Mariano Federici has co-authored an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) paper discussing how the art market and cultural heritage assets have become ripe for financial crime. In “Cultural Property, Art, and Money Laundering: A Look at the Crime Behind the Canvas” (March 2025), Mariano and co-author Roberto De Michele explain the vulnerability of cultural heritage assets to money laundering and other financial crimes. They identify several challenges leading to that vulnerability, including the difficulties countries face in properly assessing money laundering risks in these markets and in consistently implementing appropriate policies to mitigate them. They also highlight good practices that can strengthen integrity in this sector.
Read the paper in full.