The successful design of  the risk-based approach is at the heart of all regulations relating to the Fight against Money Laundering and terrorist financing (AML-CFT). This Approach is seen as a prudential strategy.

The Risk-Based Approach aims to improve the efficiency of control processes (More efficiency with lower cost), by adapting due diligence measures to the risks involved and optimizing the administration of allocated resources. In other words, the greater the risk involved, the more it will prioritize the lines of internal control and the more resources and resources will be reserved for it. On a practical level, the implementation of a Risk-Based Approach is divided into two levels, a first Global and Transversal Approach at the level of the financial institution and its wider ecosystem, and a second Individual Approach focusing on the business relationships established between the Financial institution and its customer base.

The Global Risk-Based Approach, commonly known as "Risk Mapping" is the ultimate starting point for any prudential approach. Its objective is to understand the social, geographical and economic environment of the financial institution, to become acquainted with its organization and management and to understand its markets, the nature of its customers and the terms of its distribution, in order to be able to identify, assess and classify the money laundering and terrorist financing risks to which it is exposed. The Global Risk Approach must be an Ad Hoc approach, proportional to the nature and size of the financial institution and adapted to its organization, the complexity of its products and services and its degree of international exposure (multinational firms, Cross-border business relationships, currency transaction flows, etc.).