect"; the role of the National Crime Agency (NCA) under Section 7 of the CCA 2013; communications data acquisition under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (IPA 2016); and whether a broad legal gateway similar to the Digital Economy Act 2017 would benefit public-sector information sharing. The consultation also addresses cross-border sharing challenges and the role of emerging technologies including artificial intelligence and automation in detecting economic crime.
The consultation runs until 18 May 2026. Responses can be submitted via Smart Survey or by post to the Economic Crime Information Sharing Call for Evidence, Homeland Security Group, 6th Floor, Peel Building, Home Office, 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF. Enquiries should be directed to ecinformationsharingcfe@homeoffice.gov.uk.