Nigeria has been removed from the EU’s high-risk AML/CFT list following reforms that strengthened its financial system and met FATF requirements.
The Federal Government of Nigeria has welcomed the decision of the European Commission to remove Nigeria from the European Union’s list of high-risk third countries for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT).
The decision, contained in a European Commission Delegated Regulation released this week amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1675, follows Nigeria’s earlier removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) list of Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring in October 2025, after the successful completion of its FATF Action Plan.
The European Commission, in its assessment, concluded that Nigeria has significantly strengthened the effectiveness of its AML/CFT regime and satisfactorily addressed the technical and strategic deficiencies highlighted by the FATF. As a result, Nigeria has been removed from the EU list of high-risk third countries, alongside other jurisdictions that have demonstrated similar progress.
This development represents another major boost to Nigeria’s global financial credibility. It is expected to ease enhanced due diligence requirements for Nigerian individuals, businesses, and financial institutions transacting with European counterparts, improve correspondent banking relationships, enhance investor confidence, and further integrate Nigeria into the international financial system.
