Key Highlights
- 82 countries are participating in INTERPOL’s Silver Notice programme.
- The system covers cryptocurrency, cash, real estate, vehicles, businesses and other assets.
- Participating authorities have identified at least €36 million ($41 million) in assets linked to criminal investigations, according to INTERPOL.
INTERPOL is expanding its Silver Notice programme, a mechanism that lets police authorities in participating countries seek information about assets potentially connected to criminal investigations.
According to an AP report published on September 18, 82 countries are currently participating in the programme. INTERPOL said authorities involved in the programme have identified at least €36 million ($41 million) in assets so far.
The system, which began in January 2025, covers assets including cryptocurrency, cash, real estate, vehicles, businesses and other property.
How Silver Notice works
A Silver Notice allows investigators in one country to ask participating jurisdictions whether assets connected to a criminal investigation are located within their borders.
INTERPOL Director of Task Force Coordination Nicholas Court told AP that authorities can circulate a notice seeking information about property or other assets associated with a specific case.
Authorities receiving the request can then search their own databases for relevant financial or property records.
Cryptocurrency included in asset searches
Cryptocurrency is included alongside conventional forms of property under the programme.
In crypto-related investigations, information obtained through a Silver Notice can be combined with blockchain analytics, financial intelligence and domestic investigative records to help establish where suspected proceeds may have moved.
The mechanism does not independently trace blockchain transactions or authorize the seizure of digital assets. Its purpose is to facilitate access to information held by authorities in other jurisdictions.
INTERPOL said the programme can be used in cases involving crimes such as fraud, corruption, drug trafficking and human trafficking.
Italy made the first request
Italy submitted the first Silver Notice in January 2025 while investigating a senior mafia figure. According to Court, Italian authorities believed a significant portion of the suspect’s assets was located outside the country and used the notice to request information from other jurisdictions.
Brazil subsequently identified property and livestock linked to the suspect and associates, Court told AP. Italian and Brazilian authorities then began discussions over potential recovery of those assets.
The case was one of the first reported uses of the mechanism since its introduction.
Silver Notice differs from Red Notice
The Silver Notice has a different purpose from INTERPOL’s better-known Red Notice.
A Red Notice seeks the location and provisional arrest of a person wanted for prosecution or to serve a sentence. A Silver Notice instead concerns information about assets potentially connected to criminal activity.
INTERPOL reviews notices for compliance with its legal framework before circulating them among participating countries.
The Silver Notice remains a mechanism, with its current use focused on testing how countries can share asset-related information in criminal investigations.
Crypto cases show the need for cross-border information
The programme comes as authorities investigate cases where suspected crypto proceeds can move across wallets, exchanges and jurisdictions.
In July 2026, South Korean authorities sought INTERPOL assistance in an alleged $8.5 million XRP investment scam involving 71 victims. Investigators alleged that the group collected approximately 3.4 million XRP through a fake investment platform that promised guaranteed returns and fixed monthly profits.
Cases involving digital assets can require investigators to combine blockchain transaction analysis with information held by exchanges, financial institutions, and government agencies in different countries.
Wider adoption could be considered in November
The Silver Notice is still being evaluated under the programme.
According to AP, INTERPOL member countries are expected to consider whether to expand the mechanism at the organization’s General Assembly in Hong Kong in November.
Any broader rollout would still depend on individual jurisdictions and their domestic procedures for identifying, freezing, seizing and recovering assets.
For cryptocurrency investigations, the mechanism would function as an additional information-sharing tool alongside blockchain analytics, financial intelligence, and existing international law-enforcement cooperation.
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