National authorities in the Nordic countries have prepared a joint report on the use of cash in the illegal economy in the Nordics. 

A digitised world
The global economy is increasingly digitised. The new report, "Cashing Out", shows how the population in the Nordics are much more frequent users of payment cards and other digital payment solutions compared with other European countries. Despite this, the Nordic countries hold relatively large amounts of cash.  

The Nordic countries use five different currencies. Only Finland use euros. Iceland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway all use national currencies. The report shows that authorities are in a better position to trace movements of national currencies, e.g. SEK and NOK, than movements of currencies used by multiple countries, e.g. euros.  

Deliberate cross-border cooperation
Criminal groups cooperate across national borders. This cooperation is not accidental. The criminal activities are deliberate and, to a certain degree, mutually dependent. Restrictions on cash withdrawals and legislation on declaration of cash differ between the Nordic countries. This gives criminals an incentive to move and invest their money in countries where the risk of discovery is lowest. 

– In order to introduce the money in the legal economy criminals are cashing out on crime with cash outside of our borders, transforming black money to white money, says Head of the Norwegian National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime (Økokrim), Pål Lønseth.   

According to global indices on organised crime, Sweden scored the highest of all the Nordic countries. 

– Sweden has in recent years experienced a serious and frightening increase in crime. We see how Swedish criminals expand their criminal activities abroad, in example by recruiting persons in other countries, e.g. Norway, to their business. Close cooperation between authorities in the Nordic countries is therefore of utmost importance in fighting crime, says Lønseth. 

Nordic cooperation is important
According to the Swedish police, it is very attractive for criminals to smuggle cash, guns and drugs across the border between Norway and Sweden. This because the border is very long and the areas on both sides of the border sparsely populated. In 2024, the Swedish and Norwegian police opened a joint police station at Magnormoen in order to strengthen joint efforts against cross-border crime. 

– To put ourselves where we are best able to combat cross-border crime in the Nordic countries, we have to cooperate. We have to uncover vulnerabilities and crime threats, and improve crime fighting and prevention by closing vulnerabilities in all our countries, says Lønseth. 
 

Download the nordic report (PDF file) here.