{TeMP}-{TraG}: Edge-based Temporal Message Passing in Transaction Graphs

Transaction graphs, which represent financial and trade transactions between entities such as bank accounts and companies, can reveal patterns indicative of financial crimes like money laundering and fraud. However, effective detection of such cases requires node and edge classification methods capable of addressing the unique challenges of transaction graphs, including rich edge features, multigraph structures and temporal dynamics. To tackle these challenges, we propose {TeMP}-{TraG}, a novel graph neural network mechanism that incorporates temporal dynamics into message passing. {TeMP}-{TraG} prioritises more recent transactions when aggregating node messages, enabling better detection of time-sensitive patterns. We demonstrate that {TeMP}-{TraG} improves four state-of-the-art graph neural networks by 6.19\% on average. Our results highlight {TeMP}-{TraG} as an advancement in leveraging transaction graphs to combat financial crime.