The Federal Government has welcomed the European Union’s decision to remove Nigeria from its high-risk and terrorism financing list, following the country’s removal from the FATF “jurisdictions under increased monitoring” list in October 2025.
The move, contained in a European Commission Delegated Regulation amending Regulation (EU) 2016/1675, is seen as a boost to Nigeria’s global financial credibility.
Finance Minister Wale Edun attributed the milestone to President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, political will, and reform agenda prioritising anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) measures.
He said the administration strengthened inter-agency coordination, engaged with international partners, and implemented critical legal, regulatory, and institutional reforms to address previous deficiencies in Nigeria’s AML/CFT framework.
The EU noted that Nigeria had effectively addressed technical and strategic gaps, prompting its removal from the high-risk list. Edun said the development would ease due diligence for Nigerian individuals and businesses dealing with European partners, improve correspondent banking relationships, boost investor confidence, and deepen Nigeria’s integration into the global financial system.
The minister commended financial regulators, law enforcement, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, the judiciary, and private sector stakeholders for their roles in achieving the reforms. He added that Nigeria would continue to strengthen engagement with FATF, the EU, and other international partners to maintain a resilient and transparent financial system
