DRC officially removed from the FATF grey list after four years of enhanced monitoring

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was officially removed from the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) grey list on Friday, October 30, 2026. The decision was made following the organization's plenary meeting held in Paris from October 26 to 30. The Minister of Finance, Doudou Fwamba, announced this on the same day. Listed on this list since October 2022, the country has thus put an end to four years of enhanced monitoring related to shortcomings found in its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing framework. The FATF is an intergovernmental body that establishes international standards and assesses countries' systems regarding: - Money laundering - Terrorist financing - Financing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction Doudou Fwamba reports that to achieve this removal, the DRC executed an action plan of 23 measures aimed at correcting the deficiencies identified by the FATF. These commitments notably concerned strengthening the legal framework, assessing financial risks, monitoring sectors exposed to illicit practices, and improving the capacities of institutions responsible for detecting and processing suspicious transactions. In June 2026, the FATF had already acknowledged that the country had substantially completed the implementation of its action plan. However, an on-site assessment was still necessary to verify the effective and lasting application of the reforms. An evaluation mission finally traveled to the DRC in September 2026, according to information published by Actualite.cd. Four years of monitoring The DRC was placed on the grey list in October 2022 due to gaps in its system for preventing and combating money laundering, terrorist financing, and the financing of weapons of mass destruction proliferation. This listing subjected the country to enhanced FATF monitoring. It also caused increased vigilance from certain international financial partners regarding operations related to the DRC. Additional checks could thus complicate certain transactions with foreign banks. The removal from the grey list could help improve the confidence of international financial partners, facilitate relations between Congolese banks and their foreign correspondents, and strengthen the country's attractiveness to investors, according to the Minister of Finance.