GIBRALTAR: European Commission deletes Gibraltar from ‘high risk’ list after FATF decision

The European Commission on Thursday removed Gibraltar from its list of high-risk countries with “strategic deficiencies” in mechanisms to counter money laundering and terrorist financing.

The step came as the Commission updated its list based on information from the Financial Action Task Force, which late last month removed Gibraltar from its own “grey list” of high-risk countries.

The Commission’s decision was set out in a regulation published on Thursday that is binding and directly applicable in all EU member states.

The regulation also removed Barbados, Uganda and the United Arab Emirates from the EU list, in line with FATF decisions at its February plenary in Paris.

The Commission regulation notes that the FATF has welcomed the “significant progress” made by Gibraltar and the other countries that came off the grey list, and their commitment to further strengthen their anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing [AML/CFT] regimes.

“Following the measures implemented to address the action plans agreed with the FATF, Barbados, Gibraltar, Uganda and the United Arab Emirates have remedied the strategic deficiencies in their respective AML/CFT regimes and no longer pose a significant AML/CFT threat to the international financial system,” the Commission said in announcing the decision.

“Taking into account their relevance under the revised methodology, the Commission considers that these jurisdictions no longer have strategic deficiencies in their respective AML/CFT frameworks and do not pose a significant threat to the financial system of the EU.”

The Government of Gibraltar welcomed the Commission’s step, noting it had been taken “at the first opportunity”.

“The swift removal of Gibraltar from the European Commission’s list, subsequent to our white-listing by the FATF, serves as yet another validation of Gibraltar’s position as a reputable and trustworthy jurisdiction on the global stage,” said Nigel Feetham, Minister for Justice, Trade and Industry.

“We are grateful for this recognition and remain steadfast in our pursuit of maintaining and enhancing our jurisdiction’s standing in the international community.”

18 October 2024

EUROPE: Tax on Europe’s frequent flyers could raise €64bn a year

A “jet-setter” tax on Europe’s frequent flyers could slow global heating and raise €64bn (£54bn) a year at no extra cost to most people, a report has found. Carbon pollution pumped out of planes

Read More
3 January 2025

ASIA: Family offices to favour Taiwan, India and US in 2025; may increase China exposure

Taiwan, India and the US will be favoured by high-net-worth individuals and family offices in 2025 and they might also invest more in mainland China and Hong Kong due to stimulus measures from Beijing,

Read More
20 March 2025

NEW ZEALAND: NZ Police reveal biggest money laundering vulnerabilities for banks

Inadequate information-sharing between banks and complacency around current fraud detection systems are posing major challenges to New Zealand’s ability to tackle the growing money laundering and

Read More
27 June 2025

SOUTH AFRICA: Existing tech tools enough to tackle tax-dodgers, says SARS

he South African Revenue Service (SARS) argues it does not need any additional technology to go after taxpayers who are not meeting their obligations. It is counting on the fact that what it already

Read More