The 40th Plenary Meeting of the Middleeast and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF) was inaugurated under the patronage of His Excellency Dr Adel Al Sharkas, Governor of the Central Bank of Jordan and Chairman of the National Committee for Combating Money Laundering and Counter Terrorist Financing, and Her Excellency Ms. Samya Abou Sharif, Member of the AML/CTF National Committee, Head of the Anti Money Laundering and Counter Terrorist Financing Unit in the Kingdom, and MENAFATF President for the year 2025.
The Plenary Meeting and the accompanying working group meetings were held over five days hosted and chaired by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in Amman during the period 5-8 May 2025.
Chaired by H.E Ms. Samya Abou Sharif, MENAFATF President and H.E Hamid AlZaabi of the UAE as Vice President, the meetings discussed ways to enhance cooperation, communication, and coordination with international and regional partners and peer regional groups, in line with MENAFATF’s strategic plan and regional action plan.
The meeting was attended by heads of delegations, anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing, and proliferation financing experts from member countries, as well as experts from international entities, most notably the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) , the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering, UNODC, Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and financing of terrorism, EU Global Facility on AML/CFT and the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units.
Follow-up reports from member states were discussed and approved, as well self-reports submitted by countries whose conditions prevented on-site visits. The report also discussed the efforts of these countries to strengthen their AML/CFT systems.
In addition, several typologies reports were discussed, including on money laundering and terrorist financing through legal persons and legal arrangements in the region. A methodology for a regional assessment of money laundering and terrorist financing risks in the region was also approved, as well as a guidance document for implementing targeted financial sanctions and combating sanctions evasion. The group's e-learning platform was also discussed as it contributes to enhancing the expertise of specialists in the region.
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