antihvitvåkt

Antihvitvåkt is a term that has appeared in some Nordic policy discussions to refer to anti-money-laundering efforts. It is not a formal designation in law, but is used in informal writing, translations, and opinion pieces to denote activities, programs, or frameworks aimed at preventing the use of financial systems to conceal illicit proceeds. The phrase is sometimes treated as synonymous with AML in Norwegian and Swedish contexts.

The word is formed from the prefix anti- combined with hvitvaking (the Scandinavian term for money laundering). The exact spelling antihvitvåkt is unusual, and in many sources the more common variants antihvitvasking or anti-hvitvasking are preferred. The term reflects a focus on countering processes that conceal the origins of illegally obtained money.

Usage and context of antihvitvåkt appears mainly in policy briefs, NGO reports, and online discussions, particularly in debates about regulatory intensity, privacy, and the balance between enforcement and civil liberties. It is often used to label a broad suite of measures intended to deter and detect money laundering, such as customer due diligence (KYC), transparency of beneficial ownership, reporting of suspicious transactions, and international cooperation.

Because antihvitvåkt is not widely standardized, there are no single, official definitions. Some critics argue that the term is vague or ambiguous, while others see it as a useful shorthand for describing comprehensive AML initiatives across financial and professional sectors. See also: anti-money laundering, KYC, financial regulation, hvitvasking.