Recommendation 15 addresses money-laundering and terrorist-financing risks arising from new products, business practices and technologies. The standard expects risks to be identified and assessed before launch or use, with measures proportionate to the identified exposure. It extends the preventive framework to virtual assets and virtual asset service providers through its interpretive note.

The virtual-asset framework addresses licensing or registration, supervision, customer due diligence, record keeping, suspicious transaction reporting and transfer-information requirements. Classification follows the activities performed, so a business's technology label does not by itself settle whether it is a covered service provider.

The practical purpose is to prevent innovation from creating an unexamined gap in financial-crime controls. Product design, distribution channels, anonymity features and cross-border reach can change the risk profile. Countries implement the FATF standard through local law, which determines the precise perimeter and obligations for a provider.