On Friday, October 30, 2026, in Paris, the Financial Action Task Force removed Côte d’Ivoire from its list of jurisdictions subject to enhanced monitoring, after approving the reform plan undertaken by Abidjan against money laundering, terrorist financing, and the financing of weapons proliferation.
The decision was made following the plenary meeting of the FATF at the headquarters of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Several Ivorian media outlets confirmed the removal, while an international dispatch indicated that Monaco, Bulgaria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo also left this list during the same session.
The so-called grey list includes jurisdictions that have strategic deficiencies in their framework to combat illicit financial flows but have committed to addressing them within an agreed timeframe. It does not constitute a sanctions list. However, the countries concerned are subject to enhanced monitoring until the completion of their action plan.
Ivory Coast was placed under this monitoring in October 2024. At that time, it worked with the FATF and the Intergovernmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa to address the shortcomings identified in its system of prevention, control, and enforcement.
A first step was taken in June 2026, when the FATF considered that the majority of the Ivorian action plan had been completed. The removal then remained conditional on an on-site evaluation aimed at verifying the sustainable implementation of reforms and the maintenance of political commitment.
The progress reviewed notably concerned the supervision of financial institutions, access to information on the beneficial owners of companies, and the use of financial intelligence by investigators. The FATF had also noted an increase in investigations and prosecutions related to money laundering and terrorist financing.
The withdrawal announced on Friday thus concludes two years of enhanced monitoring. It follows the on-site verification scheduled as part of the process initiated in June and ends the specific follow-up associated with the action plan adopted in 2024.
