EU delists Nigeria from High-risk AML, CFT countries watchlist

Nigeria has recorded a major international breakthrough in its fight against money laundering, terrorist financing and the financing of weapons proliferation, following its removal from the European Union’s list of high-risk third countries.

The development comes under the European Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) C (2025) 8460, which was adopted on December 4, 2025.

The decision aligns with the latest updates issued by the Financial Action Task Force at its October 2025 Plenary meeting.

The delisting means the EU has formally recognised Nigeria’s progress in strengthening its Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism framework, a move expected to improve investor confidence and ease financial transactions between Nigeria and European partners.

Nigeria had been under increased international scrutiny in recent years due to concerns over financial crimes, but sustained reforms and compliance with global standards have now earned the country a clean bill of health from the EU under its AML/CFT regime.

This is according to a statement by the Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, Hafsat Bakari, in Abuja on Friday.

She said the regulation would be effective from Jan. 29, and also confirmed the removal of Burkina Faso, Mali, Mozambique, South Africa and Tanzania from the EU high-risk list, following their successful exit from the FATF list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring.

According to her, the European Commission delisted countries, including Nigeria, had strengthened the effectiveness of their AML/CFT regimes, closed critical technical and operational gaps and fulfilled commitments under their FATF Action Plans.

Bakari said the reforms led to their removal from the FATF grey list in June and October 2025.

According to her, Nigeria’s removal from the EU list reflects what stakeholders described as strong political will and leadership under President Bola Tinubu, whose administration prioritised financial system integrity, inter-agency coordination and compliance with international standards.

Bakari said the achievement also followed sustained collaboration among key stakeholders, including the National Assembly, law enforcement agencies, regulators and supervisors, the judiciary, the private sector and development partners.

The CEO also described the decision as a significant affirmation of Nigeria’s reform efforts.

“This decision represents an important external validation of Nigeria’s steady progress in strengthening its AML/CFT/CPF framework.

“It demonstrates that consistent reforms, effective coordination and strong national ownership can translate into tangible international outcomes,” Bakari said.

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