New record for anti-money laundering operations. In the first six months of 2026, suspicious transaction reports (SOS) reached 90,200, the highest level ever recorded in a six-month period, with a growth of 11.6% compared to the same period in 2025. These are data from the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) of the Bank of Italy.
At the same time, the UIF analyzed 90,049 reports, an increase of 10.7% on an annual basis; also in this case it is the highest value ever. The amounts are close to 61 billion euros, of which almost 55 billion referable to operations actually carried out, compared to approximately 53 billion in the first half of 2025.
Italian banks and post offices still protagonists
Driving the growth are above all banks and the Italian Post Office, which remain the main reporting channel with 55,653 SOSs, equal to 61.7% of the total. The sector is growing both in absolute value (+10,021 reports) and in percentage weight, up from 56.5% the previous year. As the UIF explains:
the increase in flows was recorded throughout the entire semester and was mainly determined by two online banks, confirming what was already observed in 2025.
However, the performance of other intermediaries and financial operators was different, as they sent 16,738 reports (18.6% of the total), down 11.1% compared to the same period in 2025.
Gold and precious metals, jump of 164%
Among non-financial subjects, who overall sent 17,809 SOSs (+8.8%), the exploit of the gold and precious metals sector stands out: reports went from 1,439 to 3,805, with an increase of 164.4%. The subjects active in the custody and transport of valuables are also growing, from 258 to 460 communications.
In contrast:
- gaming service providers: -16.7%;
- professionals: -2.8% (with notaries, at 4,883 SOS, still a prevalent component but slightly decreasing by 3.2%);
- Public administration: just 247 reports, down 18.5%.
Regional and provincial data
From a territorial perspective, there remains a strong concentration of reports in the main metropolitan areas. The provinces of Milan, Rome and Naples collect, in absolute terms, almost a third of the national total.
If we compare the reports to the resident population, in addition to Milan (375 SOS per 100,000 inhabitants) and Naples (256), particularly high values are observed in the provinces of Prato (241), Trieste (219) and Reggio Emilia (211). This confirms “a significant intensity of signaling even in territories other than the main urban centres”, explains the UIF.
The ranking of the regions
These are the regions with the highest number of reports, with reference to the first half of 2026:
- Lombardy: 19,891 SOS;
- Campania: 11,302 SOS;
- Lazio: 9,416 SOS;
- Veneto: 5,961 SOS;
- Emilia-Romagna: 5,875 SOS;
- Sicily: 5,248 SOS;
- Piedmont: 4,976 SOS;
- Tuscany: 4,400 SOS;
- Puglia: 3,942 SOS;
- Calabria: 1,957 SOS;
- Sardinia: 1,605 SOS;
- Liguria: 1,882 SOS;
- Marche: 1,540 SOS;
- Friuli-Venezia Giulia: 1,451 SOS;
- Abruzzo: 1,239 SOS;
- Trentino-Alto Adige: 1,114 SOS;
- Umbria: 777 SOS;
- Basilicata: 377 SOS;
- Molise: 267 SOS;
- Valle d’Aosta: 192 Sus.
The ranking of cities
This is the top 10 cities with the highest number of reports, always according to the 1st half. 2026:
- Milan: 12,206 SOS;
- Rome: 7,995 SOS;
- Naples: 7,556 SOS;
- Turin: 2,901 SOS;
- Palermo: 1,640 SOS;
- Bergamo: 1,412 SOS;
- Brescia: 1,735 SOS;
- Bari: 1,250 SOS;
- Padua: 1,249 SOS;
- Bologna: 1,188 Sus.
Suspensions and international cooperation
In the half-year, the UIF adopted 8 suspension measures, in line with the corresponding period of 2025. The suspensions concerned operations for 1.1 million euros, against 64 requests assessed, compared to 0.6 million and 69 requests in the first half of the previous year.
The in-depth activity of the SOS involved an intense use of requests for information from obliged entities: the requests sent by the UIF as part of the financial analysis were 3,152, an increase of 7% compared to the first half of 2025. The requests were mainly addressed to banks and post offices (2,308) and to other intermediaries and financial operators (446).
