Overview
- The FATF plenary in Paris from October 22–24 formally delisted South Africa alongside Nigeria, Mozambique and Burkina Faso after successful on-site reviews.
- South Africa completed a 22-point action plan, capped by a July 2025 on-site visit that confirmed the sustainability of reforms reported to assessors.
- Measures cited include beneficial ownership reporting for companies and trusts, 2023 Tax Administration Act changes enabling data exchange, a digital traveller cash-declaration pilot and strengthened investigative capacity.
- Officials stressed the removal is a milestone rather than an endpoint, and the FATF president cautioned that exiting increased monitoring does not make any country immune to money laundering or terrorist financing.
- Authorities must now show measurable outcomes through investigations, prosecutions and sanctions, while business groups say the delisting should reduce transaction frictions and bolster investor confidence.