The 4th Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Plenary Meeting was held, under the Mexican Presidency of Elisa de Anda Madrazo, from October 22 to 24, 2025, in Paris, France.
- Jamaica and Nigeria joined the FATF Plenary and Working Group (WG) meetings for the first time, along with Kenya, under the Guest Initiative.
Exam Hints:
- What? FATF Plenary meeting 2025
- When? October 22 to 24, 2025
- Edition: 4th
- Where? Paris (France)
- Under: FATF President Elisa de Anda Madrazo (Mexico)
- First-time Guests: Jamaica, Nigeria
- Removed from Grey List: Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa
- Blacklist countries: DPRK, Iran, Myanmar
- Grey List Countries: Algeria, Angola, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, DRC, Haiti, Kenya, Lao PDR, Lebanon, Monaco, Namibia, Nepal, South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands (UK), Yemen
Highlights of 4th FATF Plenary Meeting 2025:
Overview:
Governance: The Plenary, FATF’s decision-making body, meets thrice yearly, typically in February, June, and October.
Participation: The event witnessed the participation of delegates from the FATF’s Global Network of more than 200 jurisdictions and observer organizations, including International Monetary Fund (IMF), United Nations (UN), World Bank, International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), and the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units.
Oversight: The Plenary session reviewed global financial crime measures, highlighting asset recovery and the progress of monitored jurisdictions.
Outcomes of the Meeting:
Evaluation Reports Approval: The FATF Plenary adopted the first two mutual evaluation reports under the new assessment system, covering Belgium and Malaysia, which focuses on results in tackling money laundering, terrorism, and proliferation financing.
Asset Recovery Guidance: Approved new comprehensive guidance on asset recovery, aimed at helping countries establish frameworks to close loopholes and recover proceeds of crime, including through cross-border cooperation, and make crime less profitable.
Horizon Scan: Approved a new Horizon Scan to warn public and private sectors about current and future illicit finance risks from Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deepfakes.
Removed Jurisdictions: Four jurisdictions, including Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Nigeria, and South Africa removed from the list of countries under increased monitoring, also known as the “grey list”, on completion of their action plans to strengthen Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Countering the Finance of Terrorism (CFT), and Countering the Proliferation Financing (CPF) measures.
- To maintain improvements, Burkina Faso and Nigeria will work with Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA).
- Mozambique will work with Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG)
- South Africa will work with FATF and ESAAMLG.
High Risk Countries: FATF identified three jurisdictions such as Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Iran, and Myanmar as high-risk jurisdictions, also known as Blacklist, urging all member countries to apply countermeasures and enhanced monitoring.
Grey List countries: It includes Algeria, Angola, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Cote d Ivorie, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Kenya, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Monaco, Namibia, Nepal, South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands(the United Kingdom, UK), and Yemen.
- It comprises jurisdictions that are actively working with the FATF to address strategic deficiencies in their regimes to counter money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing.
Membership: The suspension of Russia’s FATF membership continues to remain in effect.
About Financial Action Task Force (FATF):
President – Elisa de Anda Madrazo (Mexico)
Headquarters – Paris, France
Established – 1989
