In a major move to curb cyber-crimes and financial frauds, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Financial Intelligence Unit-India (FIU-IND) on Thursday signed a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance data sharing and inter-agency coordination.
The MoU was signed by Sanjeev Kumar Sharma, Deputy Director General of the AI & Digital Intelligence Unit (DIU) at DoT, and Amit Mohan Govil, Director of FIU-IND, in the presence of Dr. Neeraj Mittal, Secretary (Telecom), and Arvind Shrivastava, Secretary (Revenue).
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Neeraj Mittal highlighted the growing importance of technology in governance. “Departments have leveraged technology to achieve their respective goals. While this is an essential first step, true progress lies in transcending departmental boundaries to address existing gaps. Developing synergies by learning from each other is crucial,” he said.
Revenue Secretary Arvind Shrivastava emphasized the potential of partnership in maximizing technological capabilities. “This is an excellent collaboration where both sides contribute to enhancing each other’s systems. Given the technology-driven nature of this partnership, I am confident it will deliver high efficiency in terms of accuracy and timeliness, enabling us to make optimal use of the data,” he said.
Under the MoU, both agencies will exchange critical information in real-time to strengthen fraud detection. FIU-IND will share mobile numbers linked to accounts involved in suspicious transactions, while DoT will provide details of mobile numbers disconnected due to fraudulent activity. The exchange of information will be facilitated through advanced technology platforms such as DoT’s Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) and FIU-IND’s Finnex 2.0 portal, ensuring secure, system-based transmission of data.
The partnership comes at a time when India’s digital payment ecosystem has witnessed rapid growth, creating the need for robust mechanisms to prevent fraud. The combined intelligence will help authorities flag high-risk mobile numbers before they are used in fraudulent financial transactions. It will also enable banks and financial institutions to implement stronger risk checks, making digital transactions safer for citizens.
The MoU leverages existing initiatives such as DoT’s Sanchar Saathi platform, which has already helped disconnect 2.84 crore fake mobile connections. Through the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) system, banks have prevented over 48 lakh suspicious transactions, saving nearly ₹140 crore from potential frauds.
This collaboration will also support the development of standard operating procedures for information sharing, feedback mechanisms to enhance fraud detection analytics, and the issuance of red-flag indicators to financial institutions. Both agencies will maintain continuous consultations to adapt to evolving cyber threats and ensure the framework remains effective in safeguarding India’s growing digital economy.
FIU-IND is the central national agency responsible for processing, analyzing, and disseminating information related to suspect financial transactions, coordinating efforts against money laundering, and combating the financing of terrorism.
