The Bank of the Republic of Burundi has issued a new anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CFT) regulation, alongside five implementing circulars, to operationalise Burundi’s amended AML/CFT law. The package strengthens governance, customer due diligence, transaction monitoring and suspicious transaction reporting requirements for obliged institutions and requires tailored internal policies, procedures and internal control mechanisms. The regulation implements Law No. 1/08 of 27 March 2025, which amended the 2008 AML/CFT law, and is intended to align the national framework with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the Eastern and Southern Africa Anti Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG) standards and international supervisory good practices. The circulars cover Know Your Customer (KYC) identification modalities; regulatory thresholds for large transactions, cash operations and declarations of funds at Burundi’s points of entry and exit; and definitions and typologies of suspicious transactions, operations and activities with associated identification criteria. Further implementing guidance sets expectations on internal organisation, control and compliance for obliged entities and establishes the sanctions regime for failures to meet legal and regulatory obligations.
Bank of the Republic of Burundi 2026-02-13
Bank of the Republic of Burundi issues new AML/CFT regulation and five implementing circulars
The Bank of the Republic of Burundi has issued a new anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regulation and five circulars to enforce the amended AML/CFT law. This aligns Burundi's framework with Financial Action Task Force and Eastern and Southern Africa Anti Money Laundering Group standards, enhancing governance, due diligence, and transaction monitoring. The circulars address Know Your Customer requirements, transaction thresholds, and suspicious activity criteria, while setting compliance expectations and sanctions for non-compliance.