The Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force has opened its 41st Plenary Meeting in Manama, Bahrain, with a two-day agenda focused on discussing the effectiveness of member countries’ anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing and proliferation financing frameworks and the measures being taken to address related risks. The plenary is chaired by MENAFATF President Samia Abu Sharif and Vice-President Hamed Al Zaabi and brings together AML/CFT/CPF experts from member countries alongside observers from regional and international bodies. The programme includes discussion of emerging regional and international money laundering patterns, exchanges on good practices, and updates on MENAFATF capacity-building work; it also follows a 11 November workshop on the current round of mutual evaluations and approaches to implementing the latest Financial Action Task Force standards, as well as working group meetings held on 9–10 November covering mutual evaluations, technical assistance and typologies, financial intelligence units, risk, and terrorist financing operational expertise.
Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF) 2025-11-12
Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force opens 41st plenary to review AML CFT CPF effectiveness and mutual evaluation work
The Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF) began its 41st Plenary Meeting in Manama, Bahrain, focusing on evaluating member countries' anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing, and proliferation financing frameworks. The agenda includes discussions on emerging money laundering patterns, good practices, and updates on MENAFATF's capacity-building efforts, following recent workshops and working group meetings.