The European Union (EU) has removed Nigeria from its list of high-risk countries for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing, citing significant improvements in the country’s financial regulations and enforcement framework, a move expected to boost investor confidence and ease financial transactions with European partners.
The removal follows Nigeria’s earlier exit from the Financial Action Task Force’s grey list in October 2025 after the country successfully implemented key legal, regulatory, and institutional reforms aimed at strengthening its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing framework.
According to the Federal Government, the delisting reflects sustained political commitment and coordinated action across key institutions, including financial regulators, law enforcement agencies, and the judiciary, which worked together to address deficiencies previously identified by international monitoring bodies.
In a statement issued on yesterday, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, described the development as a major milestone for Nigeria, attributing it to sustained reforms, strong political will, and the Tinubu administration’s commitment to strengthening economic governance and the integrity of the financial system.
He said that the decision underscored the success of Nigeria’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing reforms, noting that the delisting would enhance the country’s global financial credibility, ease transactions with European partners, and boost investor confidence.
Edun commended the collective efforts of all stakeholders involved in this achievement, including financial sector regulators, law enforcement agencies, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, supervisory authorities, the judiciary, and private sector operators, whose professionalism and commitment were instrumental to the successful reform outcomes.
While welcoming this decision, the minister reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to sustaining and deepening AML/CFT reforms.
He stressed that Nigeria will continue to work closely with the FATF, the European Union, and other international partners to ensure that its financial system remains resilient, transparent, and aligned with global best practices.
Edun added that the removal of Nigeria from both the FATF grey list and the European Union’s high-risk list sends a clear and positive signal to the global community that Nigeria is firmly on the path of reform, transparency, and economic renewal under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The statement read partly, “The Federal Government of Nigeria has welcomed the decision of the European Commission to remove Nigeria from the European Union’s list of high-risk third countries for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT).
“The decision, contained in a European Commission Delegated Regulation released this week amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1675, follows Nigeria’s earlier removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) list of Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring in October 2025, after the successful completion of its FATF Action Plan.
“According to the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, this important milestone was only possible due to the extraordinary leadership, unwavering political will, and clear reform vision of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, under whose administration AML/CFT reforms were prioritised as a core component of Nigeria’s economic governance and financial system stability agenda.”
