World · Europe · 5 hrs ago
Monaco removed from FATF money-laundering watchlist
The FATF removed Monaco from its grey list on Friday after judging it had made enough progress against money laundering.
The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force places countries under closer monitoring when it finds weaknesses in their efforts to stop illicit money flows.
Monaco was added in June 2024, a move that damaged its reputation and led international banks and financial firms to apply tighter checks to transactions with the principality.
Monaco responded with new laws, stricter customer checks and more cooperation with neighbouring countries.
Its financial watchdog increased enforcement, issuing 11 sanctions and about 10 million euros in fines, while convictions for money laundering rose to 36 last year.
Leaving the list may ease transfers and investment activity, which Monaco’s government said had been slowed by the listing.
Bulgaria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ivory Coast were also removed, and the FATF says Monaco no longer needs enhanced monitoring.
Monaco was removed from the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) grey list on Friday, 30 October 2026.
The FATF said Monaco had made sufficient progress in addressing weaknesses in its anti-money-laundering system and no longer needed enhanced monitoring.
Bulgaria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Côte d’Ivoire were also removed from the list.
Monaco introduced legal reforms, tightened customer checks and expanded international cooperation to meet the FATF’s requirements.
Monaco’s financial authorities have imposed penalties on firms, including UBS and Julius Baer, as part of enforcement efforts.
- Who
- Monaco was removed by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
- What
- The FATF took Monaco off its grey list of jurisdictions under enhanced monitoring for money-laundering risks.
- When
- Friday, 30 October 2026.
- Where
- Monaco; the FATF is based in Paris.
- Why
- The FATF said Monaco made sufficient progress in addressing strategic weaknesses and implemented its action plan within the agreed timeframe.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The FATF placed Monaco on its grey list.
Monaco fined UBS 6 million euros after criticizing its customer acceptance processes and checks on transactions linked to high-risk regions.
The FATF announced that Monaco, Bulgaria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Côte d’Ivoire had been removed from the grey list.
- FATF decision
- Monaco removed from the grey list on 30 October 2026
- Other jurisdictions removed
- Bulgaria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire
- Monaco added to list
- June 2024
- UBS fine
- 6 million euros
- Monaco enforcement figures
- 11 sanctions and about 10 million euros in fines, according to the Monaco government
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What people are saying
Monaco wolle ein "Vorbild" sein
Gri listede bulunmanın "Monako'nun yansıtmak istediği imajla çeliştiğini ve olumsuz algılanabileceğini
Finansal işlemler kolaylaşacağı için bu, halk açısından oldukça önemli bir etken olacak. Aynı zamanda ekonomimizin rekabet gücünü artırıp geliştirecek bir unsur olacak