Geographic Targeting Order Imposing Recordkeeping and Reporting Requirements on Certain Money Services Businesses Along the Southwest Border | FinCEN.gov
The GTO directly imposes recordkeeping and reporting requirements on US money transmitters and money services businesses operating in a designated geographic area, which is core US money transmission regulation.
Low confidence — requires human review. While the GTO targets money services businesses broadly, the enhanced reporting obligations relate to AML/CFT compliance rather than a specific payments product or service.
Specialism
The GTO explicitly targets money laundering and terrorist financing risks through enhanced recordkeeping and reporting requirements for money services businesses, which is core AML/CTF regulatory activity.
The GTO is a regulatory reporting obligation requiring affected money services businesses to submit transaction reports and maintain enhanced records to FinCEN.
2026-03-11 13:22:48·pdonofrio@vixio.com
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TITLE: United States Financial Crimes Enforcement Network Issues Geographic Targeting Order for Southwest Border Money Services Businesses
BODY:
On March 6, 2026, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a Geographic Targeting Order (GTO) imposing recordkeeping and reporting requirements on certain money services businesses operating along the southwest border of the United States.
The GTO requires affected money services businesses to maintain enhanced records and submit reports on transactions meeting specified criteria within the designated geographic area. Geographic Targeting Orders are enforcement tools used by FinCEN under the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) to address money laundering and terrorist financing risks in specific regions. This order targets money services businesses, which include money transmitters, check cashers, and similar entities that facilitate the movement of funds.
The southwest border region has been identified as an area of heightened financial crime risk, and this GTO aims to increase transparency and enable law enforcement to better detect and investigate suspicious financial activity. Money services businesses subject to this order must comply with the enhanced recordkeeping and reporting obligations outlined in the GTO notice.
Affected money services businesses should review the full GTO notice published by FinCEN to understand their specific compliance obligations, including the types of transactions requiring reporting, the information that must be recorded, and applicable deadlines for submission. Businesses operating in the designated geographic area should ensure their systems and procedures are updated to meet these requirements.
**Reference:**
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Geographic Targeting Order Imposing Recordkeeping and Reporting Requirements on Certain Money Services Businesses Along the Southwest Border. March 6, 2026. Available at: https://www.fincen.gov/