FATF plenary on 28-30 October to discuss US and Mexico mutual evaluations
The Financial Action Task Force says its first plenary under the UK Presidency of Giles Thomson will meet in Paris from 28 to 30 October 2026, with mutual evaluation reports for Mexico and the US and a review of jurisdictions under increased monitoring on the agenda.
On 20 October 2026 the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global standard setter for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing rules, announced the agenda for its October 2026 plenary. The plenary is the meeting where FATF members take decisions. It will take place in Paris from 28 to 30 October 2026 and closes FATF Week, which starts on 26 October. It is the first plenary under the UK Presidency of Giles Thomson.
According to the FATF, the plenary is expected to discuss mutual evaluation reports for Mexico and the US under the new round of assessments. A mutual evaluation is a peer review of how well a country's laws and authorities meet the FATF standards and how effective they are in practice. Delegates will also review the progress of jurisdictions under increased monitoring, the list often called the grey list.
The FATF says delegates will also advance work under its roadmap on combatting fraud. Barbados, Namibia and Thailand will take part for the first time through the FSRB Guest Initiative. FSRBs are the FATF-style regional bodies that assess countries outside the FATF membership.
The FATF says a summary of the plenary outcomes will be published on its website after the meeting, and that its President will hold a virtual press conference on Friday 30 October at 17:00 CEST.
Why it matters to AML professionals
Changes to the list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring feed directly into country risk ratings, enhanced due diligence triggers and transaction monitoring rules at most financial institutions. A new mutual evaluation of a major financial centre can also lead to changes in national AML rules and supervisory focus in the following years.
Red flags in this case
- Customers or counterparties based in a jurisdiction that has just been added to the FATF list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring
- Payments routed through a jurisdiction under increased monitoring with no clear business reason
- A customer restructures accounts or moves funds out of a jurisdiction shortly before or after a FATF listing decision
- Use of entities registered in a listed jurisdiction where ownership information is hard to obtain
If this landed in your queue
- After the plenary outcomes are published, compare the updated FATF lists with your institution's country risk list
- Identify customers and open alerts with links to any jurisdiction that was added to or removed from increased monitoring
- Check whether your enhanced due diligence and screening rules need updating for those jurisdictions
- Record the source and date of any country risk change so the decision can be explained to auditors
Key terms
- Plenary
- The FATF's decision-making meeting, held three times a year, where members agree on evaluations, listings and policy.
- Mutual evaluation
- A peer review that rates how well a country's AML/CFT laws meet the FATF standards and how effective they are in practice.
- Increased monitoring
- The FATF list of jurisdictions with strategic AML/CFT weaknesses that have committed to fix them within agreed timeframes, often called the grey list.
Interview angle
How should a bank respond when the FATF adds a country to its list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring?
Explain that the bank should update its country risk rating, identify affected customers and payment flows, apply enhanced due diligence where its risk assessment requires it, and document the decision and its timing.
Sources
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