FATF grey list updated October 2025: Plenary delists South Africa, Nigeria, Mozambique, Burkina Faso from jurisdictions under increased monitoring

Executive Summary:

• Grey list: South Africa, Nigeria, Mozambique, Burkina Faso removed at the October 2025 Plenary.
• Black list: No change reported.
• Impact: Lower procedural frictions; retain a risk-based approach.
• Actions now: Update country-risk matrices, adjust any “grey list = EDD” rules, reperform customer risk assessment.

FATF Grey List October 2025 Update 

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global standard-setter on Money Laundering (ML), Terrorism Financing (TF) and Proliferation Financing (PF), has released the outcomes of its October plenary. FATF’s role is to set and monitor international benchmarks that shape Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Countering Terrorism Financing (CTF), and Countering Proliferation Financing (CPF) regimes worldwide. 

Following its latest session on 24th October 2025 FATF has announced important developments. South Africa, Nigeria, Mozambique, and Burkina Faso have been removed from the Grey List, acknowledging their significant progress in reinforcing AML/CTF frameworks.  

Other jurisdictions remain on the list, highlighting that further reforms are still required before they can demonstrate full compliance with FATF standards.    

Changes Made to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Grey List on 24th October 2025   

Recent revisions to the FATF grey list primarily involve the delisting of four countries, which are outlined below. 

Countries Removed from FATF’s Grey List (Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring) on 24th October 2025   

The nations that the FATF has taken off its Grey List, in recognition of their progress in improving measures against Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing, are:  

• South Africa  
• Nigeria  
• Mozambique  
• Burkina Faso 

The FATF Grey List as of 24th October 2025: Jurisdictions Under Increased Monitoring as of 24th October 2025    

1. Algeria   
2. Angola   
3. Bolivia   
4. Bulgaria   
5. Cameroon   
6. Cote d’Ivoire   
7. Democratic Republic of Congo   
8. Haiti   
9. Kenya   
10. Laos   
11. Lebanon   
12. Monaco   
13. Namibia   
14. Nepal    
15. South Sudan   
16. Syria   
17. Venezuela  
18. Vietnam   
19. Virgin Islands (UK)   
20. Yemen   

Key Action Points for Tranche 2 Entities  

Under Australia’s AML/CTF regime, Reporting Entities including Financial Institutions, Bullion Dealers, and Tranche 2 Businesses must closely monitor changes to the FATF Grey List. These updates directly influence how entities assess and manage jurisdictional risk. 

For Tranche 2 Entities, the following actions are essential to remain aligned with both FATF developments and Australia’s 2024-25 AML/CTF Reforms:  

• ML/TF Risk Assessment: Revisit your ML/TF/PF risk exposure analysis for the latest FATF Grey List changes, particularly around Geographic Risk.  

• Policies, Programs and Controls: Update AML/CTF frameworks to ensure Internal Policies, Procedures, and Governance arrangements reflect revised jurisdictional risk ratings.   

• Customer Due Diligence (CDD): Due diligence measures should be adjusted in line with the updated risk profile. Enhanced Customer Due Diligence (ECDD) is no longer automatically required for clients with ties to South Africa, Nigeria, Mozambique, or Burkina Faso, though standard risk-based checks should continue where other risk factors exist. 

• Update the Risk Matrices: Revise the risk matrices to reflect the removal of countries from the FATF Grey List. Adjust their risk ratings to align with the updated status while considering other relevant risk factors that may affect exposure. 

• System Safeguards: Reconfigure AML monitoring tools and software to reflect the updated FATF Grey List. Activities linked to the removed countries no longer require automatic high-risk escalation, though monitoring should remain proportionate to their current risk level.