The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Financial Intelligence Unit-India (FIU-IND) have signed a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen information sharing and coordination, marking a major step in India’s fight against telecom misuse in cyber-crimes and financial fraud.The MoU was signed by Shri Sanjeev Kumar Sharma, Deputy Director General (AI & Digital Intelligence Unit – DIU), DoT, and Shri Amit Mohan Govil, Director, FIU-IND, in the presence of Dr. Neeraj Mittal, Secretary (Telecom), and Shri Arvind Shrivastava, Secretary (Revenue). The agreement establishes a collaborative intelligence-sharing framework between the DIU and the country’s apex financial intelligence agency.Under the partnership, the agencies will enable real-time sharing of Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) data, which classifies mobile numbers as medium, high, or very high risk. DoT will provide the Mobile Number Revocation List (MNRL), detailing dates and reasons for disconnections, while FIU-IND will share mobile numbers linked to Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) involving cyber fraud or money mule activities. Data exchange will leverage advanced platforms including DoT’s Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) and FIU-IND’s Finnex 2.0 portal, ensuring secure, real-time transmission.This collaboration aims to prevent financial crimes, protect digital transactions, and enable proactive fraud detection. Using the FRI, which incorporates inputs from the Chakshu platform, financial institutions, and law enforcement agencies, early warnings will identify potentially fraudulent mobile numbers before financial harm occurs.Building on DoT’s Digital Intelligence Platform—which currently serves over 700 users from 36 State/UT police units, central law enforcement agencies, SEBI, NPCI, FIU-IND, and 650 banks and financial institutions—the initiative complements existing measures such as the Sanchar Saathi platform. These efforts have already resulted in the disconnection of 28.4 million fraudulent mobile connections and prevented 4.8 million transactions, saving Rs 1.4 billion from potential fraud.The MoU also provides for the development of Standard Operating Procedures, feedback mechanisms to enhance fraud analytics, and issuance of red-flag guidelines to financial institutions. Continuous consultation between the agencies will ensure the framework adapts to evolving cyber threats and safeguards India’s rapidly expanding digital economy.