The APG meets on a regular basis, generally twice each year. The APG's two regular meetings are:

• Annual Meeting; and
• Annual Typologies Workshop.

The APG also convenes Working Groups from time to time to examine specific issues of importance to the APG membership.  For instance, the Implementation Issues Working Group meets on an as-required basis to identify stumbling blocks to effective implementation of the global AML/CFT standards and to devise strategies to overcome those impediments. There is a separate tab with information on this Working Group under the "Implementation Issues" button at the top of this page.

Annual Meetings

The APG's Terms of Reference provide that the APG will meet at least once each year. In practice, due mainly to cost considerations, the APG has held plenary meetings (general meetings of all members) only once a year since its inception. Meetings are usually held at the same time each year (middle of the calendar year) and are attended by senior officials from APG members as well as observer jurisdictions and organisations.

The purpose of Annual Meetings is to discuss the APG's strategic directions and work programme. Discussions cover issues such as:

• Structure and operation of the APG (including its Terms of Reference, planning issues, budget etc);
• Mutual evaluations of members;
• Implementation issues of members;
• Technical assistance and training issues;
• Money laundering methods and counter-measures; and 
• Special issues and developments of significance to members.

Invitations to Annual Meetings may be extended to non-members to attend as observers, however sessions are generally limited to members only to enable the APG to conduct formal consideration of issues which are confidential and require the agreement of its members.

The Terms of Reference also state that to ensure a global approach to anti-money laundering, members of the APG will work closely with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The FATF Secretariat attends APG meetings on the same basis that the APG Secretariat attends FATF meetings.

Fifteen annual meetings have been held since the APG's formation:

• 1st Annual Meeting, Tokyo, Japan, March 1998;
• 2nd Annual Meeting, Manila, The Philippines, August 1999;
• 3rd Annual Meeting, Sydney, Australia, June 2000;
• 4th Annual Meeting, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 2001;
• 5th Annual Meeting, Brisbane, Australia, June 2002;
• 6th Annual Meeting, Macau, China, September 2003;
• 7th Annual Meeting, Seoul, Korea, June 2004;
• 8th Annual Meeting, Cairns, Australia, July 2005;
• 9th Annual Meeting, Manila, The Philipines, July 2006;
• 10th Annual Meeting, Perth, Australia, July 2007;
• 11th Annual Meeting, Bali, Indonesia, July 2008;
• 12th Annual Meeting, Brisbane, Australia, July 2009;
• 13th Annual Meeting, Singapore, July 2010;
• 14th Annual Meeting, Kochi, India, July 2011; and
• 15th Annual Meeting, Brisbane Australia, July 2012.   

Summaries of those meetings can be found in the APG Annual Reports in the "documents" section of this website.

The next three APG Annual Meetings will be held as follows:

• 16th Annual Meeting in Shanghai, China in July 2013.
• 17th Annual Meeting in Macau, China in July 2014; and
• 18th Annual Meeting in New Zealand in July 2015.

APG Typologies Workshops

In order to effectively combat money laundering and terrorist financing, governments, law makers, officials and the private sector need to understand and keep pace with the various and evolving methods used to launder money and to finance terrorism. 

Yearly typologies workshops are held by the APG to bring together experts and APG delegates to discuss money laundering and terrorist financing trends as well as policy issues emerging from those trends. These workshops generally have topical 'themes' to provide a focus for the discussion and have five main purposes - to:

• Bring together expert law enforcement and regulators experts in order to share knowledge and experience;
  
• Identify the current ways by which proceeds of crime are laundered and terrorism is funded in the Asia/Pacific region;
  
• Determine any emerging money laundering and terrrorist financing trends or patterns within and between jurisdictions in the Asia/Pacific region;
  
• Consider and make recommendations about money laundering and terrorist financing counter-measures; and
  
• Consider ways to improve international co-operation in the detection, investigation and seizure terrorist finances and proceeds of crime, and where appropriate, the repatriation of the proceeds of crime, especially when the proceeds are transmitted to other jurisdictions.
  

Fourteen APG Typologies Workshops have been held since the APG's formation in 1997 in the following locations:

• Wellington, New Zealand, October 1998;
• Tokyo, Japan, March 1999;
• Bangkok, Thailand, March 2000;
• Singapore, October 2001;
• Vancouver, Canada, October 2002;
• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, December 2003;
• Brunei Darussalam, October 2004;
• Nadi, Fiji, October 2005;
• Jakarta, Indonesia, November 2006;
• Bangkok, Thailand, November 2007 (jointly with the FATF);
• Colombo, Sri Lanka, October 2008;
• Siem Reap, Cambodia, October 2009;
• Dhaka, Bangladesh, October 2010;
• Busan, Korea, December 2011 (jointly with the FATF); and
• Hanoi, Vietnam, November 2012. 

The 2013 Typologies Workshop will be held jointly with EAG in Mongolia in the last quarter of 2013.   

Summary reports of typologies workshops are located under "APG Documents" on the website and can also be found in APG annual reports.