The Financial Action Task Force concluded its June Plenary in Paris on 19 June 2026 – the final meeting under Mexico’s presidency before the UK takes over the role from 1 July.

The outcomes bring several changes firms should reflect in their risk assessments and due diligence frameworks.

Grey list movements

Iraq and Bosnia and Herzegovina were added to the list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring, both having committed to action plans addressing strategic AML/CFT deficiencies. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s listing followed a MONEYVAL evaluation citing fragmented governance and weak investigative capacity. Algeria and Namibia were removed, having demonstrated completed reforms in areas including beneficial ownership transparency and targeted financial sanctions. The grey list now stands at 22 jurisdictions.

Black list unchanged

North Korea, Iran and Myanmar remain the only jurisdictions subject to a Call for Action, with no additions or removals this cycle.

Standards update on humanitarian assistance

The Plenary revised Recommendation 6 of the FATF Standards to ensure sanctions measures don’t obstruct humanitarian aid, incorporating the exemptions set out in UN Security Council Resolutions 2664 and 2761.

Consultation on payment transparency

FATF approved a public consultation on new guidance supporting its strengthened Standard on cross-border payment transparency (Recommendation 16), continuing a broader push to close information gaps around originator and beneficiary data in payment chains and correspondent banking.

Thematic priorities

Beyond the list changes, FATF signalled continued focus on cyber-enabled fraud – particularly phishing, account takeover and “fraud-as-a-service” typologies – and on moving supervisors toward outcome-based effectiveness rather than procedural tick-boxing.

What this means in practice

Firms with exposure to the Western Balkans or the Middle East should update enhanced due diligence triggers to reflect Iraq’s and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s new status, while jurisdiction risk ratings for Algeria and Namibia can be revisited in light of their removal. More broadly, the direction of travel – on payment transparency, cyber fraud and supervisory effectiveness – is worth flagging to senior management and boards now, ahead of it filtering through into domestic regulatory expectations.