💰 **The Hidden Pathways: How Illicit Money Moves Across Borders** 🌍  

Behind every legitimate financial transaction, there’s often an invisible web of illicit money that distorts economies and amplifies inequality. How does this hidden wealth move around the world?  

💳 **Money Laundering:**  
Criminals use complex networks of banks, shell companies, and offshore accounts to clean money and make it appear legitimate.  

🌍 **Cross-Border Trade Schemes:**  
Trade mispricing allows companies to shift profits across borders to avoid taxes, while hiding real transactions.  

🔒 **Digital Dark Money:**  
With the rise of cryptocurrency, anonymous and cross-border transfers have made it easier to move large sums of illicit money undetected.  

💡 **Why it matters:**  
These hidden flows deprive governments of billions in tax revenue, weaken financial systems, and widen social inequality. It’s estimated that **$1.6 trillion** is laundered globally each year.