About
DATACROS evolution
Despite advances in investigative tools, authorities still face challenges in effectively tracing assets and uncovering structures involved in complex financial crime schemes.
Since 2019, the DATACROS project has been developing and enhancing a toolbox to assess the risk of legitimate businesses being involved in collusion, corruption and money laundering crimes, by identifying anomalies in their ownership structures and suspicious links and activities.
Discover what we have achieved so far and the next steps in DATACROS III.
DATACROS I (2019-2021)
We developed a prototype version of the DATACROS tool, along with an aggregate analysis of corporate ownership anomalies across EU countries. Coordinated by the research centre Transcrime – Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, with the participation of the French anti-corruption agency, the Spanish police and IrpiMedia investigative journalists.
- Geographic Coverage: 28 EU countries, 50 mln firms
- Data Sources: 3
- Risk Indicators: 4
- Partners: 4
DATACROS II (2022-2024)
We expanded the tool’s capabilities and tested it in operational scenarios. The tool proved effective in international investigations conducted by a wide range of end-users, rating the tool’s capabilities 4.8/5: Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs), Asset Recovery Offices (AROs), Anti-corruption authorities (ACAs), Competition Authorities (CAs), and investigative journalists.
- Geographic Coverage: +200 countries, +300 mln firms
- Data Sources: +15
- Risk Indicators: +15
- Partners: 18
DATACROS III (2024-2026)
We will expand the tool’s scope across new financial domains, integrating advanced AI-driven analytics functions to detect high-risk entities while reducing false positives. We will ensure compliance with EU data protection laws and the AI Act. New capabilities will be tested in real investigations, complemented by training and workshops to enhance end-user expertise and international cooperation.
- Geographic Coverage: +200 countries, +400 mln firms
- Data Sources: +20
- Risk Indicators: +20
- Partners: 23
DATACROS III upgrades:
DATACROS III also builds on several ongoing and past projects
Among these, it will leverage KLEPTOTRACE’s intelligence on the tracing and recovery of assets linked to high-level corruption and sanctioned entities, enhancing efforts to sever ties between kleptocracy and organised crime. KLEPTOTRACE is an EU co-funded project led by Transcrime – Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.
