The European Union Commission has removed Nigeria from its list of high-risk jurisdictions on Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT).
The delisting, contained in an updated list of high-risk jurisdictions, follows decisions taken at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Plenaries of June and October 2025.
The EU regulation takes effect from 29 January 2026.
The EU Commission also confirmed the removal of Burkina Faso, Mali, Mozambique, South Africa and Tanzania from the EU high-risk list after their successful exit from the FATF list of Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring.
It acknowledged that Nigeria and the other delisted countries have strengthened the effectiveness of their AML/CFT regimes, closed key technical and operational gaps and fulfilled the commitments set out in their FATF Action Plans.
The commission is mandated to identify high-risk third countries with strategic deficiencies in their regime on anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism. Entities covered by the AML framework are required to apply enhanced vigilance in transactions involving listed countries to protect the integrity of the EU financial system.
The delisted countries demonstrated sufficient progress in addressing AML/CFT deficiencies and implementing agreed action plans. Their removal means that automatic country-based enhanced due diligence under Article 9 AMLD IV no longer applies.
However, institutions must continue to apply risk-based measures where justified by customer, product, or transaction risk, the Commission said.
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Finance, Doris Anite, described the development as a big win for Nigeria. “Removed from EU’s financial ‘high-risk’ list. Congrats to President @officialABAT on this achievement. As Minister of State for Finance, I’m proud of this boost to trade and investor confidence,” she wrote on X.
In a statement on Friday, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Hafsat Bakari, described the decision as a significant affirmation of Nigeria’s collective reform efforts.
“This decision represents an important external validation of Nigeria’s steady progress in strengthening its AML/CFT/CPF framework. It demonstrates that consistent reforms, effective coordination and strong national ownership can translate into tangible international outcomes,” Ms Bakari said.
