South Africa (SA) has welcomed its removal from the European Union’s (EU) list of “High-Risk Third Country Jurisdictions,” following its recent exit from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) greylist and the United Kingdom’s high-risk countries list in October 2025.

The EU’s decision, published on January 9 and effective from January 29, 2026, recognises SA’s efforts to strengthen its systems for preventing money laundering and terrorism financing. National Treasury said the move also applies to five other African countries, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Tanzania, all of which were previously on the EU list.

Being on the EU high-risk list had required European financial institutions to apply enhanced due diligence on transactions involving SA. This meant extra checks, more documentation, continuous monitoring, and senior management approvals, which often slowed down trade, payments, and investment. Removal from the list does not force banks to change their policies, but it allows them to adjust their risk assessments if they wish.

The EU noted that SA and the other countries had successfully addressed technical deficiencies identified by FATF, improving the effectiveness of their anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing frameworks.

National Treasury, however, cautioned that delisting does not mean all challenges have been solved. “There is still work to do to strengthen the prevention, identification, investigation, and prosecution of money laundering and terrorism financing,” the department said.

SA will undergo a new round of FATF evaluation in the coming months, with a final report expected in October 2027. Authorities said preparations are already underway, building on lessons learned during the greylist exit process.

–ChannelAfrica–