Financial Action Task Force (FATF)
Summary: The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an intergovernmental organization established in 1989 by the Group of Seven (G7) countries.
Its purpose is to combat money laundering and terrorist financing globally by setting standards and promoting effective implementation of legal, regulatory, and operational measures.
The FATF works by issuing recommendations, which are a set of 40 technical standards that countries must implement to effectively combat money laundering and terrorist financing. These standards cover a range of areas, including customer due diligence, record keeping, suspicious transaction reporting, and cooperation between financial intelligence units.
In order to ensure that countries are complying with the FATF recommendations, the organization conducts mutual evaluations of member countries. This involves a comprehensive assessment of the country’s laws, regulations, and practices related to money laundering and terrorist financing. The results of these evaluations are published in a report and provide guidance to countries on how to improve their anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regimes.
In addition to mutual evaluations, the FATF also conducts follow-up assessments to ensure that countries are making progress in addressing any deficiencies identified in their evaluations. If a country is not making sufficient progress, it may be placed on the FATF’s “gray list” or “black list” of countries with strategic deficiencies in their anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regimes. This can have significant consequences for the country’s financial sector, as other countries may impose financial restrictions or enhanced due diligence measures on transactions with that country.
One example of a country that has been placed on the FATF’s gray list is Pakistan. In 2018, the FATF conducted a mutual evaluation of Pakistan and found that the country had significant deficiencies in its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime. As a result, Pakistan was placed on the gray list and given a deadline to address these deficiencies. In 2019, the FATF conducted a follow-up assessment and found that Pakistan had made progress in addressing some of these deficiencies, but more work was needed. As a result, Pakistan remains on the gray list.
Another example of a country that has been placed on the FATF’s black list is Iran. In 2019, the FATF conducted a mutual evaluation of Iran and found that the country had significant deficiencies in its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime. As a result, Iran was placed on the black list and given a deadline to address these deficiencies. If Iran fails to address these deficiencies, it could face financial restrictions or enhanced due diligence measures from other countries.
The FATF also has a number of other tools and mechanisms to encourage compliance with its recommendations. These include technical assistance to help countries implement the recommendations, training and capacity building programs, and the creation of best practices and guidance materials.
In addition to its work on money laundering and terrorist financing, the FATF also has a mandate to combat other forms of financial crime, such as corruption, tax evasion, and illicit trade. To this end, the organization has issued additional sets of recommendations, such as the FATF’s Recommendations on Transparency and Beneficial Ownership and the FATF’s Guidance on the Risk-Based Approach to Virtual Assets and Virtual Asset Service Providers.
Overall, the FATF plays a critical role in the global fight against money laundering and terrorist financing by setting standards and promoting effective implementation of legal, regulatory, and operational measures. Its work helps to ensure that the financial system is not abused by criminal and terrorist organizations, and helps to protect the integrity and stability of the global financial system.
