2026-08-17
Added · Updated
Institutions are informed about the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) statements from its June 2026 plenary meeting. This document mandates the continued application of countermeasures against North Korea and Iran, citing a very high risk of money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing, as per Article 99(1)(b) of Law No. 83/2017. Furthermore, institutions must continue to adopt enhanced identification and due diligence measures, including special scrutiny of all business relationships and transactions, for North Korea, Iran, and Myanmar. For other jurisdictions under increased monitoring or high-risk third countries, proportional enhanced measures are required.
Circular Letter No. CC/2026/00000021 Mod. 99999975/T – 01/14 Subject: Disclosure of FATF statements (June 2026 plenary meeting) I. STATEMENTS ISSUED BY THE FATF With the aim of protecting the international financial system from the risks associated with money laundering and terrorist financing, as well as fostering adequate compliance with AML/CFT standards, the FINANCIAL ACTION TASK FORCE (FATF) acts to identify jurisdictions with strategic deficiencies in money laundering and terrorist financing and to develop coordinated and decisive global responses to combat these realities. Following the plenary meeting held between June 17 and 19, 2026, the FATF disclosed the following documents:
II. Comparative table with statements issued by the FATF in February 2026
| Plenary Meeting Date | Jurisdictions subject to countermeasures | Jurisdictions subject to enhanced measures | Jurisdictions subject to a monitoring process | Jurisdictions that exited the monitoring process |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17-19 June 2026 | Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) | Islamic Republic of Iran; Republic of the Union of Myanmar | Republic of Angola; Plurinational State of Bolivia; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Republic of Bulgaria; Republic of Cameroon; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Republic of Côte d'Ivoire; Republic of Haiti, Republic of Yemen; British Virgin Islands; Republic of Iraq; State of Kuwait; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Lebanese Republic; Principality of Monaco; Nepal; Independent State of Papua New Guinea; Republic of Kenya; Syrian Arab Republic; Republic of South Sudan; Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; Socialist Republic of Vietnam. | People's Democratic Republic of Algeria; Republic of Namibia. |
| 11-13 February 2026 | Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) | Islamic Republic of Iran; Republic of the Union of Myanmar | Republic of Angola; People's Democratic Republic of Algeria; Plurinational State of Bolivia; Republic of Bulgaria; Republic of Cameroon; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Republic of Côte d'Ivoire; Republic of Haiti, Republic of Yemen; British Virgin Islands; State of Kuwait; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Lebanese Republic; Principality of Monaco; Republic of Namibia; Nepal; Independent State of Papua New Guinea; Republic of Kenya; Syrian Arab Republic; Republic of South Sudan; Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; Socialist Republic of Vietnam. | - |
Mod. 99999975/T – 01/14 III. PROCEDURES AND MEASURES TO BE ADOPTED BY INSTITUTIONS Considering the content of the documents produced by the FATF and within the scope of the duty to disseminate information to which supervisory authorities are bound (Article 120 of Law No. 83/2017, of August 18 - “Law No. 83/2017”), Banco de Portugal hereby informs the following, regarding business relationships, occasional transactions, and operations carried out with persons, entities, and collective interest centers without legal personality1 resident or established in the jurisdictions identified below: a. Considering the existence of a very high risk of money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the maintenance of countermeasures, proportionate to those risks, is determined, pursuant to and for the purposes of paragraph b) of no. 1 of Article 99 of Law No. 83/2017, in relation to the DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA (NORTH KOREA) and the ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN, and which must in any case include the countermeasures identified in the High-Risk Jurisdictions Subject to a Call For Action and in paragraphs f) to h) and k) of no. 3 of Article 99 of the aforementioned Law No. 83/2017. b. Pursuant to no. 2 of Article 36 and paragraph b) of no. 3 of Article 37 of Law No. 83/2017, enhanced identification and due diligence measures – including necessarily the measures specified in the High-Risk Jurisdictions Subject to a Call For Action – must continue to be adopted, and all business relationships, occasional transactions, and operations involving the DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA (NORTH KOREA), the ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN, or the REPUBLIC OF THE UNION OF MYANMAR must be examined with special care. c. As for business relationships, occasional transactions, and operations involving jurisdictions subject to a monitoring process, or other high-risk third countries included in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1675 of July 14, 2016, in its currently effective version, enhanced measures proportionate to the concretely identified risk must be adopted, without prejudice to the above determination, under the provisions of no. 2 of Article 36, no. 1 and paragraph b) of no. 3 of Article 37, all of the aforementioned Law No. 83/2017.
Supplementary information on the conclusions of the FATF plenary meeting can be obtained on the website www.fatf-gafi.org.
1 Including their respective representatives and beneficial owners.