Rather than operating on the fringes, organised wildlife crime networks are embedding themselves within lawful supply chains and financial channels - making wildlife trafficking not just an environmental crime, but a serious financial one. Global experts are calling for financial institutions and regulators to treat wildlife trafficking as a serious financial crime and to "follow the money" to reach the people organising and profiting from these networks. The warning follows a three-part global online event series held in December 2025, organised by TRAFFIC and China Anti-Money Laundering Research Centre of Fudan University. The series brought together 150 participants from global law enforcement agencies, major financial institutions, academia, and conservation organisations worldwide. Presentations were delivered by leading international organisations, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United for Wildlife (UfW) Financial Taskforce, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), and experts from TRAFFIC.